After several weeks on the road, the PGA Tour ship docks back in the US this week, and the first port of call will be Houston, where the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Open will take place at Memorial Park Golf Course.
132 players will tee it up in Texas, including last year’s winner Carlos Ortiz, who is back to defend his one and only PGA Tour title.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open General Information:
- Date: November 11 – 14, 2021
- TV-Time: Golf Channel, 1:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Memorial Park Golf Course
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Prize Money: $7,500,000 ($1,260,000 1st Place)
- Winner last year: Carlos Ortiz
Tournament, Conditions & Course Info
A regular fixture on the PGA Tour schedule, the Houston Open has been won by some big names over the years, including Ian Poulter and Adam Scott in recent times, while the Texas tournament served as the setting for Carlos Ortiz’s first PGA Tour win 12 months ago.
This time around, the field features a host of top players, with Patrick Reed, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith all featuring. Thanks to sponsorship exemption, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka will feature alongside his brother Chase, while Korn Ferry Tour players Peter Uihlein and Dawie van der Walt will get a chance to show what they can do at this level.
Remodelled by world renowned course architect Tom Doak, with the help of none other than Brooks Koepka, the Par 70 course at Memorial Park recently underwent something of a dramatic facelift, with some holes shortened, some lengthened, while no shortage of hazards, especially bunkers, were cleverly placed. Measured iron play and an accurate approach game will be required as tough greens feature sharp runoff areas.
Expert Pick #1 – Maverick McNealy Top 10 Finish @+375
Maverick McNealy is fast making a name for himself on the PGA Tour, and after a string of pleasing performances, he looks set to really get himself in the mix. Second at the Fortinet Championship in September, McNealy has missed just one cut this season, finishing 25th at the ZOZO last month, before taking another step in the right direction in Mexico last week, finishing T11. If you want to side with a man who clearly has his game in shape, then look no further than the 26-year-old.
Tee-to-green, McNealy’s game has been strong over the past month or so, while he’s currently inside the top 20 on tour when it comes to scoring average. Add to the mix that he played very steadily here last season, finishing 20th and it’s easy to see the Canadian thriving.
Fedex Cup Rank: 9 | Fedex Cup Points: 412 | OWGR: 71
Expert Pick #2 – Carlos Ortiz Top 10 Finish @+375
The stock of Carlos Ortiz has risen quite steeply in the last week, as he delivered an outstanding performance on home soil to finish second and the WWT Championship at Mayakoba. After a couple of steady efforts, the Mexican took his form to another level, and will now be looking to gok one step better.
Not only will Ortiz come here in flying form, but he returns to the scene of his only PGA Tour victory to date, after winning this event (at this venue) one year ago. On that occasion, the 26-year-old showed that his game was suited to the test provided by Memorial Park. With confidence high and the knowledge of what it takes to score well on this track, it’s easy to feel that the man who found just one too strong last week represents some value for another top ten finish at odds of +375.
Fedex Cup Rank: 13 | Fedex Cup Points: 339 | OWGR: 49
Expert Pick #3 – Denny McCarthy Top 20 Finish @+600
Another player that has ticked along nicely at the start of the campaign is Denny McCarthy, who as well as being cut twice has posted finishes of T39, T17 and T15. Not only does the American come into this event off the back of his best finish of the season, finishing 13 under and only two shots off the top ten in Mexico last week, but he has form in the book at this tournament too, making the cut in three out of three appearances, finishing T9 in 2019.
What’s also eye-catching about McCarthy is that he’s currently the 18th best player on tour in terms of greens in regulation. Hitting the green in regulation will be important this week, so that bodes well. What’s more, on what are tough putting surfaces, ability with the flatstick is likely to be key too, so it’s certainly positive that the Maryland native ranked as the 22nd best on tour last season in terms of strokes gained: putting.
Fedex Cup Rank: 58 | Fedex Cup Points: 106 | OWGR: 221
2021 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open Odds
*Odds as of [Monday] at [2:30 p.m. ET]
| Player | Odds |
| Sam Burns | +1400 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +1800 |
| Sungjae Im | +2000 |
| Matthew Wolff | +2200 |
| Cameron Smith | +2200 |
| Tony Finau | +2500 |
| Tyrell Hatton | +2800 |
| Brooks Koepka | +3000 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +3000 |
| Adam Scott | +3300 |
sam b2021 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open Additional Picks
Top-Five
One player to finish top-five.
Brooks Koepka (+600)
Having helped with the remodelling work at Memorial Park, Brooks Koepka was poised to do well last season, and do well he did, finishing in a tie for fifth place. The cream often rises and it would be little surprise if the four-time major winner thrived at this venue once more, so if you’re looking for a rock-solid top-five option, then there’s probably few better than Koepka.
Top-10
One player to finish top-10.
Russell Henley (+450)
The Houston Open is something of a speciality of Russell Henley, who has not only won this event before, but posted four separate top-ten finishes and is yet to miss the cut in eight attempts. He’s also the number one player on tour right now in terms of strokes gained: approach, which bodes well ahead of a tournament where a dialled-in approach game is needed.
Top-20
One player to finish top-20.
Kyle Stanley (+400)
American Kyle Stanley has played well in this event on several occasions, finishing T19, 8th and 21st (at this venue) in his last three attempts. The 33-year-old cul very easily be suited by the test this week, as he’s started the campaign well in terms of approach, currently ranking 16th for strokes gained: approach.
First-Round Leader
One player to post the low score Thursday.
Scott Piercy (+10000)
At huge odds, if you’re interested in the first round leader market, then take a chance on Scott Piercy, who has played well at this venue on several occasions. Moreover, he’s held the first round lead once and has been inside the top five on two other occasions after round one.
The Big Hero
Underdog with chances to win.
Jason Day (+10000)
Another huge-odds play is Jason Day to come out on top. It’s been a long time since the Aussie, who was once the number one player in the world, has featured prominently, but he has form here, finishing seventh last season, and he may be capable of re-finding his feet on a track that he’s already proved suited to.
Since the remodelling work carried out by legendary Tom Doak, Memorial Park has become a course all about approach play. Players will need to be sharp with their iron shots into the greens, many of which aren’t easy to hit and feature nasty run-off areas. The players that will thrive in Houston this week will be those who hit plenty of greens in regulation, so be on the lookout for players that have a habit of getting themselves on the putting surface with regularity.
