The final swing season on the PGA Tour is drawing near its conclusion as players head to Memorial Park Golf Course for the 2022 Houston Open this week. One of two remaining events on the fall calendar, competitors will attempt to position themselves well in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of what will be a mad dash to the postseason come August.
With only 70 players gaining entry into the first playoff event later this summer, this portion of the playing schedule has held even more importance than usual. Players such as Seamus Power, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, Max Homa and last week's winner at Mayakoba, Russell Henley, have all taken advantage of the opportunities presented to them thus far.
World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler will look to do so the same as he arrives off a T3 result at the World Wide Technology Championship. A player who has thrived in the fall throughout his young career, Scheffler is joined in this Houston Open field by Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau and many others looking to put a stamp on their 2022 as a whole.
Maverick McNealy, Taylor Montgomery and Matthew NeSmith all look to join in on the fun and connect on their first trips to the winner's circle. Each enjoying a strong swing season, a memorable week could be in store in Houston if the ball bounces the right way.
Event Information
Event: 2022 Houston Open | Dates: Nov. 10-13
Location: Memorial Park Golf Course -- Houston, Texas
Par: 70 | Yardage: 7,412 | Purse: $8,400,000
2022 Houston Open field, odds
- Scottie Scheffler (5-1): He nearly back-doored a solo second-place finish at Mayakoba which would have given him the world No. 1 title once again. Capping off his week in Mexico with a 9-under 62, Scheffler redeployed his trusty blade putter and put it to good use. While the putter has been a sore spot in recent months, the reunion with his trusty gamer over his last two rounds could be a sign of things to come. When he does post positive strokes gained putting numbers, the Texan's name appears on the first page of the leaderboard. Considering he finished runner-up in this event last year, it is likely Scheffler finds himself in a similar position again.
- Sam Burns (14-1): A three-time winner a season ago, including once in Texas, Burns arrives in Houston off a T7 finish in his last start at The CJ Cup in South Carolina. Sevens must be wild as the LSU product has connected on T7 results his last two times out at Memorial Park. Growing increasingly reliant on his putter, Burns' approach play has fallen off ever so slightly since the early summer and may be something to monitor this week.
- Tony Finau (14-1)
- Aaron Wise (18-1): The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has gone winless for more than four years and looks to follow in the footsteps of Henley, Bradley and Mackenzie Hughes in successfully breaking a dry spell. With two top-15 finishes in his three swing season starts, Memorial Park could be just the spot for him to break through. In two prior trips, Wise has connected on finishes of T11 and T26.
- Hideki Matsuyama (20-1): The man from Japan remains one of the most difficult players to figure out on the PGA Tour. One week he is dealing with a nagging injury, and the next he is winning a golf tournament. Matsuyama arrives in middling form with three top-40 finishes, none of which have gone for top-20 efforts. The good news is Matsuyama finished runner-up to Carlos Ortiz here in 2021 and should thrive on a golf course where creativity around the green and touch on quick putting surfaces are needed.
- Russell Henley (22-1)
- Taylor Montgomery (22-1): Only five starts into his PGA Tour career, Montgomery has already left an impression. The early favorite for Rookie of the Year, the 27-year-old has utilized jaw-dropping distance off the tee and impeccable putting to five straight top-15 finishes. He possesses a final-round scoring average of 65.60, and that may come in handy on Sunday.
- Maverick McNealy (22-1): If not Cameron Young, then maybe it is McNealy who dons the description as best player without a win on the PGA Tour. The Stanford product has connected on four straight top-20 finishes including a T10 last week at Mayakoba. McNealy has been leaning heavily on his putter but continues to threaten leaderboards despite leaving much to be desired in the ball-striking category
- Jason Day (33-1): Don't look now, but the former world No. 1 is trending in the right direction. Gaining strokes on approach in each measured event this season, the Australian has garnered results of T8, T11 and most recently T21 at Mayakoba. Day finished T7 in his first start at Memorial Park, and given the way he is currently striking the golf ball, could give himself a realistic chance to raise a trophy for the first time since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship.
- Denny McCarthy (35-1)
- Joel Dahmen (35-1)
2022 Houston Open expert picks
| Winner (14-1): Even though he is coming off a missed cut at Mayakoba, Finau remains one of the best players in this field. The world No. 15 is only months removed from winning back-to-back starts, and if given the option, I would put him only even closer to Scheffler on the odds board. He is one of the premier ball strikers on the PGA Tour, and has recently upped his game both on and around the green. In his last 13 starts dating back to last season, Finau has collected two wins, two runners-up and two additional top-five finishes. | |
| Contender (40-1): It has been a so-so start to the 2022-23 season for Pendrith, who has made both of his cuts and participated in the 2022 Presidents Cup. The long-hitting Canadian should be a great fit for Memorial Park, especially if his iron play returns to that of late last season. After recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him from March to July, Pendrith rattled off five top-15 finishes over his final six starts of the season, one of which was a runner-up to Finau at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. | |
| Sleeper (85-1): Montgomery has experienced a very strong start to his season, but don't count out Thompson for Rookie of the Year honors. The former Georgia Bulldog exploded onto the scene as an amateur at the 2020 U.S. Open where he commanded the first-round lead at Winged Foot. Capable of playing in the most difficult of conditions, Thompson has begun his rookie campaign with finishes of T9 at the Fortinet Championship and T12 at the Shriners Children's Open. He has gained strokes both off the tee and on approach in each of his three starts thus far and if the putter heats up, the 23-year-old could factor. | |
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