This week the PGA Tour travels to Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston Texas for the 2021 Houston Open. Defending champion Carlos Ortiz is back in the field with 30/1 odds to repeat. This 132-player field features 14 major champions and most notably Brooks Koepka. Koepka helped redesign Memorial when it went through renovation.
When finding value at Memorial it’s important to note that this course plays well for long hitters. The par 70 golf course measures just over 7,400 yards. The redesign of the course requires good ball striking and with the short-grass runoffs, it’s set up well for golfers who have high greens in regulation percentage and scramble well. Those who do well off the tee and have success on par-5s tend to find themselves in the mix come Sunday. With 500 FedExCup points on the line, the players will be battling tooth and nail to find themselves victorious.
Editor’s Note: NBC Sports Predictor: Play for FREE and win huge jackpots up to $100,000! Download the app today.
Top 10 Wagers (Odds Via PointsBet):
Matthew Wolff to finish Top-10 +300
While many will be focusing on the Texas native Scottie Scheffler, we will be turning our attention to Oklahoma State’s Matthew Wolff. While I do want shares of Scheffler in some fashion, his top-five and top-10 prices are too short for me to back. It’s important that I find value in a player who can not only finish in the top-10 but has every chance to win it.
Since coming out of college, Wolff and his unique swing has carried lofty expectations. After finishing second in the US Open and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, his season was much of a rollercoaster. He hit the ball long of the tee but his driving accuracy and greens in regulation percentage was not the level of a top player.
While his driving accuracy still has room for improvement, through three tournaments this season his GIR has increased from 65% for 76%. Finding the greens at Memorial will be important. Coming off back-to-back top-five finishes, Wolff will be one to follow this week. In his two top-five finishes he played the par-5s very well, -12 and -9 respectively. With a bogey-free 65 to close out Mayakoba, Wolff enters this week with loads of momentum. I expect that momentum to continue and for him to finish near the top of the leaderboard.
Sungjae Im to finish Top-10 +240 & to finish Top-5 +460
When I am backing Top-10 finishers I try to avoid taking anyone with less than 3/1 odds. However, when I was going through the field and matching their stats with their results, Sungjae’s name continuously matched what I was looking for.
Sungjae’s driving accuracy percentage has been outstanding to start the season. Out of 168 possible fairways, he has hit 111. He is playing with a great deal of confidence. Through three events, he has a pair of top-10 finishes with one being a top-5 finish.
The redesign of Memorial requires golfers to hit greens in regulation which Sungjae has done exceptionally. The strategically placed bunkers also require golfers to succeed around the green. Sungjae is third around the green, first in sand save percentage and second in scrambling.
When building a model golfer for this tournament, Sungjae Im fits that model very well. I am backing him to finish Top-10 (+240) and Top-5 (+460).
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.