With the Florida swing in the books, the PGA Tour heads to Texas for the Texas Children's Houston Open. This week's stop in Houston marks the first of four events in the Lone Star State this season and one of the final opportunities to click into gear ahead of The Masters in two weeks.
Memorial Park (Par-70, 7,475 yards), which has hosted the Texas Children's Houston Open since 2020, often provides a stern test with winning scores ranging from 10 to 20-under par over the last five editions. Min Woo Lee broke the previous tournament record when he posted 20-under par en route to his victory here last year.
Lee headlines a relatively strong 135-man field that took a hit on Tuesday when world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler withdrew from this year's Texas Children's Houston Open. Brooks Koepka, who assisted Tom Doak with the redesign of Memorial Park, two-time winner this season Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, and Shane Lowry are just a few of the notables set to tee it up this week in Houston.
With the year's first major on the horizon, who can kick off this season's Texas swing in style? Let's make some picks and predictions for the 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open.
2026 Texas Children's Houston Open picks and predictions
Top 20 pick for the Texas Children's Houston Open: Stephan Jaeger (+205)
Jaeger flashed at the Farmers earlier this season, finishing T5 at Torrey Pines, and again at last week's Valspar Championship, where he finished tied for 7th and collected his second top 10 of the year. The 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open winner has a strong track record at Memorial Park, recording two top 11 finishes and the win in his last three starts in this event.
Sleeper pick for the Texas Children's Houston Open: Aaron Rai (+8600)
A winner last November at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour, it's been a largely slow start to 2026 for Rai, who comes into the Texas Children's Houston Open having missed the cut in his last two starts. However, Rai is a proven winner who ranks fifth in the field in approach and sixth from tee to green over his last fifty rounds, per Data Golf. Additionally, he has two top-seven finishes and a T19 in three of his last four starts at Memorial Park.
Pick to win the Texas Children's Houston Open: Michael Thorbjornsen (+3200)
Thorbjornsen is having a strong season and comes into this year's Texas Children's Houston Open having recorded three top-22 finishes or better, including tying for 3rd at the WM Phoenix Open in February, in his last six starts. He finished T39 in his debut at Memorial Park last year and ranks in the top 25 in the field in both driving distance and accuracy over his last 20 rounds, an aspect that could benefit him greatly this week.
Pick to win the Texas Children's Houston Open: Nicolai Hojgaard (+2700)
Nicolai missed the cut on his debut at the Texas Children's Houston Open a year ago, but it's a venue that should set up well for him. Hojgaard is another who ranks inside the top 25 in the field in driving distance over his last 20 rounds. He also ranks eighth in approach, 10th from tee to green, and 16th on the greens, illustrating that his game is trending upwards at the right time.
Nicolai has made six starts in 2026 and finished top 27 or better in five of them, including a T3 finish at the WM Phoenix Open in February and a T6 at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at the beginning of March.
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