2024 Texas Children's Houston Open: Top 10 power rankings at Memorial Park

Unlike fellow Dallas area native Scottie Scheffler, who is a frequent flier at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Will Zalatoris has yet to compete at this event.

Zalatoris is more than capable of playing on new courses. He proved it when he stacked top-10 finishes as a young pro seeing places for the first time in 2020 and 2021. Zalatoris is a good player at majors, which also cycle out different venues, of course.

While he doesn’t have course history on his side this week, Big Z has solid recent form to lean on. The 27-year-old has three top-13 finishes in his last four starts. That’s a great sign after he struggled early in 2024 returning from a long hiatus due to injury.

Now back in better health and an improved putter, expect Zalatoris to be among the second-and third-tier favorites coming up at Augusta National next month.

He has shined in the Signature Events with T-2nd at the Genesis Invitational and T-4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Zalatoris couldn’t keep the momentum going in his last start a couple weeks ago at the Players Championship, but it’ll be exciting to see what he can do in Houston competing against a weaker field and coming off a week of rest.

The pride of Wake Forest ranks 25th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total (.881). Zalatoris is fifth in SG: Approach (.789) and 18th in SG: Off-the-Tee (.922).

He has the precision to attack Memorial Park’s sloping greens and give himself birdie looks. Less superior ball strikers will be grinding to get up and down for par.