Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose are co-favorites to win the Houston Open which begins on Thursday. It is the last tournament before next week’s Masters and somewhat surprisingly, a number of top players are in the field. In addition to Fowler and Rose, also prepping for the Masters in Houston are Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson. Last week was the match play event, so we didn’t have any true matchups to focus on. We’ll get back to normal with some matchup plays for this week in Houston. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s Houston Open.
Houston Open Matchup Odds
Rickie Fowler -115 vs. Justin Rose
Rickie Fowler -115 vs. Jordan Spieth
Justin Rose -115 vs. Jordan Spieth
Phil Mickelson -115 vs. Henrik Stenson
Tony Finau -115 vs. Daniel Berger
Luke List -125 vs. Rafa Cabrera Bello
Russell Henley -115 vs. Matt Kuchar
Byeong Hun An -115 vs. Steve Stricker
Jason Dufner -115 vs. Thomas Pieters
Charles Howell III -130 vs. Emiliano Grillo
Jamie Lovemark -115 vs. Dylan Frittelli
Jason Kokrak -115 vs Chez Reavie
Chris Kirk -120 vs. Russell Knox
Bill Haas -125 vs. Brandt Snedeker
James Hahn -125 vs. Patrick Rodgers
Houston Open Matchup Picks
Before we get to the picks there are a few things to consider. The course in Houston is set up similar to August and has attracted a lot more players in recent years, as players get ready for the Masters. Russell Henley won by three shots in this tournament last year, as he missed only 15 greens all week. He also led the field in strokes gained: putting. That stat and GIR are the key statistics to consider this week when looking at the matchups.
Justin Rose -115 vs. Rickie Fowler
Rose has finished in the top 15 in his last three Houston Open’s and he comes in playing well with a top five at Valspar and at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I am not sure what is wrong with Rickie, as he doesn’t look right. He has played well in this event in the past, but right now Rose is the better player and the pick in this matchup.
Daniel Berger -115 vs. Tony Finau
Berger has finished in the top five in this event the last two years. He has five finishes of 14th or better in his last seven strike play events. Finau has never done anything at Houston in the past, with no finishes in the Top 30. I will take Berger in this matchup.
Henrik Stenson -115 vs. Phil Mickelson
Stenson has finished second in this event twice and he also has a tie for 3rd. I know he missed the cut last year but he normally does really well in Houston. Mickelson has also played this event well in the past, but Mickelson is all about next week’s Masters and I just can’t see him focused on winning this week. I will take Stenson in this matchup.
Steve Stricker -115 vs. Byeong Hun An
This is a good course for Stricker who has four top 11 finishes in Houston. He has won twice this season on the Champions Tour and he is capable of surprising everyone and winning this week. He needs to win this event to get into the Masters and I wouldn’t put it past him. I will take Stricker in this matchup.
Jason Dufner -115 vs. Thomas Pieters
Dufner has four top 20 finishes this season and he tied for 12th in this event a year ago. Pieters has the distance to do well, but he is not a great putter and this course in Houston demands great putting. I will take Dufner in this matchup.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Houston Open is scheduled for March 29-April 1, 2018. Golf Club of Houston will host the event and NBC and Golf Channel will televise it.
