Golf: Vivint Houston Open
Venue: Memorial Park Golf Course, Texas.
Dates: Thursday 11th – Sunday 14th November 2021
Tournament Preview
The Houston Open has been a key component on the PGA Tour since 1946 and has been reshuffled on the schedule for 2021. The event will be played at Memorial Park Golf Course for the just the second time in the competition’s history. With $7 million in the prize pot, there is plenty more than just rankings points to play for in Texas. Previous winners of the event include Ian Poulter, Phil Mickleson, Vijay Singh and Fred Couples, testament to the tournament’s standing on the PGA Tour. In the final PGA Tour event before the rescheduled Masters, it promises to be a fascinating week of golf.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
Plenty of the biggest names on the PGA Tour feature here in Houston and they will be keen to get their hands on some silverware here:-
Young American Sam Burns has really come of age in 2021 and he should arrive full of confidence here in Houston, following his top 5 finish at the CJ Cup last time out.
Ryder Cup hero Scottie Scheffler is a man in form and his 4th place showing in Mexico last weekend suggests he wants to finish the season strongly here in 2021.
Another US Ryder Cup player Tony Finau has enjoyed one of his best seasons on the PGA Tour and how he would love to finish his stellar campaign on a high in Texas.
Four time major winner Brooks Koepka has struggled with injury and a relative loss of form in 2021 but he still has a superb all round game, well suited to conditions here in Houston.
Former Masters Champion Patrick Reed should be very much in the mix here in Houston and his recent form has suggested that he could be somewhere near his best this week.
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Australian Cameron Smith has been in excellent form all season on the PGA Tour and he is known for his fast starts in low scoring conditions.
2017 Houston Open champion Russell Henley has started very well here at Memorial Park previously and he will be eager to challenge at the top of the leader board this week.
Top Ten Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Houston, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday afternoon:-
South Korean Sungjae Im has been prolific on the PGA Tour this season and his ability to score low makes him a contender in any event he plays.
Young American Matthew Wolff went off like a train at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico last week and his ball striking ability makes him a serious contender here.
Fiery Englishman Tyrrell Hatton is always in contention and despite no real form to speak of, he will fancy his chances here in Houston this week.
Houston Open betXchange.com Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Tony Finau – 28/1
First Round Leader: Cameron Smith – 30/1
Top Ten Finish: Sungjae Im – 5/2
