Golf Glance: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy collide in Houston
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Valspar Championship (Viktor Hovland)
THIS WEEK: Texas Children's Houston Open, March 27-30
Course: Memorial Park Golf Course (Par 70, 7,475 Yards)
Purse: $9.5M (Winner: $1.71M)
Defending Champion: Stephan Jaeger
FedExCup leader: Rory McIlroy
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
X: @TCHouOpen
NOTES: Memorial Park will play host to the event for the fifth consecutive year. ... The field includes 20 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. The top 50 players in the OWGR after this week who are not otherwise exempt will earn spots into next month's Masters. In the field this week are No. 52 Michael Kim, No. 53 Ben Griffin, No. 61 Eric Cole and No. 66 Si Woo Kim. ... Houston native Matthew Riedel will make his event debut as a PGA Tour rookie. It's his seventh start since earning his card with a T4 at last year's Q-School, with his best finish to date a T26 in Puerto Rico.
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+350 at DraftKings) finished one shot off the pace here last year and is seeking his first victory of 2025. ... Rory McIlroy (+650) has already won twice in 2025, but is making his debut at Memorial Park. ... Tony Finau (+3000) won the event in 2022 and tied for second last year. ... Min Woo Lee (+3500). ... Stephan Jaeger (+4500) has already won at Memorial Park and has a T6 in Mexico and a T20 at The Players among his past four starts. ... Alex Smalley (+5500) has yet to win on tour, but has been knocking on the door with six T21 or better finishes in his past eight starts. The other two were MCs.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Valero Texas Open, San Antonio, Texas, April 3-6
LPGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Blue Bay LPGA (Rio Takeda)
THIS WEEK: Ford Championship, Chandler, Ariz., March 27-30
Course: Whirlwind Golf Club, Cattail Course (Par 72, 6,661 Yards)
Purse: $2.25M (Winner: $337,500)
Defending Champion: Nelly Korda
Race to the CME Globe leader: A Lim Kim
HOW TO WATCH:
TV/Streaming: Thursday-Friday: 6-7 p.m. ET (NBC Digital), 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Digital); Saturday-Sunday: 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
X: @LPGA
NOTES: The 144-player field will be cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes. ... All five winners on tour this year are in the field. ... Last year's inaugural edition of the event was contested at Seville Golf and Country Club. Whirlwind previously played host to a Korn Ferry Tour event from 2001-05. ... Korda has a pair of top-10 finishes in two starts this year, including a runner-up at the Tournament of Champions. She has six consecutive top-7 finishes dating back to last season. ... Gabby Barker, the first female Native American professional golfer, received a sponsor invitation this week along with seven-year LPGA Tour veteran Maria Fassi.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: T-Mobile Match Play, Las Vegas, April 2-6
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
LAST TOURNAMENT: Hoag Classic (Miguel Angel Jimenez)
THIS WEEK: The Galleri Classic, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Course: Mission Hills Country Club (Par 72, 7,165 Yards)
Purse: $2.2M (Winner: $330,000)
Defending Champion: Retief Goosen
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Jimenez
HOW TO WATCH:
TV: Friday: 10 p.m.-1 a.m. ET (Golf Channel - Tape Delay); Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. (GC)
X: @GalleriClassic
NOTES: The 54-hole event features a 79-player field with a combined 310 PGA Tour titles. ... Goosen is one of seven World Golf Hall of Fame members in the field. He is joined by Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal and Vijay Singh. ... David Toms set the tournament scoring record of 200 while winning the inaugural event two years ago.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Boca Raton, Fla., April 4-6
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LAST TOURNAMENT: Singapore (Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC)
THIS WEEK: OFF
Season Leaders: Individual: Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC
NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Miami, April 4-6
--Field Level Media
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