This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Houston Open
Houston, Texas
Memorial Park Golf Course - Par 70 - 7,432 yards
Field - 132 entrants
Purse - $7M
The Preview
As PGA contests return to Yahoo following nearly a month-long hiatus, Memorial Park Golf Course returns to the Houston Open rotation for the first time since the early 1960s when the venue last hosted this event. Normally set up as a short par-72 layout with a quintet of par-5s, Memorial Park transitions to a par-70 for the pros this week as a surprisingly strong contingent of 132 entrants tee it up in Texas. A handful of the household names in attendance have their flights booked for Georgia, using the Vivint Houston Open as a last-minute tune-up opportunity for the Masters next week.
Recent Champions (Golf Club of Houston)
2019 - Lanto Griffin
2018 - Ian Poulter
2017 - Russell Henley
2016 - Jim Herman
2015 - J.B. Holmes
2014 - Matt Jones
2013 - D.A. Points
2012 - Hunter Mahan
2011 - Phil Mickelson
Key Stats to Victory
GIR percentage
Proximity
Birdie or better average
SG: Putting (bermuda)
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Dustin Johnson - $50
Making his first appearance since a sixth-place result at the U.S. Open where he gained over seven strokes on his approaches, Johnson is justifiably the clearcut betting favorite this week in Houston. He paces this week's field in SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Approach over his last 24 rounds, but he's also gained strokes with the flat stick in five consecutive starts.
Tony Finau - $42
Finau should probably be higher than the sixth-most costly salary option, and certainly not a whole $6 less than someone like Viktor Hovland. Finau's least comfortable on bermuda greens from a statistical standpoint, but he's gained strokes putting in seven of his last nine events. Additionally, he's gained an average of 4.5 strokes from tee to green per tournament in his last five showings dating to the Northern Trust.
Glue Guys
Doc Redman - $36
Through 10 measured rounds on the PGA Tour this season, Redman ranks 21st in SG: Approach, 28th in SG: Off-the-Tee, 17th in GIR percentage and 10th in scrambling on the way to a pair of top-4 performances at the Safeway Open and Bermuda Championship. He also posted a third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship to close out the 2019-20 regular season, so Redman's upside has become evident throughout the past few months.
Russell Henley - $34
Henley, who won the 2017 Houston Open and excels on bermuda greens, has recently been unstoppable with his irons. He's second to none in both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green throughout his last 36 rounds, resulting in five top-10 finishes during this span. Henley also notched back-to-back top-4s at the ZOZO Championship and CJ Cup in his last two starts.
Bargain Bin
Denny McCarthy - $26
Well known as maybe the best putter on the PGA Tour, McCarthy's ball striking has made progress as he ranks 31st in GIR percentage, 20th in driving accuracy, 51st in total driving and third in proximity from 75-100 yards this season. He's coming off a fourth-place finish at the Bermuda Championship where he fired an eight-under 63 in Round 4 while missing just one GIR and he ultimately led the tournament with 21 total birdies. McCarthy also added a top-10 earlier in the fall series at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Stewart Cink - $23
Cink will have looper Kip Henley on the bag for the last time in Houston before making the full-time transition to his own son as caddie. The 47-year-old has enjoyed quite a resurgence with the latter handling caddie duties, winning the Safeway Open before collecting a top-12 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and a T4 at the Bermuda Championship. Cink tallied two scores of 66 or better last week in Bermuda, where he led the field with 57 of 72 greens in regulation.
