The 2020 Houston Open will be a very interesting tournament to handicap.
Most notably, the looming trip to Augusta presents bettors with the unenviable task of trying to figure out which players — especially those who fancy their chances at donning the Green Jacket — are just taking the trip to Houston to get their game in order for next weekend.
Adding more fuel to the variance fire is the fact that Memorial Park hasn’t hosted a TOUR event since 1963 and I’m pretty sure they didn’t have shot-link data back then. With no course history to go off of and Augusta just over the horizon, the Houston Open could be bizarre.
With that said, here are the players were backing with our favorite prop bets for the 2020 Houston Open:
Jason Sobel
Doc Redman Top-20 Finish (+200)
It would figure that the one time I don’t pick Doc to win, he’ll finally do it, so I’ll at least cover my bases here by listing him for a top-20. He’s cashed these bets in three of his last six starts, although that doesn’t really tell the entire story, as he’s actually finished top-five each of those times.
It can be a chore holding a Redman ticket and watching him continually leave birdie putts on the edges, but his terrific ball-striking should be enough to keep him in the mix on most weeks.
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Josh Perry
Sungjae Im Top-20 Finish (+140)
Im is my pick to win, so I’ll definitely back him to have a solid week at this price.
Motivation will be a big factor at the top of the board this week but that shouldn't be a problem for Sungjae, who rarely takes a week off and is known as one of the TOUR's preeminent grinders.
All signs point to the South Korean being a solid fit on this course and with many players having an eye looking ahead to Augusta National next week, this could be a good spot for the steady Im to take advantage.
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Chris Murphy
Keith Mitchell Top-20 Finish (+700)
I always look to target Keith Mitchell on Bermudagrass courses as he has shown a tendency to play better on that grass type. He is also the long-hitting, scoring type that I am targeting this week in Houston.
Mitchell is coming off a made-cut at Bermuda where he closed out with a solid 5-under 66 on Sunday to carry positive momentum into this week. I am bullish that he can put together four good rounds this week to put himself in contention for a Top 20 at long odds.
[Bet Keith Mitchell at BetMGM and get an INSTANT $500 deposit match.]
Matt Vincenzi
Ollie Schniederjans Top-10 Finish (+1000)
Ollie looked great last week in Bermuda finishing alone in third place. The former No. 1 amateur golfer in the world has more talent than he’s shown in the past few years and I’m hoping last week’s performance was something that he can build off of going forward.
In 2017, Ollie had a pretty good run finishing second at Wyndham and third at RBC Heritage; which are the two courses I am using as corollary courses to Memorial Park.
“The Hatless Wonder” can really bomb it and should be able to take care of the five par 5’s the course has to offer. Ollie is a positive putter on Bermuda which in combination with recent form and course fit is enough for me to take a shot on the top-10 finish.
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