Houston Open: Steve Palmer's preview, best bets, free golf tips, course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, Texas, on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Starts at 1.15pm Thursday
Sky Sports Golf, 5pm Thursday

Best bets

Russell Henley
3pts each-way 25-1 Sky Bet
Back this tip with bet365

Beau Hossler
1pt each-way 50-1 Betfred, Hills, Sky Bet
Back this tip with Hills

Harris English
1pt each-way 50-1Betfred
Back this tip with Hills

Henrik Stenson is a best-price 9-1 favourite for the Houston Open, which highlights the reduction in status this tournament has suffered since losing its pre-Masters slot. Attracting PGA Tour superstars in October is not straightforward and the European Tour offers by far the most alluring product for golf fans this week.

Stenson has a strong but winless record at the Golf Club of Houston and is difficult to get excited about at such skinny odds. The Swede folded tamely over the weekend when in contention at Wentworth last time out and has not won anything since the 2017 Wyndham Championship.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Russell Henley 25-1

The challenge has changed slightly in the Houston Open due to the schedule change, with Bermuda grass flourishing and the rough thicker than it was in the old spring slot, but it is still likely to be one relished by Russell Henley.

This tournament has been kind to Henley, who used it to claim last-gasp qualification for the Masters when winning by three shots in 2017, and his career form figures at this venue are 45-7-4-5-1-8. The 30-year-old, a three-time PGA Tour champion, deserves to be among the favourites for victory.

Henley is a Georgia boy who is ultra-comfortable on Bermuda grass. His Web.com Tour breakthrough came in his home state and he has won twice in Florida – once on the Web and the 2014 Honda Classic – so he will be confident of getting hot in Houston.

A runner-up effort in July in the John Deere Classic, where Henley closed with a 61, signalled a return to form. He has made seven cuts in a row and carded four rounds in the 60s on his way to 37th place in the Shriners Open last week, so has warmed up in steady fashion for a visit to this happy hunting ground.

Next best bet

Beau Hossler 50-1

Ian Poulter edged Beau Hossler in a playoff for Houston glory last year, but the Englishman is not defending his title, preferring the Italian Open instead. Hossler is capable of going one better than last year by landing an overdue PGA Tour breakthrough.

Hossler finished second in the Travelers Championship almost three months after his Houston near-miss and has always looked good enough to succeed on the toughest circuit of them all. He tied for 29th as a 17-year-old in the 2012 US Open and was bursting with potential until injuries stalled his career.

Hossler competed for the University of Texas and still lives in the Lone Star State, so his comfort levels are high this week, and 29th place in the Shriners on Sunday was a tidy warm-up. If Poulter had failed to birdie his 72nd hole of last year's edition, Hossler would already be a PGA Tour champion. The 24-year-old's wait may come to an end on Sunday.

Other selection

Harris English 50-1

Complete a three-pronged Houston attack with Harris English, who has been swinging beautifully this season and has tightened up his tee-to-green game to an enormous extent. Third place in The Greenbrier was followed by sixth in the Sanderson Farms and 33rd in the Safeway, then English skipped the Shriners to recharge batteries for Houston.

If this ball-striking improvement gets married to a more typical English short-game performance any time soon, an overdue third PGA Tour title should arrive. He is a Georgia boy through and through and loves Bermuda under his feet, so this seems an ideal opportunity for the underachieving 30-year-old to get back to winning ways.

Players to note

Scottie Scheffler
The 23-year-old Dallas man, the star of the Korn Ferry Tour last season, will be much looking forward to a home-state gig. He has made a positive start to PGA Tour life, but finishing 74th of the 76 weekend qualifiers in the Shriners was an untimely confidence dent.

Lanto Griffin
The Korn Ferry Tour graduate has started his PGA Tour career with form figures of 13-11-17-18, settling nicely in the higher grade.

Kristoffer Ventura
The Norwegian youngster, twice a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, tied for 18th place in the Shriners last week and looks full of promise.

Cameron Champ
The Safeway Open champion is equipped to destroy the Golf Club of Houston if he is in the right frame of mind. He missed the cut last week, having won the Safeway for his beloved, cancer-stricken grandfather.

Sebastian Munoz
The FedEx Cup leader has made a barnstorming start to the season and will fancy his chances in Houston if retaining enough mental energy. This is his fifth consecutive week of action.

Brandon Wu
The former amateur star, who finished 35th in the US Open in June, is short on experience but long on talent.

Golf Club of Houston course guide

Course Golf Club of Houston, Humble, Texas
Prize money $7.5m ($1.26m to the winner)
Length 7,441 yards
Par 72
Field 144
Course records- 72 holes 268 Phil Mickelson (2011), Russell Henley (2017) 18 holes 63 Adam Scott (2008), Jimmy Walker (2011), Phil Mickelson (2011), Scott Piercy (2015), Sung Kang (2017)

Course winners taking part Johnson Wagner, Hunter Mahan, DA Points, Matt Jones, Jim Herman, Russell Henley

When to bet By 1.15pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports from 5pm Thursday

Time difference Texas is six hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Shriners Hospitals for Children Open 1 K Na (70-1), 2 P Cantlay (12-1), 3 P Perez (250-1), T4 A Hadwin (40-1), B DeChambeau (16-1), B Stuard (200-1), T7 W Simpson (22-1), 7 B Gay (250-1)

Course overview The Houston Open has traditionally been the week before the Masters, but rescheduling means it has a new October slot. The tournament has been played at this course since 2006, but it changed its name in 2014 from Redstone Golf Club to the Golf Club of Houston. Rees Jones designed the layout, with assistance from David Toms. The track has traditionally been generous from the tee – Anthony Kim was able to miss countless fairways on his way to winning in 2010 and Phil Mickelson also approached the greens from some peculiar angles when champion the following year – but tougher closer to the hole. The tournament organisers tried to set their venue up like Augusta to attract star names just prior to the first Major of the season. Most shots from around the greens are from fairway-cut or bunker. Sloped banks around the greens and lightning-fast dancefloors had made this an excellent Masters warm-up. The 488-yard par-four 18th is the hardest hole, the 480-yard par-four fifth and 238-yard par-three ninth are two other difficult assignments, while the eighth, 12th and 13th are the three best birdie opportunities. The change in schedule means that rather than overseeded winter rye grass, the competitors will face Bermuda, and the rough is an inch-and-a-half thicker than for the April set-up

Story of last year Ian Poulter defeated Beau Hossler in a playoff, the Englishman beating his chest like a gorilla in celebration

Weather forecast Sunny, hot and humid for day one, with light breezes, then cooler and windy, particularly late on Friday, with a thunderstorm threat, on day two, before a clear, calm weekend

Type of player suited to the challenge This course demands a tidy short-game, with fast putting surfaces surrounded by lots of tricky run-off areas. Scrambling well is essential, while those possessing the power to have loft into the small targets on approach should flourish

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