Steve Palmer's Houston Open first-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the first round of the Houston Open at Memorial Park on the PGA Tour.

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf red button, 12.45pm Thursday

Best bets

Maverick McNealy to win 5.25pm threeball
3pts 11-10 Coral, Ladbrokes

Davis Riley to win 5.47pm threeball
2pts 7-5 Betfair, Power

Sepp Straka top European
1pt each-way 17-2 Coral, Ladbrokes

Preview

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, first and second in the Houston Open outright betting, will be thrilled to have been drawn together for the first two rounds at Memorial Park Golf Course.

Scheffler and Burns, close friends and Presidents Cup partners, are scheduled to tee off at 1.13pm UK and Ireland time in the opening round.

Maverick McNealy and Davis Riley are off in the later wave of starters - and the American duo are the most appealing threeball betting options. McNealy is up against Stephan Jaeger and Zac Blair (5.25pm), while Riley joins Matthew NeSmith and Max McGreevy on the tee at 5.47pm.

McNealy, who has Memorial Park results of 20-19, has PGA Tour form figures of 10-12-18-10. The former world number one amateur can outclass weak opposition while Riley, 29th on his Memorial Park debut last year and 21st in Mexico last week, can improve on a great record in Texas.

Sepp Straka has shown a liking for Memorial Park and the Georgia-based Austrian can be fancied to go close in the top European section. Straka, who was fifth in the 2020 Houston Open, can boast four top-three finishes on the PGA Tour this year. He was runner-up in the Sanderson Farms Championship a month ago.