Houston Open First-Round Leader Tips: A trio of picks at 80/1 and 90/1

• 80/181.00 Rickie Fowler has been making fast starts

• 90/191.00 Charley Hoffman has been going low recently

• 80/181.00 Aldrich Potgieter is a bomber who could thrive

• Read Dave Tindall's guide to the US Masters 2025 here

Weather forecast for Thursday/Houston Open FRL history

The first three editions of this event when it moved to Memorial Park were all held in November so records from then may not be that helpful.

For the record, a 65 was enough to lead on all three occasions.

Last year when this event was also held in March, a 64 got it done. Taylor Moore shot that 6-under number from the morning wave and afternoon starter Wilson Furr matched it.

The forecast for Thursday shows winds of around 7-10mph although it could gust just a little more in the afternoon.

There's not really enough there to make me obsess over tee-times. 

Rickie Fowler @ 80/181.00

Rickie Fowler can't get much going over 72 holes at the moment - 18th at the Cognizant earlier this month is his best finish - but over 18 he's worth watching.

The Californian started that Cognizant Classic with a 64 to lie fifth after day one and he was eighth after day one of the Players Championship via a 68 before tailing off badly on the weekend.

He kept the competitive juices flowing by appearing for New York in the TGL Final Series on Monday and Tuesday and looks a big price at 80s to get off to another quick start here.

Fowler has some good Houston Open history. He was the first-round leader in 2017 and fifth after the opening lap on his most recent appearance in 2018.

This is his first appearance at Memorial Park but he gives it decent clunk off the tee and has a good record chipping off tight lies on courses featuring shaved run-off areas (Augusta, Pinehurst) and that's the deal here.

Fowler is an afternoon starter at 1.03pm.

Charley Hoffman @ 90/191.00

For a very early starter, I like the look of Charley Hoffman, who goes out in the second group of the day from the 10th at 7.31am.

Perhaps it's the similarities with this course and Augusta National that brings him to mind as Hoffman's R1 positions in his last five Masters show 21-4-1-13-2.

He's not found that form here yet but a couple of recent rounds show he's in good nick.

Hoffman has twice opened with a 65 this season (American Express and Cognizant) while, even more impressively, he threw down another 65 in round two at Sawgrass which vaulted him from 99th to 16th.

It all suggests he has could have another low one in him on Thursday.

Aldrich Potgieter @ 80/181.00

South African youngster Aldrich Potgieter has made a definite impact in the first few months of the season.

The rookie has flashed bags of potential and if you want a bomber (1st Driving Distance) who can hole lots of putts (12th SG: Putting) - a good recipe for this course - he could be your man.

Potgieter was fourth after day one at both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Mexico Open and in the latter he followed his Thursday 65 with a 61 to lead at halfway.

He went off the boil in Florida but up and down is how it's going to be you suspect until his game matures.

Potgieter could shoot anything here but that anything could be a 64 so let's give him a whirl at 80s from his 12.30pm tee-time. 

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