The penultimate PGA Tour event of the calendar year will have players scrambling for FedEx Cup points when the 2021 Houston Open tees off Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course. Carlos Ortiz is the defending champion after he shot 13 under par last season to get his first PGA Tour victory. He also was the runner-up to winner Viktor Hovland last week in Mexico. Scottie Scheffler and Matthew Wolff, who both finished in the top five last week, also are in the 2021 Houston Open field.
FedEx Cup leader Sam Burns is the the 16-1 favorite in the latest 2021 Houston Open golf odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Scheffler (20-1). Ortiz is listed at 33-1, while Sungjae Im (25-1) Cameron Smith (25-1), Wolff (30-1) and Brooks Koepka (30-1) also are expected to be among the contenders.
Before you lock in any of your Fantasy golf rankings or bet the 2021 Houston Open, you HAVE TO see what fantasy expert Riley Gates has to say.
Gates is a writer for 247Sports and has covered a range of sports for nearly five years. He has followed golf closely for much longer and has a profound knowledge of the sport. He also knows what it takes to win, on the course and in fantasy sports.
At last week's World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, five of Gates' top six golfers finished in the top 15, including winner Viktor Hovland.
"The defending champion not only has to be on the list," Gates said before the event, "but he has to be considered to be one of the favorites in the field."
The result? The 24-year-old Norwegian went out and set the 72-hole scoring record at El Camaleon, going 23 under to win by four strokes.
Gates has been on a roll. At the Bermuda Championship, six of his golfers finished in the top 20 as the unknown players took center stage. At the previous week's Zozo Championship, five of his top 13 finished in the top 10.
Now, Gates has ranked his top 20 golfers for the 2021 Houston Open. We can tell you he is backing Matthew Wolff to maintain his momentum this week in Houston! Wolff was the runner-up at the Shriners last month and followed that up with a 61 in his next round to open the event at Mayakoba last week. He slipped up with a 74 in the third round but rebounded to shoot 65 on Sunday to finish T-14. Gates expects to him to keep rolling and is banking on him for a strong finish.
On the other hand, Gates is seriously fading Cameron Smith, who is among the favorites! The Australian went 20 under to finish T-9 in his only event of the year, but that was almost a month ago at the CJ Cup. He hit more than 80 percent of his greens there, but he was 103rd on tour in that category last season. Gates expects the 28-year-old to be rusty and revert to form at Memorial Park. Smith barely cracks the golf expert's top 15 for your Fantasy golf picks!
Instead, the fantasy expert is touting an overlooked player who comes in at well over 40-1! This veteran international player has been on the front page of the leader board regularly this season. He also has been hitting the fairways and greens consistently, which will serve him well on a tough Memorial Park course. He should be a KEY player in your Fantasy golf picks! You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is and check out Gates' top picks before you bet the 2021 Houston Open or enter any Fantasy golf picks.
Who wins the 2021 Houston Open? Which long shots should you be all over in your Fantasy golf rankings? ... Join SportsLine now to get Riley Gates' Fantasy golf power rankings for the 2021 Houston Open, all from the fantasy expert who has his finger on the pulse of the sport!
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