A strong field is set for the penultimate PGA Tour event of the calendar year when the Houston Open tees off Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course. The event returned to the re-designed course last year after a nearly 60-year absence, and Carlos Ortiz went 13 under to beat Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama by two strokes. Ortiz is back to defend this year, and four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who was a consultant on the course's renovation, is one of the stars of the 2021 Houston Open field.   

Caesars Sportsbook lists FedEx Cup points leader Sam Burns as the 16-1 favorite in its latest 2021 Houston Open golf odds, followed closely by Scottie Scheffler at 18-1. Other notable names include Sungjae Im (22-1), Matthew Wolff (25-1) and Tony Finau (25-1), while Koepka is listed at 30-1 and Ortiz at 33-1. 

Before you consider your bets on the 2021 Houston Open or make any PGA Tour predictions, be sure you see what proven golf insider Sal Johnson has to say. The media legend has broken down the field and has revealed his top Houston Open picks. With his track record, you'll really want to see who he is backing.

The esteemed golf insider has been around the game for many years and knows what it takes to win. Last week before the event in Mexico, Johnson had Viktor Hovland among his players to watch, while he predicted Koepka would miss the cut.

"We still don't know if he is healthy and ready to go," Johnson told SportsLine of Koepka. "He tried to play last year and missed the cut. I have a funny feeling that we will see the same this week."

The 31-year-old didn't break par and went home early again, while Hovland shot 23 under to cruise to a four-stroke victory.

Johnson has been on a strong run already this season. Before the Zozo Championship in Japan, Johnson tabbed Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets, and he was right on the money. Matsuyama shot a final-round 65 and won by five strokes after trailing by one with eight holes to play on Sunday! 

At the Sanderson Farms Championship, Johnson nailed Burns as his winner, and anyone who has followed Johnson's advice has cashed in HUGE!

Now Johnson, the first producer of "Inside the PGA Tour," a longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, and founder of the world's top golf stats database, has released his highly confident 2021 Houston Open picks, and they will surprise you. (For golf updates and news, click here)  

Shockingly, the golf expert is slightly fading Tony Finau, who is among the favorites but has been on a slide in his first couple of tournaments. The 32-year-old ranks 11th in the world and has shown over the past few years that he can go low at any time. He closed last season with a Northern Trust win and top-15 finishes in the final two playoff events. But he has finished T-45 in both of his two starts, and Finau might need time to come around. 

Instead, the golf expert is backing a SHOCKING long shot who comes in at well over 60-1! This veteran was solid at last year's Houston Open and had some surprising moments at the tail end of last season. He also went REALLY low in the final round of his last event, and he could pull off a STUNNING result at Memorial Park. Anyone who backs this underdog could cash in HUGE!

Who wins the PGA Tour's 2021 Houston Open? Where do Sam Burns and Matthew Wolff finish? And which MONSTER long shot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine now to see Sal Johnson's top predictions and analysis for 2021 Houston Open golf, all from the insider who knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour!