Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas plays host to the PGA Tour this week for the 2026 Texas Children’s Hospital Houston Open — and with The Masters looming just weeks away, the field is loaded with players with Augusta firmly in mind.
The tournament runs from March 26-29, and despite the high-profile withdrawal of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler — who stepped aside for the birth of his second child — the field remains compelling, featuring 18 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Course: Memorial Park
Memorial Park is one of the most fascinating venues on the PGA Tour schedule — a public course in the heart of Houston that was completely redesigned by renowned architect Tom Doak and reopened in late 2020. The par-70 layout is shorter than many Tour courses but demands precision from every club in the bag.
Doak’s design rewards strategic thinking over raw power, with tight tree-lined fairways, subtle green complexes, and a routing that makes use of the natural topography of the park. Players who can shape the ball both ways and flight their irons into demanding pin positions will have a significant advantage over those who rely on distance alone.
Key Contenders
Min Woo Lee — The defending champion arrives with his title to protect and the form to back it up. The Australian has been one of the tour’s most electric players when on his game, and his all-round skill set is well-suited to Memorial Park’s demands. Lee will be the name on everyone’s lips heading into the first round.
Chris Gotterup — The world number 10 has been in excellent form throughout the early season and arrives at Houston off the back of strong showings in recent weeks. Gotterup’s powerful, aggressive game has translated well to Memorial Park’s layout in previous appearances, and many observers consider him the week’s strongest favourite.
Brooks Koepka — The five-time major champion is a fascinating inclusion in the field. Koepka has historically tended to peak for major championships rather than regular-season events, but his presence adds genuine interest and the possibility of another confidence-boosting run heading into Augusta.
The Scheffler Absence and What It Means
Scheffler’s withdrawal was confirmed on Monday and immediately reshuffles the competitive landscape. The two-time Masters champion had been runner-up at Memorial Park in three of his previous four starts, and his absence removes the single most dominant force in professional golf from the equation.
His next confirmed start is The Masters — meaning he arrives at Augusta without a competitive round under his belt in the weeks immediately prior to the tournament. Whether that matters to a player of Scheffler’s calibre is a fascinating question that will be answered in real-time as the week in Georgia unfolds.
Masters Implications
For most of the field, Houston represents more than just a tournament win. Players inside the top 50 in the world rankings who are not otherwise exempt will use this week to confirm their Augusta invitations, while others will be chasing form and confidence ahead of the first major of 2026.
Matt Fitzpatrick, coming off his Valspar Championship victory last week, will be watching proceedings with interest as he finalises his own Masters preparations. The Englishman’s win puts him in excellent shape — physically, mentally, and in terms of tour points — as the season reaches its most important stretch.
How to Watch
The Texas Children’s Houston Open runs from March 26-29, with coverage available on NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock in the United States. International viewers can access coverage through their regional sports broadcasters and the PGA Tour’s own streaming platforms. With The Masters just around the corner, this week represents the final chapter of the build-up to Augusta — and the leaderboard on Sunday evening will tell us plenty about who arrives there in form.
