I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. Read on to find out how you can claim a free entry to their Texas Open contest – no deposit required!
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For those looking to employ a “stars and scrubs” approach to fantasy golf, this week’s Houston Open offers the perfect opportunity.
In a lopsided field, we have World Nos. 1 and 2, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, heading to Memorial Park while the only other top 15 player from the OWGR is Wyndham Clark and he has injury doubts hanging over him.
But getting both – Scheffler (25.4m) and McIlroy (23.4m) – leaves almost nowhere to go with the 100m spend while even buying one of the big two severely limits options although I’ll put some budget picks below.
Personal preference is for Scheffler, who finished joint runner-up here last year and will want to get a win under his belt before his Masters defence in two weeks’ time.
Rory has the game to thrive here too given that the course suits bombers who chip well but perhaps he’ll treat this more as a Masters warm-up, maybe happy to post something around 10th and keep things ticking over nicely before his latest bid to win a first green jacket.
Strategy is down to the individual but I’m going to dodge the top two and spread my 100m more evenly.
Full scoring rules are here.
Top Tier Picks (18m and over)
Aaron Rai (19.6m): It’s putting plenty on Rai’s shoulders if you leave out Scheffler and McIlroy but the Englishman is capable of a big haul. The World No.25 may not flash as brightly if you didn’t know his course form but 19th on debut followed by a pair of seventh places in 2022 and 2024 shows he has the skills to thrive at Memorial Park. And in his last two starts he’s matched Scheffler at Bay Hill (both T11) and outperformed him at Sawgrass with T14 to the Masters champion’s T20.
Jason Day (18m): I love Day this week. He’s an elite tight-lie chipper on courses with shaved run-offs like this one (Augusta, Pinehurst, Quail Hollow) and has already posted seventh and 16th at Memorial Park in four visits. A triple PGA Tour winner in Texas, he returns to the state where he used to live on the back of some impressive form in 2025. Third at The American Express, he was 13th at Pebble and eighth at Arnold Palmer last time when really finding his putting boots.
Others to consider: Davis Thompson (18.8m) has been a little hit-and-miss of late but 13th at the Genesis Invitational and 10th at The Players show his upside although MCs in the first two legs of the Florida Swing are a slight concern. Course form of 43-21. Min Woo Lee (18.6m) promised something really special at Sawgrass before landing in T20 and that added to 11th at the Cognizant and 12th in Phoenix. It’s his course debut but Lee’s length and chipping skills suggest he’ll be a great fit.
Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)
Thomas Detry (17.2m): We got the Belgian on board last week and he served us well with T22 at the Valspar. His low lap (67) came on Sunday and that was a further sign that he’s on the rise again after taking an inevitable step back from the giddy high of his seven-shot win in the WM Phoenix Open. This looks a perfect opportunity to get him onside again given that he finished joint second here 12 months ago after shooting 64-67-68 over the final 54 holes.
Taylor Moore (15.8m): Another of the quintet who finished in a logjam for second place here last year, Moore really enjoyed the event being moved to March and the overseeded conditions having suffered missed two cuts in its previous November slot. He’s had top 10s this season at The American Express and the Phoenix Open while he ranks 19th for Around The Green (2nd for ATG here last year) and hits it long so the Dallas resident can enjoy another great week in Houston.
Others to consider: Victor Perez (14.2m) went to college in neighbouring New Mexico and is definitely at home in Texas where he memorably made the last four of the WGC Match Play in Austin in 2021. Adding to his appeal are 17th here on debut last year and 18th (Cognizant) and 22nd (Valspar) on his two latest starts. Keith Mitchell (16m) could be a good low ownership option. A bomber, he’s made six of his last seven cuts on tour, was ninth at Memorial Park on his penultimate visit and has top 20s in two of his latest three Texas starts. Perhaps a little overpriced, Si Woo Kim (17.8m) doesn’t quite fit the narrative here of big hitter. But he was 17th last year in the only previous March edition and arrives in Texas with four top 25s in his last five starts.
Underdog Options (14m and Under)
Jesper Svensson (14m): The Swede smashes it a mile (10th Driving Distance), ranks in the top 25 for SG: Putting and was 3rd for Around The Green at The Players. All bode well for a first start at Memorial Park. A winner this time last year on the DP World Tour (Singapore Classic) he’s bedding in well on the PGA Tour. Svensson started out with 10th at the Sony Open and, importantly, has made his last five cuts. That’s reassuring if he’s your Underdog (UD) as they, of course, score x1.25pts in this game.
Jeremy Paul (14m): A German (Stephan Jaeger) won this last year and perhaps another can make an impact this time. Paul, a Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, has reeled off three top 25s in his last four PGA Tour starts (Mexico Open, Puerto Rico Open and Valspar Championship). He did miss the Cognizant cut during that run but only just after shooting 68-70. He drives it long, putts well and will have very low ownership.
Others to consider: Mac Meissner (13.8m) is a wizard around the greens and has a 5th and a 10th in two of his last three Texas starts. He’s on the up again after following 42nd at Sawgrass with 28th at the Valspar. Steven Fisk (13.8m) is a huge hitter with form (28-4-MC-17 in his last four PGA Tour starts) while Charley Hoffman (13.8m) has had plenty of good times in Texas and followed a top 25 at the Cognizant with a Friday 65 at The Players. Danny Walker (13.2m) widened eyes at Sawgrass after getting a late call up and finishing sixth and that came two starts on from 13th in Mexico. Finally, former Masters champ Danny Willett (12.8m) should enjoy the test and, without really being noticed, has made three of his last four cuts, including ninth at the Farmers Insurance.
A quick word on these. There are 10 tournament head-to-heads listed and you can pick three or more of these duels in an acca.
For those listed, I’d take Jason Day to beat Sungjae Im, Taylor Moore to beat Ben Griffin and Max McGreevy to beat Harry Hall.
A £10 stake on those pays £60 if successful. Get all 10 right (and you can even throw in football player head-to-heads if struggling to pick 10 golfers) and you’ll win 500x your stake!
Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.
Jason Day at 28/1 is worth a look. He was eighth last time out and has three previous wins in Texas.
Last week’s dart on Davis Riley at 150s didn’t go too badly. He finished seventh, just four shots behind winner Viktor Hovland.
For a longshot here, maybe try Victor Perez at 100/1 (reasoning above!).
That’s week three in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE
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DaveTindall365 