With the PGA Tour very much in full swing at this point, having already had the Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, that means Augusta National and the Masters Tournament are just around the corner. Many players in the field this week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, while not competing for the biggest purse on tour, will be fine-tuning some things in what, for many, will be their last outing before playing in the Masters. Many of those players are from right here in the Carolinas, so let’s see how they stack up in the odds department this week.

Ben Griffin

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Up to this point in the season, Ben Griffin has had some decent success, though nowhere near where he was at the end of last season. Through the 8 events he has played thus far, he has made 5 cuts. In those 5 cuts he has made, he has finished in the top 25 only twice, without any top 10s. Statistically, he has been really sharp around the greens with a 14th-ranked strokes gained around the green and 55th-ranked strokes gained putting. That goes to show he needs to work on his iron play as well as his tee shots, and he’ll be right back to where he was. In the Houston Open, Griffin has made the cut all 3 times and has placed in the top 25 twice. This week, he actually has some pretty strong value for a top 20 at +185. It gets a little scary looking at the top 10, as he is +380, and +3500 to win the tournament. Looking at his odds to make the cut, there isn’t really any value there, as he is currently listed at -360.

Ryan Gerard

Out of the Carolinians on tour, one who has seen a ton of success this year is Ryan Gerard. He has made the cut in 7 of the 8 events he has played in. In those cuts, we’ve seen him finish runner-up twice and add 2 additional finishes in the top 25. Gerard has seen success in just about every strokes gained category outside of strokes gained around the green, where he is currently 131st. However, his overall strokes gained comes in at 22nd, gaining 1.066 strokes over the field average. We’ve only seen Gerard compete in the Houston Open once, where he made the cut and finished inside the top 10. Gerard currently sits at +150 to finish top 20 and +340 to finish in the top 10. To win this week, he has slightly shorter odds than Ben Griffin at +3000. To make the cut, though, he is -310.

Tom Hoge

Tom Hoge hasn’t gotten off to quite the start he was hoping for, and certainly not as good of a start as the previous two players. He comes into this event having made the cut in just half of his 8 starts. The one thing to hang his hat on, though, is that he does have a top 10 finish, along with another top 25. Hoge seems to be coming around on his ball striking, as he has been much better recently in his strokes gained approach, which is where he usually thrives. He has also found some success this year, ranking 58th in strokes gained putting. In other categories, like strokes gained off the tee and around the green, he is losing strokes, which has hurt his overall strokes gained total. This will be Hoge’s 8th time playing this event, where he has made the cut 5 times but only has 1 top 25 to show for it. The betting markets are not very high on Hoge this week, as he currently sits at +1100 to finish top 25, +2700 to finish top 10, and +35000 to win. Hoge is probably one I’d stay away from this week unless you can find a projection for him to make the cut.

J.T. Poston

The man from Hickory, J.T. Poston, is looking to really gain some traction this week, as he hasn’t seen the start to the season he had hoped for. In the 6 events he has played this year, Poston has made the cut in 4 events but hasn’t recorded a top 25 finish up to this point. He has been solid in strokes gained off the tee (69th) and putting (68th). He has really struggled in strokes gained around the green (155th) and approach (133rd), leading to an overall strokes gained total of -0.645 (127th on tour). Poston has been on tour for several years now, and this will be his first time competing in the Houston Open, so it will be interesting to see how he performs this week. As it currently stands, Poston is +470 for a top 20 finish, +1100 for a top 10, and +12500 to win. He has some decent value to make the cut this week at -192.

Lucas Glover

This year hasn’t been the best start for Lucas Glover, as he has only made the cut in 2 of 5 events, with 1 top 25 finish. Statistically, he hasn’t been very strong either, as he’s losing strokes in every strokes gained category. In strokes gained total, he currently sits at -1.021 strokes per round and is 142nd on tour. For someone who has played on tour as long as Lucas Glover, it’s surprising this is his first time in this event, so similar to J.T. Poston, it will be interesting to see what he can do. Glover is a long shot in just about every category this week, as he is +1300 for a top 20, +3000 for a top 10, and +35000 to win. Glover is another player I’d avoid this week, but hopefully he can gain some momentum, nevertheless.