The Florida Swing came to an end last week as the PGA Tour returns to the Lone Star State for the Texas Houston Children’s Open at Memorial Park Golf Course.
Last time this tournament was played on this course was in November 2022 as a result of the changes to the 2023 fall schedule and the 2024 slate going to a calendar year format.
Last week, 36-year-old Peter Malnati won the Valspar Championship for his second PGA Tour victory and first since the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship. As a result, Malnati have been doing his best just to maintain his PGA Tour membership card over the last eight seasons.
Now with the win, Malnati, with his bucket hat and yellow golf ball, earned himself a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a spot into the final four Signature events this season, $1.5 million and his first opportunity to play at the Masters Tournament in his career.
The victory also earned him 500 FedEx Cup points, which put him in 16th place of the standings. If he continues to play well and makes BMW Championship in August for being inside the top 50 of the standings, Malnati will take the next step of being fully exempt for the 2025 season, which will include playing in next year’s Signature events and the Players Championship.
This week at the Texas Houston Children’s Open, the field is going to face different challenges than it did 16 months ago. Playing an event in March compared to November means the climate will be different playing in the spring compared to the fall, like when the 2020 Masters was pushed back to November.
Memorial Park Golf Course is a par-70, measuring 7,435 yards, making it one of the longest non-major courses on the PGA Tour schedule. There are five par-3s and three par-5s. Accuracy is going to be key on the par-5s as they are the most difficult par-5s on the PGA Tour.
One of the biggest changes this week are the shots players will take from the rough. It used to be penal 2.5-inch Bermuda. It is now 1.25-inch ryegrass, which means play throughout the week should be a bit easier.
What channel is the Texas Houston Children’s Open on?
The Texas Houston Children’s Open will be televised between NBC and the Golf Channel.
Television schedule for the Texas Houston Children’s Open
| Round | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday Mar. 28 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday Mar. 29 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday Mar. 30 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
| 4 | Sunday Mar. 31 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
Other coverage for the Texas Houston Children’s Open
In addition to NBC and the Golf Channel, the Texas Houston Children’s Open will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ and Peacock. PGA Tour Live for the marquee and featured groups can be exclusively found on ESPN+, in addition to the featured holes throughout the course
The Texas Houston Children’s Open will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM.
Thursday, March 28 (Round 1)
ESPN+: 8:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Friday, March 29 (Round 2)
ESPN+: 8:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 30 (Round 3)
ESPN+: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 31 (Round 4)
ESPN+: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
How much are tickets for the Texas Houston Children’s Open?
Tickets to walk the grounds for the Texas Houston Children’s Open begin at $45. Ticket prices increase for the hospitality venues, such as the United Airlines Crawford Suite as well as the Cadence Bank Creekside Terrace, which is on the loudest hole in Texas.
Kids 15 and under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult all week, but tickets are required to access the hospitality venues.
Discounted tickets are available to the military and first responders throughout the tournament.
Payout for the 2024 Texas Houston Children’s Open
The total purse for the event is set at $9.1 million and the winner will receive $1.64 million. The winner will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points towards the season long standings.
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Who are some of the top golfers in the Texas Houston Children’s Open?
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is one of the many Texans playing in their home state this week in Houston. Scheffler is looking for third straight PGA Tour after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second time in three years and the Players Championship in back-to-back fashion.
After a week off, World No. 4 Wyndham Clark. He has finished as the runner-up behind Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship over the last few weeks after having the 36-hole lead at TPC Sawgrass.
Also competing this week is the reigning Texas Houston Children’s Open champion Tony Finau, who won this event at 16-under par in 2022 for his third victory in seven starts at the time.
Some of the home-state players competing this week includes Will Zalatoris, Ryan Palmer, Tom Whitney, Sam Bennett, Pierceson Coody and Parker Coody.
The Texas A&M alum Bennett, who is the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship and won the low amateur at the 2023 Masters, is making his PGA Tour season debut this week. Bennett has played in five events on the Korn Ferry Tour with three top-25 results.
Cole Hammer is making his PGA Tour debut this week. Hammer, who is a University of Texas alum, like Scheffler, has made six starts on the Korn Ferry Tour with two top-10 finishes.
Malnati joins the list of 2024 PGA Tour winners competing this week, which also includes Clark, Nick Dunlap and Jake Knapp, among others.
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5 players who can hoist the Texas Houston Children’s Open trophy on Sunday
Scottie Scheffler
Having won a Signature event (Arnold Palmer Invitational) followed by the Players Championship, Scheffler is the favorite this week. In three previous trips to this course, he has made the cut in each trip with two top-10s. He also has the course record when he shot a 62 in the second round, en route to his 2021 runner-up finish.
Besides his two victories for the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, Scheffler has made the cut in all seven starts this season with four top-5s and six top 10s, while finishing no worse than 17th.
Tony Finau
Finau rolls into the Texas Houston Children’s Open as the reigning champion at this particular event, having not missed a cut in seven of events this season. Despite missing his first cut last week, Finau has put himself in a position to be well-rested for this event as he looks to defend his title.
Wyndham Clark
In his last two starts, Clark has only lost to one person and that happens to be the best player in the world. Clark is trying to join Scottie with multiple PGA Tour wins this season after being victorious at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month.
If the saying goes, “Third time’s the charm,” as St. Patrick’s Day recently passed, this is Clark’s opportunity to get the win this week over Scheffler after falling short the past couple of opportunities.
Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala has shown at times during his PGA Tour career that can play with the best, which includes his T9 at the Players Championship a couple of weeks ago as he led the field in strokes gained putting.
Theegala, who has four top-10s this season, ranks fourth in strokes gained totals and seventh in strokes gained putting. He is also 10th in with a 69.14 actual scoring average this season and inside the top 25 in both front nine and back nine scoring average, which will all be vital if Theegala wants to earn his second PGA Tour victory.
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris comes to Houston making his seventh start since returning from the back surgery. Despite missing the cut at the Players Championship, Zalatoris has more than a week of preparation for this week’s event. Before his missed cut at the Players Championship, he recorded back-to-back top-5 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and was a runner-up at The Genesis Invitational last month.
With his tee to green skills, Zalatoris has an opportunity to contend this week. It would also be a comeback story, like Malnati’s victory last week not having won in eight years. For Zalatoris, it would be his first victory since returning from back surgery.
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Texas Houston Children’s Open pairings
All times ET; (MG) is Marquee Group, (FG) Featured Group
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 8:20 a.m. | 1:20 p.m. | Beau Hossler, Stephan Jaeger, Carson Young |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:31 p.m. | Aaron Baddeley, Josh Teater, Dylan Wu |
| 8:42 a.m. | 1:42 p.m. | James Hahn, Justin Lower, Sam Stevens |
| 8:53 a.m. | 1:53 p.m. | Nick Hardy, Taylor Moore, Chez Reavie |
| 9:04 a.m. | 2:04 p.m. | Ryan Brehm, Kevin Kisner, Stewart Cink |
| 9:15 a.m. | 2:15 p.m. | Matt Wallace, Gary Woodland, Brandt Snedeker |
| 9:26 a.m. | 2:26 p.m. | Martin Laird, Austin Cook, Matt NeSmith |
| 9:37 a.m. | 2:37 p.m. | Keith Mitchell, Doug Ghim, Greyson Sigg |
| 9:48 a.m. | 2:48 p.m. | Brandon Wu, Thomas Detry, Andrew Novak |
| 9:59 a.m. | 2:59 p.m. | Pierceson Coody, Parker Coody, Jacob Bridgeman |
| 10:10 a.m. | 3:10 p.m. | Norman Xiong, Max Greyserman, Patrick Fishburn |
| 10:21 a.m. | 3:21 p.m. | Alexander Bjork, Alejandro Tosti, Jesse Droemer |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 8:20 a.m. | 1:20 p.m. | Garrick Higgo, Richy Werenski, Bronson Burgoon |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:31 p.m. | Taylor Montgomery, Harry Hall, Ryan Fox |
| 8:42 a.m. | 1:42 p.m. | Cam Davis, Chesson Hadley, Aaron Rai |
| 8:53 a.m. | 1:53 p.m. | Peter Malnati, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris |
| 9:04 a.m. | 2:04 p.m. | Jake Knapp, Akshay Bhatia, Adam Svensson |
| 9:15 a.m. | 2:15 p.m. | Nick Dunlap, Luke List, K.H. Lee |
| 9:26 a.m. | 2:26 p.m. | Tyler Duncan, Mark Hubbard, Ben Griffin |
| 9:37 a.m. | 2:37 p.m. | Sung Kang, Taylor Pendrith, S.H. Kim |
| 9:48 a.m. | 2:48 p.m. | Joel Dahmen, Lanto Griffin, Kevin Chappell |
| 9:59 a.m. | 2:59 p.m. | Mac Meissner, Ryan McCormick, Cole Hammer |
| 10:10 a.m. | 3:10 p.m. | David Skinns, Tom Whitney, Sam Bennett |
| 10:21 a.m. | 3:21 p.m. | Thorbjorn Olesen, Joe Highsmith, Dawie van der Walt |
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 1:20 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Bud Cauley, David Lipsky, Roger Sloan |
| 1:31 p.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Henrik Norlander, Justin Suh, Carl Yuan |
| 1:42 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Patton Kizzire, Ryan Moore, Callum Tarren |
| 1:53 p.m. | 8:53 a.m. | Wyndham Clark Tony Finau, Si Woo Kim |
| 2:04 p.m. | 9:04 a.m. | Sahith Theegala, Jason Day, Padraig Harrington |
| 2:15 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Mackenzie Hughes, Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge |
| 2:26 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Hayden Buckley, Robby Shelton, Tyson Alexander |
| 2:37 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Nate Lashley, Sam Ryder, Zac Blair |
| 2:48 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Ben Silverman, Paul Barjon, Kris Ventura |
| 2:59 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Nicholas Lindheim, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Kevin Dougherty |
| 3:10 p.m. | 10:10 a.m. | Robert MacIntyre, Rafael Campos, Raul Pereda |
| 3:21 p.m. | 10:21 a.m. | Jorge Campillo, Rico Hoey, Rhein Gibson |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 1:20 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Ryann Palmer, Michael Kim, Ben Taylor |
| 1:31 p.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Joseph Bramlett, Davis Thompson, Scott Gutschewski |
| 1:42 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Martin Trainer, Vince Whaley, Matti Schmid |
| 1:53 p.m. | 8:53 a.m. | Daniel Berger, J.B. Holmes, Scott Stallings |
| 2:04 p.m. | 9:04 a.m. | Vincent Norrman, Davis Riley, Chad Ramey |
| 2:15 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Kurt Kitayama, J.J. Spaun, Cameron Champ |
| 2:26 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Jimmy Walker, Patrick Rodgers, Alex Smalley |
| 2:37 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Adam Long, Jhonattan Vegas, Alex Noren |
| 2:48 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Chandler Phillips, Chris Gotterup, Hayden Springer |
| 2:59 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Erik Barnes, Trace Crowe, Wilson Furr |
| 3:10 p.m. | 10:10 a.m. | Victor Perez, Harrison Endycott, Emilio Gonzalez |
| 3:21 p.m. | 10:21 a.m. | Chan Kim, Blaine Hale Jr., Callum McNeill |