2026 Houston Open leaderboard: Gary Woodland surges, Rickie Fowler makes Masters push

As a full-time PGA Tour member, Paul Waring’s best finish was a T47 at the 2025 Canadian Open. He has struggled with injuries and his game, but on Thursday at the 2026 Houston Open, everything came together for the 41-year-old Englishman, who opened his tournament at Memorial Park with a bogey-free 7-under 63 to take the first-round lead.

Waring arrived in Houston this week on a medical extension. His rookie season on the PGA Tour was difficult with 10 missed cuts and one withdrawal in 12 tournaments as he tried to overcome the pain of injury. His first three starts on the PGA Tour in 2026 produced the same thing – three missed cuts in a row – but with the missed cuts came a chance to get his game back.

“To be honest, I’ve found a little bit of momentum over the last few weeks,” Waring said. “I know [I] missed cuts at Valspar [Championship] and conscious [Classic]but [I] I felt like my golf game was in the right place. …I gave away too many shots in the first few weeks, while this week it was a lot cleaner, no bogeys and a good amount of holeshots today. I think I was just told I made over 160 foot putts today, which is huge and gives you a huge advantage.”

Waring’s 63 was the best around Memorial Park by one stroke as Gary Woodland birdied three of his final four holes late in the evening to post his 64. Another man going through his own battle, Woodland revealed at the Players Championship that he is battling post-traumatic stress disorder following his 2023 brain surgery.

Open and honest, Woodland shared that the emotional and mental toll of her surgery was crippling. The PGA Tour has introduced additional safety measures when Woodland plays because he is plagued by anxiety and hyperconsciousness — common traits associated with PTSD — and has felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders since the interview.

“The response has been… great, and it has also been great for me because I have received a lot of relief,” Woodland said. “I literally feel like I lost a thousand pounds that day. It was hard to do. I was crying before the interview and left a thousand pounds lighter.

“I have a fight that I’m fighting, but it’s good to not do it alone, I can tell you that. We’ll take it one day at a time and continue to improve. But the Tour here is a family, and they’ve been incredible. The golf world has been incredible, and I’m very grateful.”

Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler is fighting for more than just a trophy this week. Ranked No. 61 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler needs a strong ranking to move into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earn an invitation to the first major championship of the year.

“I had a great run last year, kind of in the second half of the year, and I felt like I was in a good place with my game,” Fowler said. “I was able to have some time off to work on my body and get my shoulder in a better place, where I didn’t have to play through the pain. So luckily I had played well all summer. I had confidence knowing that we could go out and play simple golf. I kind of picked it up at AmEx and did a good job there to continue that.

“A lot of it is about mentality, not trying to do too much or anything special, trying to let things come to me, piece things together and make my way.”

Fowler sits at 3 under with world number 80 Sahith Theegala, who also needs a massive performance at the place he once called home. Former Texas Longhorn Pierceson Coody shot a 70 and will battle the cut line Friday to get the finish he needs to go from outside the Masters bubble to No. 51 in the world inside that magic number.

Chief

1. Paul Waring (-7): Waring spent 2008-24 on the DP World Tour and was able to earn his way to the PGA Tour with a victory at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship during the playoffs. It would be foolish not to jump at the chance to play in the United States, but since then things have been difficult. Despite this, Waring believes he is close to his 2024 form. Although his putting proved to be the element that made the biggest difference, he still managed to connect on 14 regulation greens and hit 9 of 13 fairways in the first round, demonstrating that tee-to-green play is not far behind.

“It’s not a million miles away. That week [in Abu Dhabi in 2024]“I felt like I was exceptional with the wedges, which is why I was able to score so low,” Waring said. “I was aggressive from the start that week, I gave myself every chance. This golf course is pretty nice for me. … I would say it’s wide off the tee, it’s pretty forgiving off the tee, so it gives me a chance to move the body quickly and without any fear.

“So I could swing freely, I could and get into those corner positions, especially on the par 5s. Again, all the work has been around what I did a few years ago to kind of get myself back into this position that I’m in now. So hopefully I can build on that today. See how the week goes.”

Competitors

2. Gary Woodland (-6)
T3. Sam Burns, Michael Brennan, Tom Hoge (-5)
T6. Marco Penge, Stephan Jaeger, Kurt Kitayama, Matt Wallace (-4)

This is as cool as it gets. A week after the Woodland Open, he placed in the top 15 at the Valspar Championship, and now, a week later, he’s in the mix at the Houston Open. It’s been a happy hunting ground for the former US Open champion in recent years with a sophomore performance a season ago to go along with T21 and T9 finishes.

Statistically, Woodland was great in the first round. He placed second on the greens in regulation and among the top 10 in both ball striking and putting categories. That’s good on paper, but more importantly, Woodland felt comfortable on the ropes.

“At the end of the day, it’s confidence,” Woodland said. “I’ve had good practice the last few months and hadn’t seen anything on the course, so I’m trying to stay patient. Last week I started seeing signs on the course. Even when I got behind the 8 ball for a few rounds early last week, I fought hard at the end. I was able to get going today, I played really solid. I felt good all day, that’s a big plus.”

Updated Odds and Picks for the 2026 Houston Open

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Sam Burns: 15/2
• Gary Woodland: 12-1
• Kurt Kitayama: 13-1
• Marco Penge: 15-1
• Min Woo Lee: 18-1
• Rickie Fowler: 21-1
• Michael Brennan: 23-1
• Adam Scott: 24-1
• Stéphane Jaeger: 25-1

Theegala at 32-1 is still a great game. The former Houston resident did everything you’re supposed to do on Thursday, making three birdies on the three par 5s, landing one elsewhere and giving up just one shot. He won shots all over the bag and should be able to deliver a good shot Friday afternoon after a well-deserved rest following his TGL championship and an early start time for the first round.