Scottie Scheffler Ramps Up Masters Prep With Texas Children's Houston Open Appearance

Following the conclusion of the Florida Swing with the Valspar Championship, the PGA Tour heads to the Lone Star State for the first of two events, the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

The visit to the state, which concludes with the Valero Texas Open, marks a crucial point of the PGA Tour season as the brace of events comes immediately before the first Major of the year, The Masters.

Given that, the Texas Children’s Houston Open marks an ideal opportunity for players to stay sharp in the build-up to that event, and some big names intend to take advantage.

The standout name in the field is undoubtedly World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who will be looking for his second win of the year, having claimed a dominant victory at The American Express.

Since then, the Dallas-based star hasn’t quite been at his best, struggling to find consistency over four rounds, including at The Players Championship, where he placed T22.

He’ll be hoping to brush off the cobwebs just two weeks before he attempts to win the Green Jacket for the third time at The Masters, and will no doubt take inspiration from his most recent PGA Tour start in Texas, when he cruised to victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson last May.

Scheffler is not the only member of the world’s top 10 in the field, with Chris Gotterup also committed to playing.

Gotterup has double the number of wins as Scheffler this season, having claimed victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii and WM Phoenix Open as he steps up preparations for his maiden Masters appearance.

Another player with relatively recent success who will play in The Masters for the first time is Ben Griffin, who won three times on the PGA Tour in 2025.

He is still searching for that kind of form this season, with his most recent disappointment coming at the Valspar Championship, where he missed the cut.

The defending champion is Min Woo Lee, who will be looking for his second PGA Tour win, having claimed his maiden title at Memorial Park Golf Course in 2025.

Stephan Jaeger, who won the event in 2024, also plays, as does 2023 champion Tony Finau.

Other notable names to look out for include Shane Lowry, who came close to victory at the Cognizant Classic before a late capitulation, Nico Echavarria, who beat him to the title at PGA National, and Kurt Kitayama, who was runner-up at the Genesis Invitational.

Five-time PGA Tour winners Harris English and Sam Burns play too, along with former World No.1s Jason Day and Adam Scott.

Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark, who split with caddie John Ellis earlier in the month, and two-time PGA Tour winner Ryan Fox are among the other big names to look out for.