Texas Children's Houston Open: Tee Times, Key Players, and Masters Dreams

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Alright, let’s cut to the chase. The 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open is kicking off at Memorial Park in Houston, Texas. Thursday, March 26th, that’s the day. And yeah, there’s more than just bragging rights on the line for some of these guys.For a few, this is it. Their last shot. Their Hail Mary to get into the big dance. Augusta. The Masters. You know the drill. If you’re not already in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, or haven’t already snagged a qualifying win, this Houston Open is your final ticket. And let me tell you, the pressure is on.

Rickie Fowler's Augusta Gamble

Take Rickie Fowler, for instance. The guy’s a six-time PGA Tour winner, a fan favorite, but he’s currently sitting at 61st in the OWGR. That means he’s outside the cut-off for a Masters invite. So, what’s the play?

Climb the Ranks: He could absolutely crush it here in Houston, move up the leaderboard, and hopefully snag enough FedEx Cup points and world ranking points to crack that top 50. It’s a long shot, but not impossible.
Win it All: The most direct route? Win the damn tournament. The Houston Open champion gets an automatic spot at Augusta. Talk about pressure cooking.

Fowler’s teeing off on Thursday at 8:42 a.m. ET. He’s grouped with Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark. Yeah, that’s a solid group. Expect some fireworks there.

How to Catch the Action

Not everyone can be in Houston, I get it. So, how do you watch?

Golf Channel: For Thursday’s opening round, tune in from 3-7 p.m. ET. It’s the standard broadcast.
PGA Tour Live on ESPN+: If you want the early bird special, ESPN+ has you covered. They’ll be streaming from 8:15 a.m. ET on Thursday. Plus, you get featured group coverage. So you can follow Rickie, or whoever else you’re rooting for, hole by hole.

It’s a good setup. You can see the main action, or dive deep into specific groups if you’ve got a favorite player making a run.

The Full First Round Tee Times

Alright, here’s the nitty-gritty. The complete list of who’s playing when, and with whom. It’s a lot, I know. But if you’ve got a guy you’re backing, you need to know his schedule.Tee No. 1 – Thursday Tee Times

8:20 a.m. – Erik van Rooyen, Andrew Putnam, Bronson Burgoon
8:31 a.m. – Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon, Chad Ramey
8:42 a.m. – Danny Willett, Sam Stevens, Doug Ghim
8:53 a.m. – William Mouw, Brian Campbell, Chris Kirk
9:04 a.m. – Garrick Higgo, Jhonattan Vegas, Harry Hall
9:15 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Aldrich Potgieter, Kevin Yu
9:26 a.m. – Michael Brennan, Ryan Fox, Aaron Wise
9:37 a.m. – Dylan Wu, Hank Lebioda, Kristoffer Reitan
9:48 a.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Jimmy Stanger, Jeffrey Kang
9:59 a.m. – Alejandro Tosti, Isaiah Salinda, Dan Brown
10:10 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Casey Russell
1:20 p.m. – K.H. Lee, Denny McCarthy, Rico Hoey
1:31 p.m. – Will Zalatoris, Thorbjørn Olesen, Kevin Roy
1:42 p.m. – Min Woo Lee, Tony Finau, Adam Scott
1:53 p.m. – Jake Knapp, Brooks Koepka, Michael Thorbjornsen
2:04 p.m. – Ricky Castillo, Sungjae Im, Pierceson Coody
2:15 p.m. – Harris English, Billy Horschel, Patrick Rodgers
2:26 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Alex Smalley, S.H. Kim
2:37 p.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Charley Hoffman, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
2:48 p.m. – Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat, Matti Schmid
2:59 p.m. – Zecheng Dou, John Parry, Kensei Hirata
3:10 p.m. – Haotong Li, John VanDerLaan, Christo Lamprecht
3:21 p.m. – Chandler Blanchet, Neal Shipley, Gordon Sargent

Tee No. 10 – Thursday Tee Times

8:20 a.m. – Vince Whaley, Danny Walker, Marco Penge
8:31 a.m. – Keith Mitchell, Max Greyserman, Nicolai Højgaard
8:42 a.m. – Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler
8:53 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Jason Day, Sam Burns
9:04 a.m. – Nico Echavarria, Ben Griffin, Stephan Jaeger
9:15 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Sahith Theegala, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
9:26 a.m. – Tom Kim, Tom Hoge, Mac Meissner
9:37 a.m. – David Lipsky, Rasmus Højgaard, Takumi Kanaya
9:48 a.m. – Lee Hodges, Beau Hossler, Johnny Keefer
9:59 a.m. – Jordan Smith, Adrien Saddier, Pontus Nyholm
10:10 a.m. – Jesper Svensson, Paul Waring, Davis Chatfield
1:20 p.m. – Brice Garnett, Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder
1:31 p.m. – Peter Malnati, Adam Svensson, Eric Cole
1:42 p.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Seamus Power, Trey Mullinax
1:53 p.m. – Joe Highsmith, Taylor Pendrith, Matt Kuchar
2:04 p.m. – Adam Schenk, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai
2:15 p.m. – Steven Fisk, Davis Riley, Lucas Glover
2:26 p.m. – Karl Vilips, Davis Thompson, Gary Woodland
2:37 p.m. – Matt Wallace, Max McGreevy, Chandler Phillips
2:48 p.m. – Kris Ventura, A.J. Ewart, Luke Clanton
2:59 p.m. – Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Marcelo Rozo, Cole Hammer
3:10 p.m. – David Ford, Zach Bauchou, Mason Howell (a)

Featured Groups to Watch

When you’re looking at the tee times, some groups just stand out. You know, the ones you’ll be glued to the screen for.

Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark: As mentioned, this is the 8:42 a.m. group off No. 10. High stakes for Rickie, and Lowry and Clark are no slouches either. Expect a lot of buzz around this tee time.
Brooks Koepka, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp: This crew tees off at 1:53 p.m. off No. 1. Koepka is always a threat, and it’ll be interesting to see how these guys stack up. Knapp has been playing some solid golf, and Thorbjornsen is one of those young guys making noise.
Tony Finau, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee: Another afternoon tee time at 1:42 p.m. off No. 1. You’ve got Finau’s power, Scott’s classic game, and Lee’s emerging talent. This is a must-watch group for sure.

These are just a few, of course. There are plenty of other talented players out there, and you never know who’s going to catch fire and make a run. That’s the beauty of golf, right?

Betting on the Houston Open?

If you’re the type who likes to put a little something on the line, there are options. For those looking to place a wager on the Texas Children’s Houston Open, signing up for Fanatics Sportsbook with code “SUBPAR” could get you a welcome offer. Always gamble responsibly, folks. It’s a game, remember? A serious game for these pros, but a game nonetheless.

The Course: Memorial Park

Memorial Park is no walk in the park, pun intended. It’s a solid test of golf. Designed by John Bredemus and later renovated by Tom Doak, it’s known for its challenging layout, especially under tournament pressure. You’ve got tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and greens that can be tricky to read.It’s a course that rewards accuracy and strategic play. You can’t just bash your way around here and expect to win. You need to think your way around, hit smart shots, and capitalize on your opportunities.

What's at Stake Beyond the Trophy

We’ve talked about the Masters, and that’s a huge carrot. But there’s more. For many players, it’s about solidifying their position on the PGA Tour, earning crucial FedEx Cup points, and building momentum for the rest of the season. A win here, or even a strong finish, can change the trajectory of a player’s year.It’s easy to get caught up in the drama of who’s making the Masters and who’s not. But for the guys out there grinding, every shot counts towards their career. Every dollar earned, every point gained, it all adds up.So, get ready for some serious golf. The Texas Children’s Houston Open is shaping up to be an exciting one. Keep an eye on those tee times, follow your favorites, and enjoy the show. Who knows, you might just witness someone punch their ticket to Augusta. Or maybe a surprise contender emerges to take the whole thing down. That’s the thrill of it.For more information on PGA Tour events and player rankings, you can always check out the official PGA Tour website. It’s the definitive source for all things tour-related.