Texas Open Free Picks, Predictions and DFS Lineup April 3-6

Houston Open Betting Preview

WagerTalk golf handicapper Andy Lang offers his thoughts on the Texas Open teeing off from TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) in San Antonio, TX. Andy discusses his DraftKings Darlings, golfers to who can trip you up and the course and more surrounding the Texas Open starting April 3rd!

$15 FREE for PREMIUM GOLF PICKS – CLAIM BELOW

Stay on top of the latest Golf updates direct from Las Vegas!

WagerTalk also offers Free Picks all year long!

Texas Open	Texas Open Betting Notes
When:	April 3-6
Where:	TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) in San Antonio, TX
Defending Champ:	Akshay Bhatia
Current Favorite:	Ludvig Abert (+1200 at DraftKings)
TV:	Golf Channel, NBC

Houston Open Course: TPC San Antonio – The Oaks Course

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio stands out as one of the tougher and more  distinctive challenges on the PGA Tour. Designed by Greg Norman, this 7,438- yard Par 72 demands power and precision, with tight fairways that require 300+ yard carries and penal rough waiting for any miss.

Add in natural hazards like  rocks, brush, and native vegetation, and it’s easy to see how this course can unravel  even the best players—just ask Kevin Na, who famously carded a 16 here. 

The Champion Bermudagrass greens, overseeded with Poa Trivialis, are large,  multi-tiered, and perched up, making approach shots difficult and creating tricky runoffs into collection areas.

The putting surfaces often rank among the top 10 hardest to hit in regulation, further stressing the importance of strong iron play and scrambling. 

Scoring conditions are always wind-dependent in Texas, and this week looks no different. Winds around 10–15 mph are expected throughout the week, with rain and possible thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday morning likely to soften the  

course temporarily. While the rain may make the greens more receptive, the swirling winds and long layout still make for a stern test.

Players who can manage  the wind, avoid trouble off the tee, and navigate the complex green surrounds will  have the best chance to contend at this ball-striker’s track.

Texas Open Marquee Holes

Favorite Hole 

11th Hole – Par 4 418 Yards 

I like holes that have obstacles in the fairways, and this hole has not 1, but 3 bunkers in the fairway near the landing area.

The main bunker can be cleared by drives, but drives that land to the right side of the fairway have a chance to get into the 2 smaller, annoying bunkers making the approach a bit more difficult. 

However, drives that land in the fairway will set up birdie opportunities as the approach will be short coming into a big green that’s gettable. 

18th Hole – Par 5 610 Yards 

This is not an easy Par 5 to end the round with so I’m a fan. The landing area for tee shots is a bit narrow, but hitting the fairway is the only way to have a prayer at  getting there in 2.

Even if guys hit the fairway, I think most of the second shots will be layups to set up a 100 yard or less approach.

Any tee shot that misses the  fairway probably won’t have too many issues laying up, but where to place the second shot is interesting as the fairway is separated by the green by a dirt ditch area so players will have to decide if they want to go left or right for the approach landing area.

I’m not sure there’s much difference in right or left, but this hole  comes down to the third shot which is different for a lot of the Par 5’s on tour. It’s  a good finishing hole, but not terrible challenging.

Texas Open: Players That Can Trip You Up

Ludvig Aberg  

He has all the upside in the world as he’s shown, and he already has a win this  year, but since then he’s finished MC and 22nd, and he’s outside the Top 30 in this field for total strokes gained the last 30 days.

It looks like it’s his irons as he’s  negative strokes gained approach and around the green, and I will add that it’s not a good place to be with Augusta next week so he’ll be using this week to get dialed in, and I wonder if his #1 motivating factor this week is winning or if this is all about practicing for next week. Either way, I won’t be betting on him this week. 

Corey Conners 

I’m not falling for Conners. He’s the ultimate guy that plays good for a few  tournaments, he sucks you in, you bet on him and he falls apart.

He’s finished Top 10 in 3 straight tournaments, and he’s never done that before in his career so I’m just expecting the regression on him.

Before the Top 10s, he finished 24th, 74th, 65th, MC so I think he’s ready to lay and egg, and I won’t fall for it again. 

Patrick Cantlay 

He’s never played this tournament or this course so I don’t know why he’s playing  it this week. The last 4 years, he hasn’t played 1 tournament between The Players and The Masters so this is out of sorts for him.

He’s also finished 31st and 12th the last 2 tournaments so his current form isn’t great for his standards. He’s priced as a Top 5 guy this week, I’m not real confident he’ll return results.

Texas Open: DraftKings Darlings

Sami Valimaki $7100 

He’s playing well as of late, especially his 4th place finish last week, and that’s 5 made cuts in a row for him. He’s +0.21 tee-to-green and +0.43 putting the last 30  days so I’ll ride with him one more week. 

Sam Ryder $7200 

The streak continues as Ryder made the cut again last week, and that’s 9 straight  made cuts to start 2025.

His tee-to-green isn’t great, but his putting has been fantastic, and a hot putter is all we need to keep making cuts with Ryder. 

Jesper Svensson $7200 

He’s made 6 cuts in a row, and he was 27th last week so he’s shown Top 30 upside. He can hit the ball a mile, and his putting has been really good this season at +0.55 strokes gained putting, and his approaches have been the weak part of his  game, but hopefully the rest of his game makes up for it for another made cut.

Final Lineup: Sami Valimaki $7100, Sam Ryder $7200, Jesper Svensson $7200, Bud Cauley $8300, Daniel Berger $9200, $10,700

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
• Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!