Paul Waring’s best finish as a full-time member of the PGA Tour is T47th at the 2025 Canadian Open. He has battled injuries and bouts, but everything went well at the 2026 Houston Open on Thursday, opening the tournament at Memorial Park with a bogey-free 7-under 63 to take the lead in the first round.
Waring arrived in Houston this week after undergoing a medical extension. His rookie season on the PGA Tour was a rough ride, with 10 missed cuts and 12 tournament withdrawals as he tried to overcome injury pain. His first three starts on the PGA Tour in 2026 resulted in the same result, missing the cut three times in a row, but missing the cut gave him a chance to find his game.
“To be fair, we’ve started to see a little bit of forward momentum in the last few weeks,” Waring said. “I know I missed the cut at Valspar (Championship) and Cognizant (Classic), but I felt like my golf game was in a good spot. … The first few weeks I let my shots go too far, but this week I’ve been much more set, no bogeys, and I hit a good amount of holes today. I think I was told I held a putt over 160 feet today, which is huge and gives me 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 and shot a 64. Another player who is going through his own battles, Woodland revealed at The Players Championship that he is battling post-traumatic stress disorder following brain surgery in 2023.
Woodland spoke openly and honestly about the emotional and mental toll of the surgery. The PGA Tour has introduced additional safety measures when Woodland plays. Woodland suffers from anxiety and hyper-awareness, common characteristics of PTSD, and since the interview, he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
“The response… was huge. And it was huge for me because I felt so safe,” Woodland said. “I literally felt like 1,000 pounds off my back that day. It was tough. I went into the interview crying, and when I left I felt 1,000 pounds lighter.
“I have a battle to fight, but it’s great to not do it alone, I can tell you that. We’re going to take it one day at a time and keep getting better. But the tour here is a family and they’ve been great. The world of golf has been great, and I’m so grateful.”
Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler is fighting for more than just a trophy this week. Fowler, ranked No. 61 in the Official World Golf Rankings, needs a top finish to break into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and earn an invite to his first major championship of the year.
“I had a great run last year, kind of like 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 get some downtime to work on my body and improve the position of my shoulder so I didn’t have to play through pain. Luckily, I played well over the summer. I felt confident knowing I could go out and play some easy golf. It’s kind of what I picked up at Amex and I did a good job of sticking with it there.”
“A lot of it is mentally, not trying to do too much or anything special, just letting the rounds come to me and trying to piece things together and plan my way.”
Fowler is tied at 3 under with No. 80 Sahith Segala, who also needs a strong performance in the place he once called home. Former Texas Longhorn Pearson Coody shot a 70 and will be fighting at Friday’s cut line to get the finish he needs to move from outside the Masters bubble to inside the magic number at No. 51 in the world.
leader
1. Paul Waring (-7): Waring played on the DP World Tour from 2008 to 2024 and was able to earn his way onto the PGA Tour thanks to his victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship during the postseason. He would be a fool not to jump at the chance to play in the United States, but things have been difficult ever since. Despite this, Waring believes he is close to his 2024 form. His putts proved to be the biggest difference-maker, but he still connected on the regulation 14 greens and hit nine of 13 fairways in the first round, showing he wasn’t far behind in his tee-to-green play.
“Not a million miles away. That week (Abu Dhabi 2024), I felt my wedge handling was exceptional, and that’s why I was able to keep my score low,” Waring said. “I was aggressive off the tee that week and gave myself every opportunity. This golf course is a very good course for me. … I would say the tee shot is wide, but the tee shot is pretty forgiving so it gives me the opportunity to move my body with speed without fear.”
“So I was able to swing freely and put myself in a wedge position, especially on the par 5s. Again, all of the work has been centered around what I did a few years ago to get me back to where I am. So I hope I can build on this today. See how this week goes.”
contestants
2. Gary Woodland (-6)
T3. Sam Barnes, Michael Brennan, Tom Hoge (-5)
T6. Marco Penzi, Stefan Jaeger, Kurt Kitayama, Matt Wallace (-4)
It’s super cool. A week after Woodland opened, he finished in the top 15 at the Valspar Championship, and now, a week later, he’s on the Houston Open roster. It has been a happy hunting ground for the former U.S. Open champion in recent years, with preseason finishes of T21 and T9 runner-up.
Statistically, Woodland was great in round one. He ranked second in regulation greens and in the top 10 in both ball-striking and putting categories. That’s great in theory, but more importantly, Woodland felt comfortable inside the ropes.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about confidence,” Woodland said. “I’ve been practicing well over the last few months, but I haven’t seen anything on the course, so I’m trying to be patient. Last week, I started to see some signs on the course. Even when I got caught by the eight-ball in the first few rounds last week, I fought back hard at the end. Today I was able to get up and run. I just played really solid. I felt good all day. That’s a big plus.”
Updated odds and picks for the 2026 Houston Open
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Sam Barnes: 15/2
- Gary Woodland: 12-1
- Kurt Kitayama: 13-1
- Marco Money: 15-1
- Lee Min Woo: 18 wins, 1 loss
- Rickie Fowler: 21 wins and 1 loss
- Michael Brennan: 23-1
- Adam Scott: 24-1
- Stefan Jaeger: 25-1
Seagala, who has a record of 32 wins and 1 loss, is still a great player. The former Houston resident did everything he was supposed to do on Thursday, making three birdies on three par 5s, picking up one elsewhere and dropping only one stroke. He has added strokes all over the bag and should be able to put in a good run on Friday afternoon after getting some much needed rest after the TGL Championship and an early tee time for Round 1.
