The 2026 Houston Open became a duel between Gary Woodland and Nicolai Hojgaard, who broke away from the rest of the field on Moving Day at Memorial Park Golf Course. Woodland entered the day with a three-stroke lead over Heigo and Jackson Suber, but while Suber fell back in Saturday’s final group, Hoigo started chipping away at Woodland’s advantage with another round of great golf, even though Woodland himself was playing well.
It’s no surprise that two of the longest hitters on the field would score at Memorial Park, where there’s little trouble from the tee. On Saturday, Woodland and Heigo had occasional shots off the tee, but with ball speeds exceeding 190 miles per hour, they often got through trouble in short roughs that presented little obstacle to attacking the pin.
Woodland got off to a shaky start with a bogey on No. 1, but worked his way to a 1-under 34 on the front nine before completely settling into a nice rhythm with some backside swings. That was best evidenced by his 2-iron hitting the 16th green with an absolute rocket shot for birdie, a 5-under 65, and a sole lead into Sunday.
On the other hand, Hoigo played the best golf of anyone in the last two groups of the day. His easy distance off the tee allowed him to hit a lot of wedges and short irons, which he used from all over the golf course on his way to a 7-under 63.
They went back and forth down the stretch, competing for birdies, and seemed to be spurring each other off the field. Both players shot 4-under 31 on the back nine, giving them a huge lead over the rest of the chasing pack heading into Sunday.
Hojgaard is looking for his first career win on the PGA Tour after enjoying some success as a young player on the DP World Tour. He has yet to reach his full potential since moving stateside, but at Memorial Park he has found a course that seems to suit his aggressive tendencies and incredible distance. His rounds of 62 and 63 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, were the best consecutive performances by any player in the 78-year history of the Houston Open, and they put him one stroke behind Woodland entering Sunday’s final round.
Woodland hopes to repeat his performance from a year ago Sunday, when he tied the course record with a 62 and finished T2, his best finish on the PGA Tour in six years. He and Hoygaard will be in match play scenarios for most of Sunday’s game unless something great happens from the back group.
Woodland hasn’t held the position since 2019, which was also the year he last won the U.S. Open. Mr. Huygaard has recently gained more experience with this situation, but it has mainly occurred in Europe. Not only are they playing for a win on the PGA Tour, but they’re also trying to earn an invitation to the Masters in two weeks, which adds extra pressure.
On Saturday, the two were able to inspire each other and have a great round of golf. I’ll hope to do the same on Sunday, but I’m sure I’ll be a lot more nervous than I was on Saturday. Those who do these things well will win the tournament, win the elusive PGA Tour title, and earn a ticket to Augusta National.
leader
1. Gary Woodland (-18): I looked like I was moving a little too fast with my early swings, so I had to calm down on Saturday. But while he is best known for his distance, it was his short game and putting that allowed him to get through rocks early on without giving up any substantial ground to the chasing pack. Comfort on and around the greens may be the most important piece of the puzzle if Woodland is to pull off an unlikely victory on Sunday. He is clearly used to this golf course and has been able to play more freely over the past two weeks. As we saw on Saturday, it can take a while to get used to a full swing when the adrenaline is pumping, but he showed great ability with his short game and putter to keep everything on track until he finally gets back on track.
contestants
2. Nikolai Huygaard (-17)
T3. Michael Thorbjornsen, Minwoo Lee (-12)
5. Sam Stevens, Jason Day (-11)
T6. Sahith Segala, Sudarshan Yellamaraj, Paul Waring (-10)
Huygaard’s last two rounds have been phenomenal, and he’s clearly playing with confidence in all aspects of his game, as evidenced by his ranking in the top 20 in all four categories of strokes gained this week. The big question for Huygaard will be maintaining the freedom he has been playing with for the past two days as the strain of chasing his first PGA Tour victory creeps in.
The rest of the chasing pack will need something spectacular to stop either Woodland or Heugaard from winning. We’ve seen guys make late runs on Sunday — Woodland shot a 62 last year to finish T2 — so they have a chance on a potentially low-scoring course, but they’re going to have to be really special given the gap between the top two.
Lee still wants to defend his title, and while he didn’t do much on Saturday to close the gap at the top, he did produce his best shot of the day, hitting a bunker shot from his knee on the driveable 17th for birdie.
Thorbjornsen’s 66 was the best round of the penultimate group along with Lee and Day, but the final group needed to stall to recover. The trio will know heading into Sunday that it’s all about making as many birdies as possible to have a chance at victory.
Updated Houston Open odds and picks
Odds from FanDuel
- Gary Woodland (-105)
- Nikolai Hojgaard (+105)
- Lee Min Woo (27-1)
- Michael Thorbjornsen (33-1)
It would be shocking if it wasn’t Woodland or Hougaardt who hoisted the trophy on Sunday evening. Huygaard has been playing with a little more enthusiasm considering he has been making a lot of big mistakes off the tee lately. He hasn’t been punished for it yet — and it’s certainly easier to avoid a real penalty for a missed tee shot at Memorial Park than at other courses — but if he doesn’t correct himself Sunday, he may finally get burned. It’s hard not to like Woodland’s response to Heigale’s charge on Saturday, and it feels like this is shaping up to be a big comeback win for Woodland.
