There was a true upset at the Houston Open last week, with German Stephan Jäger taking his first PGA Tour title by one shot at the Memorial Park Golf Course.
Amongst those chasing Jäger into the final round was Scottie Scheffler, who is now more than proving himself as the number one ranked player on the Tour.
He missed a five-foot on the 18th which would have sent him and the German to a play-off in which he could have become the first player in seven years to win three PGA Tour tournaments in a row (he did not feature at Valspar two weeks ago).
As it is, he remains the outright favourite for the upcoming Masters (4/1).
Amongst our picks last week was Tom Hoge for top 20. He came in at 21/10 with a T14 finish.
Up next on the PGA Tour is the Valero Texas Open, where Scheffler will not be present ahead of the Masters.
That leaves Rory McIlroy the favourite at 7/1, but it's difficult to back him based on his most recent results. Having said that, the Northern Irishman took a break last week and will be fired up ahead of another chance to end his Majors curse at Augusta.
Amongst the former winners taking the field is defending champion Corey Conners (22/1), who also won in 2019, 2022 champion J.J Spaun (125/1) and 2021 winner Jordan Spieth (20/1).
Of the winners, Conners is the most convincing. He should be looked at for at least a T20 (7/5) at TPC San Antonio, having finished T14 and T18 in his past two PGA tournaments.
His stats also read well ahead of this week, where he will play on a course he clearly enjoys; he ranks second on Green in Regulations percentage and is sixth on shots gained on approach.
For an outsider, Frenchman Victor Perez (90/1) intrigues. He ranks third on Green in Regulations and 13th in shots gained on approach. He finished T17 at Houston, T3 in Puerto Rico and T16 at Cognizant.
If he can put well – something he improved upon at Houston – there is a good chance he can gain the few shots he needs to become a serious contender.
He is 7/2 to finish top 20, but also still value for top 40 at 11/8.
Best bets
Corey Conners to finish top 20 7/5
Victor Perez to finish top 20 7/2
Victor Perez to finish top 40 11/8
