Two more to go. The anticipation for the Masters Tournament is building up with each passing day. The chance to see the best golfers in the world go head-to-head at the Augusta National Golf Course is not that far away. Right now, the PGA Tour is headed to Houston, where the Texas Children’s Houston Open is taking place. It will be the first of two events left on the Tour before the ultimate face-off in Georgia.
A tournament with rich history, the Houston Open remains one of the few PGA Tour events, where Tiger Woods hasn’t won. Even the runner-up position at the event has eluded him. The Houston Open in 2024 was a thrilling affair. Stephan Jaeger clinched the title by 1 stroke, ousting the hopes of five people in the runner-up positions – Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, Alejandro Tosti, and Thomas Detry. All five are teeing off this time around, ready to win the elusive trophy and undo the mistake of last year. Let’s take a look at when all these players are going to tee off.
Round 1 & 2 Tee Times and Pairings – Texas Children’s Houston Open
The favorite for this year’s tournament is surprisingly Scottie Scheffler. The World No.1 has not yet hit his full stride since returning from an injury during Christmas dinner. He will be teeing off alongside Rickie Fowler and Sungjae Im at 1:03 PM ET from the Tee 1.
Closely following him in the list of favorites is Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irish golfer is coming off a spectacular victory in the PLAYERS Championship. He will be looking to keep the momentum going at the Houston Open as the Masters Tournament approaches. McIlroy will be accompanied by Maverick McNealy and Wyndham Clark at the tee spot, with the trio set to start at 7:53 AM ET from the Tee 10.
Other key tee groupings include JJ Spaun, Keith Mitchell, and the forever-young Padraig Harrington, who are set to tee off from Tee 1 at 12:41 PM ET. Sahith Theegala, Jake Knapp, and Nico Echavarria form another interesting group set to tee off from Tee 10 at 8:04 AM ET.
Groupings and starting times for the first and second round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open pic.twitter.com/3i8HFrv6iD
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 25, 2025
Although Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the World No.1 and 2, are there to captivate the fans at Houston, there are several big names missing from the list. Let’s take a look at them.
Big Names Missed at the Houston Open 2025
Xander Schauffele will be taking time off after the Valspar Championship to recover. The World No.3 is coming back from a long injury layoff and is still rusty. Schauffele has played in three straight weeks without rest. He also played the TGL finals for his team, New York Golf Club, against Atlanta Drive GC.
Another TGL finalist who is not playing at the Houston Open is Justin Thomas. The American golfer very close to his first PGA Tour title in 3 years at the recently concluded Valspar Championship, but ultimately had to be content with the second position after Viktor Hovland, with the latter winning it by a margin of one stroke. The Norwegian golfer will also not be taking part in the competition. Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa are some of the other high-profile names not participating in the event.
With such a promising field ready to tee off on Thursday, who do you have winning the event at the Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course? Do you think a new winner will rise ahead of the likes of Scheffler or McIlroy?
The post 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open: When Will Rory McIlroy & Scottie Scheffler Play at the $9.5M Event? Tee Times & Pairings Explored appeared first on EssentiallySports.