The panel is yet again BACK on the board thanks to Pat Mayo and Steve Hennessey’s selection of Min Woo Lee last week at the Houston Open. Community wins do exist and they can be a beautiful thing.

Now, we see if we can go 2-for-2 on the Texas Swing before we head to even greener pastures at Augusta National. No Scottie or Rory this week but the field is quite strong, as guys like Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth all get one final tuneup start before the Masters.

The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of a tour coach reporting anonymously from the grounds of TPC San Antonio, Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. Stewart, our newest member of the panel, is our new betting content partner as well.

Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2025 Valero Texas Open:

Anonymous Swing Coach of the week: Jordan Spieth (28-1, Bet365) — Spieth’s been putting the pieces back together, and it’ll mean a lot for him to get into contention again at a course where he has a victory and other good finishes. It’s a great spot for him as he looks to bring some momentum into Augusta (where I like him, too).

Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: Keegan Bradley (31-1, Bet365) — The Ryder Cup captain enters with solid form, especially in the ball-striking department, and he has temporarily fixed his putter since the West Coast swing. He posted a top 10 here a year ago, along with a T-2 at Colonial last season, so his Texas form is on point, too.

Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor: Patrick Cantlay (18-1, FanDuel) — Cantlay is the only golfer in the field to rank top 25 or better in all four strokes-gained categories over his last 50 rounds (per datagolf), and TPC San Antonio largely asks golfers to do everything well – except maybe drive it at an elite level.

Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Keegan Bradley (31-1, Bet365) — The Ryder Cup Captain continues to play unbelievable golf. Keegan Bradley’s recent success stems from great approach play (ranked sixth in the field), scrambling and sand play (11th), wedge scoring, and par 4 strokes-gained (12th). Bradley has two top 10s in his career on the Oaks Course and has five top 20s in seven starts this season.

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest dep. managing editor: Keegan Bradley (31-1, Bet365) — Keegan’s ball-striking has been scorching hot, gaining 15 strokes on approach over his past three events, and he’s gained strokes off the tee in every event since the Tour Championship. He’ll be as motivated as anybody to lift the trophy this week in his pursuit of earning a spot on his own Ryder Cup team. He was T-8 in his last appearance at TPC San Antonio (2022), proving this course fits his eye.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Daniel Berger (35-1, FanDuel) — All the “comeback story” attention, rightfully, has shifted to Gary Woodland and Bud Cauley over the last few weeks. But the man who has played the best comeback golf for the longest is Berger, who has been on an incredibly strong stretch that dates back to October, when he finished seventh at the Sanderson. He’s since made all but one cut in 13 starts with eight top 25 along the way, including in his last five straight starts. As great as it would be to see a Woodland or Cauley win, it’s Berger who has been trending for longer and he doesn’t have the pressure of winning his way into the Masters field, as he’s already in next week.

Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Patrick Cantlay (18-1, DraftKings): Patrick Cantlay is quietly playing some much stronger golf than his results would suggest, and he is coming off a 12th-place finish where he gained four strokes off the tee and 2.4 strokes on approach. Cantlay has now gained over two strokes on approach in four straight starts, and his driver and putter are similarly trending in the right direction. While this will be his first appearance at TPC San Antonio, strong results at comp courses such as TPC Scottsdale and TPC Summerlin lead me to believe that Cantlay will be more than comfortable at the Oaks Course.

Past results: We have another winner! Pat Mayo cashes his first outright of the season with Min Woo Lee at 35-1. Steve Hennessey was also on Min Woo for his second victory this year (Hennessey and Keith Stewart picked Ludvig Aberg at the Genesis). Before that, our anonymous swing coach picked Rory McIlroy at 12-1 to win the Players Championship and Christopher Powers hit on Russell Henley to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 44-1. The panel now has four wins this year as a group and six individually. Not bad, not bad.

Tour coach: Ben Griffin (61-1, Bet365) — The knock on Griffin before this year was that he falters down the stretch trying to close a win. While he hasn’t gotten that victory yet, he’s playing better under pressure. Last week was the ultimate pressure, feeling he needed a strong Sunday to qualify for the Masters, he shot a bogey-free 65. It wasn’t enough, but it showed his increased moxie. That bodes well for a win soon, at that these odds, it’s worth a bet that his W comes this week.

Mayo: Tom Hoge (100-1, FanDuel) — Hoge’s price just seems wrong. Take a look at some of the names in front of him on the odds board, and ask yourself if they have the upside of Tom Hoge. They don’t. Fresh off almost storming the castle at the Players (gaining 9.9 strokes on approach), an event where he’s gained 3.5 SG/approach in three of his last five starts, he’s a worthy gamble. Of course, he can chip and putt his way out of any tournament, that’s his thing, but that describes the 20 players directly ahead of him in odds. And they probably don’t have a decent chance to lap the field in approach. Think of him as a homeless Corey Conners.

Gdula: Harry Hall (60-1, FanDuel) — Hall’s short game should allow him to scramble well, which has been a crucial stat in past years at TPC San Antonio. He’s also a good enough driver. His ceiling is tied to how well the irons are clicking. That’s a bit of a question right now, yet the longer-term data is good enough for him to find success here.

Stewart: Bud Cauley (55-1, FanDuel) — I know Gary Woodland caught everyone’s attention last week in Houston, but Bud Cauley has a great comeback story as well. Cauley took a couple years off to rehab after a terrible car crash. With back-to-back top 10s at the Players and Valspar, Bud is back. Cauley can conquer the par 4s, has been great with his birdie-or-better percentage and can scramble (ranked fourth in the field). This is a test much like Valspar, and Cauley has already proven he can play The Oaks with two career top-18 results.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Alex Smalley (86-1, Bet365) — The former Duke product is coming off two MCs, so the industry will be off him. But I love his ball-striking for TPC San Antonio, as he ranks eighth in my model (using data from the beginning of 2025) even with two poor weeks in a row. We’re getting a great discount on these odds … and hey, it’s positive vibes for all Dukeys right now.

Powers, Golf Digest: Lee Hodges (75-1, FanDuel) — Hodges was starting to percolate before an injury sidelined him for over a month between the Waste Management and the Valspar Championship. He returned last week in Houston and promptly finished 11th, gaining nearly five strokes tee-to-green, a very good sign for his prospects at Valero where he already has a sixth-place finish in his career.

Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Bud Cauley (55-1, DraftKings): I will continue to ride Bud Cauley until the wheels fall off. My numbers identified prior to the Players Championship that Cauley was playing a lot better golf than his results would suggest, and he rewarded with back-to-back top-six finishes on the strength of a well rounded game, but particularly some elite approach play. Cauley’s iron play will be rewarded once again at TPC San Antonio, and I am expecting another high finish. 

Swing coach: Tony Finau (33-1, BetMGM) — It’s been a disappointing 2025 up to Finau’s standards. He’s gone through a coaching change and hasn’t put it all together yet. This golf course requires your ball-striking to be stellar for four rounds, and we haven’t seen that from Finau.

Mayo: Tommy Fleetwood (14-1, BetMGM) — Fleetwood is going to get me one day. But I’m 127/127 fading him so far.

Gdula: Jordan Spieth (22-1, FanDuel) — It’s never fun fading Spieth, but his game is all-or-nothing right now. He’s had success at TPC San Antonio in the past, yet the iron play is just too erratic for 22-1.

Stewart: Jordan Spieth (22-1, FanDuel) — Jordan Spieth is falling back into a familiar pattern. Spieth soars for one or two rounds up the leaderboard. He captivates our attention in that moment across social media, but by Sunday he’s T-30. Since returning from wrist surgery, Spieth has lost strokes on approach in four of his six starts. Compound his roller coaster rounds with a trip to Augusta awaiting next week, I’ll pass and pay more attention to Jordan when I get to The Masters.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Tommy Fleetwood (14-1, BetMGM) — Fleetwood is doing so many great things across the stat categories, but is lacking a main one: wins.

Powers, Golf Digest: Corey Conners (16-1, FanDuel) — Conners will be a phenomenal bet next week at much more palatable odds. Not this week at 16-1, no matter how good his history is here.

Lack: Denny McCarthy (28-1, DraftKings): I understand the course history and Denny McCarthy’s upside with the flat-stick, but 28/1 is a hefty price to pay in a respectable field for a player who is still searching for his first career PGA Tour victory. I have largely chosen to watch from the sidelines as it pertains to Denny McCarthy in the outright market over the last few years, and I certainly won’t be hopping on now at this price tag.

Swing coach: Harry Hall (-111) over Matt Fitzpatrick (Bet365) — I really like Harry in this matchup. Fitzpatrick has been struggling all season and just changed from his longtime caddie Billy Foster after the Players Championship. Harry has put in some nice sessions with Butch Harmon and continues to play consistent golf.

Mayo: Daniel Berger (+100) over Jordan Spieth (Coolbet) — The numbers may be better than his actual results, but Berger’s consistency has been fantastic since Phoenix, posting five consecutive top 25s. His short game and GIRs have been immaculate, he just needs to get his driver and irons clicking at the same time and he can vault back into the winner’s circle for the first time since winning in Texas in 2021. All that should be good enough to trump a Spieth spike week which happens once every six weeks.

Gdula: Sam Burns (-110) over Keith Mitchell (FanDuel) — Sam Burns has been around 0.75 strokes per round better than Mitchell over each golfer’s last 50 rounds and around 0.60 shots per round better over the last 12 months.

Stewart: J.T. Poston (+100) over Sam Burns (Bet365) — Sam Burns is ranked 137th in this field for approach play. The generally steady Burns has lost strokes with his iron game in nine of his last 10 starts going all the way back to the Presidents Cup. J.T. Poston keeps improving with his irons. An impeccable wedge player, Poston has also started to roll the rock. The combination of JT’s better ball-striking and a hot putter close this matchup after round two.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Bud Cauley (-110) over J.T. Poston (BetMGM) — Cauley’s off a hot Florida swing, but he’s been consistent over a longer period of time—ranking in the top 20 of my model this week. Poston turned it around last week, but the longer-term data isn’t as good, showing an edge here with Cauley.

Powers, Golf Digest: Tommy Fleetwood (+115) over Ludvig Aberg (Bet365) — Aberg has now struggled tee-to-green in two consecutive starts, while Fleetwood has been uber-consistent in that department all season. The best part about this bet is you don’t need Tommy Lad to actually win the tournament.

Lack: Tommy Fleetwood (-140) over Denny McCarthy (FanDuel): While I remain dubious in Tommy Fleetwood’s ability to be the last man standing on Sunday, I continue to believe he possesses the highest floor in this field. The Englishman has finished top-25 in all six of his appearances in 2025, and he is coming off a seventh place finish at this event last year, where he gained significantly in both ball-striking categories.

Matchup Results from the Houston Open: Powers: 1 for 1 (Knapp (+100) over Kitayama); Swing coach: 1 for 1 (S.J. Im (-139) over Bridgeman); Lack: PUSH (Thompson (-120) over Day); Hennessey: 0 for 1; Gdula: 0 for 1; Stewart: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1

Matchup Results from this season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Powers: 9-4-0 (up 4.97 units); Hennessey: 8-4-1 (up 3.48 units); Swing coach: 6-2-2 (up 3.29 units); Lack: 6-6-1 (down 0.79 units); Gdula: 5-7-1 (down 2.69 units); Stewart: 5-8-0 (down 3.02 units); Mayo: 4-9-0 (down 4.99 units)

Swing coach: Lee Hodges (+600, FanDuel) — The University of Alabama product had a great week in his return from an injury, finishing T-11 in Houston with a final-round 65. This course should be another good fit for his game, and I think there’s strong value with these 6-to-1 odds.

Mayo: Bud Cauley (+500, BetRivers) — I hate his number, but I really don’t care. Cauley’s been amazing his last two starts, and TPC San Antonio is perfectly set up for this heater he’s on. The tight draw he’s hitting off the tee will give a massive advantage to attacks these pins, which he’s been so good at doing lately. Cauley ranks third in the field in Opportunities gained over the last 12 rounds. He’s the only player in the top 30 of that stat to rank top 10 in putting from inside 15 feet, too. And for the harder holes where his irons can get a bit dicey, he possesses one of the best short games in the world right now (11th SG/around-the-green; fourth in sand saves).

Gdula: Denny McCarthy (+300, FanDuel) — McCarthy is currently playing at his 50-round moving-average peak in SG/approach, per datagolf, across his entire career. He’s one of the best short gamers in the world, and that’s a big part of playing well at TPC San Antonio.

Stewart: Hideki Matsuyama (+250, Caesars Sportsbook) — We haven’t seen Hideki Matsuyama since his mysterious missed cut at the Players. A couple weeks off, and you know he’s ready for another trip to Amen Corner. Not before a stop in San Antonio, where Matsuyama has finished 15th and seventh the last two years. Hideki has success on the Oaks Course because of his wedge acumen. He can score from close range on approach and save strokes scrambling from the sand. On a course where aggressive play is rewarded, I’ll take the 10 places on the former Masters Champion.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Chris Kirk (+700, FanDuel) — TPC San Antonio suits Kirk’s eye with four top-10 finishes over his career. His wedge play is still world class, so if we think some familiar confines will help him find his off-the-tee game, there’s a strong path to the top of the leader board.

Powers, Golf Digest: Jake Knapp (+700, BetRivers) — After a woeful week at Valspar, Knapp bounced back in a big way in Houston. Sure, T-27 doesn’t seem all that special, but he had put together three very solid rounds before a quiet Sunday 71. His off-the-tee play looked more like his normal self in rounds two and three and he was a plus approach player in rounds one and three. If he can put it all together four days this week, he’s very live at 70-1.

Lack: Si Woo Kim (+360, DraftKings): Si Woo Kim remains one of the quietly most consistent players on the PGA Tour, and TPC San Antonio is a near perfect fit for his game. The former Players Champion is an excellent overall approach player, a great par five scorer, possesses one of the most underrated short games on Tour. It should not come as a surprise that he has already recorded four top-25 finishes in seven appearances at the Greg Norman design.

Top-10 results from the Houston Open: Gdula: 1 for 1 (Taylor Pendrith +400); Everybody else: 0 for 1

Top-10 results from this season: Swing coach: 4 for 10 (up 14.8 units); Gdula: 6 for 13 (up 13 units); Lack: 5 for 13 (up 8 units); Mayo: 2 for 13 (up 3.33 units); Stewart: 4 for 13 (down 0.15 units); Hennessey: 1 for 13 (down 8.4 units); Powers: 0 for 13 (down 13 units)

Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.

Brandon Gdula, managing editor and analyst for numberFire, a FanDuel daily-fantasy analysis company, recently won the 2018 FSWA Golf Writer of the Year. Gdula also co-hosts the DFS Heat Check podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @gdula13.

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor for Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports