The opening round of the 2025 Texas Children's Houston Open has set the stage for an exciting weekend, with a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Alejandro Tosti, Ryan Gerard, Keith Mitchell, and Taylor Pendrith each shot impressive 5-under 65s at Memorial Park Golf Course on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The day was marked by challenging breezy conditions and intermittent rain, which added a layer of difficulty for the competitors.
As the first round wraps up on Friday morning, more storms are expected, potentially impacting the completion of the round. The purse for this year's Houston Open is a whopping $9.5 million, with $1.71 million going to the winner alongside 500 FedEx Cup points. With such a significant prize on the line, the competition is heating up.
In the midst of the leaderboard chaos, Sam Ryder made his presence felt with a solid 4-under 66 performance. Ryder noted, "Don't feel like I'm trying to figure out where my game is at every week, I'm more about kind of preparing for golf courses and trying to play." He reached as low as 6 under during his round, showcasing his potential for a breakthrough win this season.
Ryder, who has made the cut in all eight PGA Tour events this year, is on the cusp of greatness. Since joining the tour in 2018, he has made 118 cuts in 209 tournaments but is still seeking his first victory. "I've been more of feast or famine," Ryder admitted, reflecting on his journey. "But I like kind of my bad golf is still making cuts and my good golf can still hopefully have a high ceiling."
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, the second-ranked golfer in the world, struggled initially with the conditions, finishing the front nine at 1 over. However, he rallied on the back nine, finishing at 1 under. "Couldn't really find the middle of the club face for the first few holes," McIlroy said, adding that he felt more comfortable as the rain subsided.
Matthew Riedel, a 24-year-old rookie from Stratford High School, also made headlines during the opening round. Competing in his hometown tournament for the first time, Riedel finished with a score of 2 under, thanks to five birdies. "(The course) was playing tough," he said, expressing excitement about his performance.
Trey Mullinax, who battled injuries in 2024, also showed promise during the round, converting birdies on holes 12 through 14 to finish at 4-under 66. Mullinax, who previously set a course record of 62 in the 2018 Valero Texas Open, emphasized the importance of patience in tough conditions. "Being patient and just kind of taking aim at holes that I felt comfortable with," he said.
The second round of the Texas Children's Houston Open is set to commence on Friday, March 28, 2025, with tee times scheduled throughout the day. Notable pairings include Rory McIlroy, who will tee off at 2:03 p.m. alongside Maverick McNealy and Wyndham Clark, and Sam Ryder, who will start his round at 3:42 p.m. with Ryan Gerard and Trevor Cone.
The full slate of tee times is as follows:
- 1st Tee
- 8:31 a.m.: David Lipsky, Vince Whaley, Aldrich Potgieter
- 8:42 a.m.: C.T. Pan, Matti Schmid, Ben Silverman
- 8:53 a.m.: Nate Lashley, Patrick Rodgers, Patrick Fishburn
- 9:04 a.m.: Rafael Campos, Davis Riley, Si Woo Kim
- 9:15 a.m.: Kevin Yu, Davis Thompson, Brandt Snedeker
- 9:26 a.m.: Nick Taylor, Patton Kizzire, Jason Day
- 9:37 a.m.: Aaron Rai, Adam Svensson, Seamus Power
- 9:48 a.m.: Mark Hubbard, Alex Smalley, Chan Kim
- 9:59 a.m.: Hayden Buckley, Antoine Rozner, Steven Fisk
- 10:10 a.m.: Rikuya Hoshino, Thomas Rosenmueller, Carlos Sainz Jr.
- 10:21 a.m.: Matteo Manassero, Anders Albertson, Kyle Westmoreland
- 10:32 a.m.: Hayden Springer, Isaiah Salinda, Wilson Furr
- 10:43 a.m.: Danny Walker, John Pak, Taylor Dickson
- 1:30 p.m.: Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, Ben Kohles
- 1:41 p.m.: Charley Hoffman, Harry Higgs, Greyson Sigg
- 1:52 p.m.: Ryan Palmer, Max Greyserman, Ryo Hisatsune
- 2:03 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Maverick McNealy, Wyndham Clark
- 2:14 p.m.: Nico Echavarria, Jake Knapp, Sahith Theegala
- 2:25 p.m.: Karl Vilips, Harris English, Min Woo Lee
- 2:36 p.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Camilo Villegas, Francesco Molinari
- 2:47 p.m.: Aaron Baddeley, Ryan Fox, Chandler Phillips
- 2:58 p.m.: K.H. Lee, Ben Martin, Sam Ryder
- 3:09 p.m.: Jesper Svensson, Niklas Norgaard, Matthew Riedel
- 3:20 p.m.: Kevin Roy, Ricky Castillo, Mason Andersen
- 3:31 p.m.: Quade Cummins, Cristobal Del Solar, Derek Bard
- 3:42 p.m.: Max McGreevy, Ryan Gerard, Trevor Cone
- 10th Tee
- 8:20 a.m.: Chad Ramey, Lanto Griffin, Victor Perez
- 8:31 a.m.: J.J. Spaun, Keith Mitchell, Padraig Harrington
- 8:42 a.m.: Nicolai Hojgaard, Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Hojgaard
- 8:53 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Sungjae Im
- 9:04 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Stephan Jaeger, Tony Finau
- 9:15 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Matt Wallace, Gary Woodland
- 9:26 a.m.: Joe Highsmith, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Schenk
- 9:37 a.m.: Michael Kim, Sam Stevens, David Skinns
- 9:48 a.m.: Eric Cole, Will Gordon, Rico Hoey
- 9:59 a.m.: Will Chandler, Jackson Suber, Braden Thornberry
- 10:10 a.m.: Kaito Onishi, Tim Widing, Vince Covello
- 10:21 a.m.: Jeremy Paul, Paul Waring, Noah Kent
- 10:32 a.m.: Pierceson Coody, Charles Reiter
- 1:30 p.m.: Joel Dahmen, Taylor Montgomery, Sami Valimaki
- 1:41 p.m.: Doug Ghim, Justin Lower, Bronson Burgoon
- 1:52 p.m.: Trey Mullinax, Danny Willett, Mac Meissner
- 2:03 p.m.: Nick Dunlap, Kurt Kitayama
- 2:14 p.m.: Austin Eckroat, Lee Hodges, Nick Hardy
- 2:25 p.m.: Peter Malnati, Adam Hadwin
- 2:36 p.m.: Luke List, Emiliano Grillo, Zach Johnson
- 2:47 p.m.: Harry Hall, Chris Gotterup, Mackenzie Hughes
- 2:58 p.m.: Jimmy Walker, Beau Hossler, Henrik Norlander
- 3:09 p.m.: Alejandro Tosti, Philip Knowles, Kevin Velo
- 3:20 p.m.: Thorbjorn Olesen, Thriston Lawrence, Paul Peterson
- 3:31 p.m.: Takumi Kanaya, Frankie Capan III, William Mouw
- 3:42 p.m.: Kris Ventura, Michael Thorbjornsen, Noah Goodwin
Fans can catch the action live on Golf Channel throughout the tournament, with NBC taking over for the third and final rounds. Streaming options are available on ESPN+, Peacock, and the NBC Sports app, ensuring that golf enthusiasts won’t miss a moment of this thrilling event.
As the second round approaches, all eyes will be on the leaders and those looking to make a charge up the leaderboard. Will one of the top contenders break away from the pack, or will the competition remain tight? Only time will tell as the Texas Children's Houston Open unfolds.
