Waring Leads, Woodland Battles at Houston Open: Fowler Eyes Masters Invite

HOUSTON, TX – In a stunning turn of events at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Paul Waring, a 41-year-old Englishman, carded a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Thursday at Memorial Park, seizing the first-round lead. The performance was particularly remarkable given Waring’s recent struggles, having missed the cut or withdrawn from 17 of his last 21 worldwide starts.

Waring’s round was a testament to his resilience and a sign that his game is finally rounding into form. He arrived in Houston with a medical extension, still working his way back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of last year, forcing a withdrawal from the Genesis Scottish Open last July. Prior to the injury, his rookie season on the PGA Tour was marked by inconsistency, with 10 missed cuts and a withdrawal across 12 tournaments. His best finish in over a year, a T-27 at the Dubai Invitational earlier in 2026, hinted at a potential turnaround, but few anticipated such a dominant opening round.

“To be fair, I found a little bit of momentum coming forward in the last few weeks,” Waring said. “I know [I] missed cuts at Valspar [Championship] and Cognizant [Classic], but [I] felt like my golf game was in a good spot. … I gave too many shots away in the first few weeks, where this week, a lot tidier, no bogeys and holed a good amount of footage today. I reckon I’ve just been told I holed over 160 feet of putts today, which is massive and gives you a massive advantage.”

Waring’s exceptional putting performance was a key factor in his success. He drained 12-footers for birdie on the 12th and 13th holes, and then showcased his clutch putting with back-to-back crucial makes – an 18-foot par save after finding the water at the 17th, followed by a 40-footer for birdie on the 18th. He continued his stellar play on the back nine, adding birdies from 30 feet at the 5th and 7 feet at the 6th, and a crucial par save at the par-5 eighth after a difficult second shot.

One stroke behind Waring is Gary Woodland, who fired a 64. Woodland’s strong performance comes as he continues to navigate a personal battle with post-traumatic stress disorder following brain surgery in 2023. He openly discussed his struggles at The Players Championship, revealing the emotional and mental toll the operation had taken on him. The PGA Tour has since implemented additional security measures to support Woodland, recognizing his heightened anxiety and hyper-awareness.

“The response has been … huge, and it’s also been big for me given that I got a lot of relief,” Woodland said. “I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day. It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter. I have a battle that I’m fighting, but it’s nice to not do that alone, I can tell you that. We’ll take it one day at a time and continue to get better. But the Tour out here is a family, and they’ve been amazing. The golf world’s been amazing, and I’m very thankful.” Woodland’s round was statistically impressive, ranking second in greens in regulation and placing in the top 10 in both ball striking, and putting.

Further down the leaderboard, Sam Burns, Michael Brennan, and Tom Hoge are tied for third at 5-under, although Marco Penge and Matt Wallace are among those at 4-under. Rickie Fowler finds himself in contention at 3-under, needing a strong finish to climb into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings and secure an invitation to the Masters. Fowler acknowledged the importance of maintaining a simple approach to his game.

“I had a great run last year, kind of second half of the year, and felt like I was in a good spot with my game,” Fowler said. “Was able to get some downtime to work on the body and get my shoulder in a better spot, where I wasn’t having to play through the pain. So, luckily, had played well through the summer. I had confidence knowing we could go out and kind of play some simple golf. Kind of picked up at AmEx and did a good job there of continuing that. A lot of This proves on the mental side, not trying to do too much or anything special, trying to kind of let the rounds come to me and piece things together and kind of plot my way around.”

Waring’s success is particularly noteworthy considering his history on the DP World Tour, where he competed from 2008-2024, culminating in a win at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He believes his current form is reminiscent of that successful period. “It’s not a million miles away,” Waring stated. “That week [in Abu Dhabi in 2024], I felt like I was exceptional with the wedges, which was the reason I managed to score so low. I was aggressive off the tee that week, gave myself all the chances. This golf course is quite nice for me. … I would say it’s wide off the tee, it’s quite forgiving off the tee, so it gives me a chance to move the body at speed and without any fear. So I could swing freely, I could and get myself into those wedge positions, especially on the par 5s.”

The Houston Open promises to be a compelling tournament, with Waring looking to build on his impressive start, Woodland continuing his inspiring comeback, and several other contenders vying for position. The coming rounds will reveal whether Waring can maintain his momentum and secure his first PGA Tour victory, or if another player will rise to the challenge at Memorial Park.