The PGA TOUR is Texas-bound for a two-week stint in the Lone Star State, beginning with this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Stephan Jaeger will defend his maiden PGA TOUR title, but he will have to hold off the top two players in the world – Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

Memorial Park is a municipal course that traces its origins to 1912, recently undergoing a dramatic renovation in 2019 via Tom Doak before welcoming the PGA TOUR back after nearly 60 years.

Here’s everything else you need to know before play begins at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

FIELD NOTES: McIlroy is back in action, fresh off his victory at THE PLAYERS Championship, as he continues to prep for the Masters Tournament, the first major championship of the year. Currently No. 1 in the FedExCup, McIlroy has grabbed two PGA TOUR wins earlier into a season than he ever has before. And he’ll be battling the only man above him in the world rankings… Scheffler returns to Memorial Park after finishing runner-up here last year. It was the only tournament in a five-event span that Scheffler didn’t win a year ago. Scheffler missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that would have put him in a playoff. Scheffler has yet to win this season, but he’s already amassed three top-15s and will be searching for more mojo as he gets ready to defend another title in Augusta… Returning champion Jaeger will look to defend his maiden PGA TOUR title. Jaeger shot 3-under 67 in the final round to clip Scheffler by one shot last year, winning in his 135th career start. Jaeger has played solidly this season, with two top-10s to his name already… Nobody has been more consistent at this event than Tony Finau, who tied the course scoring record with a second-round 62 at Memorial Park last year and finished runner-up. He also won the event in 2022, back when it was hosted in the fall. Finau could use those good vibes as he’s missed the cut in each of his three Full-Field starts this season… Wyndham Clark is slated to make his first start since he withdrew from THE PLAYERS with a neck injury, which also caused him to miss a TGL match. Clark’s currently No. 75 in the FedExCup with just one top-15 thus far… Sahith Theegala is slated for his fourth start in a row as he hopes to elevate his form. Theegala’s T17 at The Genesis Invitational is his only top-30 finish this season… There’s some Australian flair in Houston this week with Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Karl Vilips in the field… Rickie Fowler, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim are among those making the trip as well and hoping to play their way into the Masters. The top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking after this week lock in their spots and nobody in that trio is currently inside the threshold.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: The 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up Noah Kent is making his PGA TOUR debut as a sponsor exemption. Kent, 20, transferred to the University of Florida over the winter. He finished inside the top-15 in each of his four starts this fall. He will compete as an amateur this week… Hayden Springer will make his sixth TOUR start of the season. He’s played well in limited action this year, making the cut in four of five events, including a solo sixth finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. Springer missed the cut at last year’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, his lone start at the event… Kyle Westmoreland will make his first TOUR start of the season. Westmoreland grew up in Lewisville, Texas, and won earlier this season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Westmoreland is No. 7 in the current Korn Ferry Tour Points List, poised to earn his TOUR card by season’s end… Jimmy Walker, Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson and Bronson Burgoon round out the sponsor exemptions.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: The next Signature Event on the schedule is the RBC Heritage… The top five FedExCup point earners in the Puerto Rico Open, Valspar Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open will earn spots in the RBC Heritage via the Aon Swing 5… The top 10 FedExCup points earners through the Masters will earn spots in the RBC Heritage… With his solo third at the Valspar, Jacob Bridgeman moved to No. 8 on the Aon Next 10… Davis Riley, Bud Cauley and Ryo Hisatsune all moved into the Aon Swing 5 via their finishes in Tampa… J.J. Spaun still leads the Aon Next 10, while Karl Vilips leads the way in the Aon Swing 5.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: With his runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship, Justin Thomas moved to No. 9 in the standings, a jump from No. 17… Corey Conners moved up one spot to No. 7 with his T8 finish, swapping places with Hideki Matsuyama… Thomas Detry dropped one spot to No. 10… The standings were otherwise unchanged with Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka and Russell Henley maintaining the top-three spots, in that order.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

COURSE: Memorial Park Golf Course, par 70, 7,475 yards. Located in the heart of Houston, Memorial Park is one of the few municipal golf courses on the PGA TOUR calendar. The course originally began as a 9-hole course with sand greens in 1912. It underwent a dramatic recent renovation in 2019 via Tom Doak before welcoming the PGA TOUR back after nearly 60 years. Holes were both lengthened and shortened and trees and bunkers were removed and re-worked.

72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Tony Finau (2022)

18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Ron Streck (Round 3, 1981 at Woodlands CC), Fred Funk (Round 3, 1992 at TPC Woodlands). Golf Club of Houston record: 63, Johnson Wagner (Round 1, 2008), Adam Scott (Round 1, 2008), Jimmy Walker (Roud 1, 2011), Phil Mickelson (Round 3, 2011), Scott Piercy (Round 1, 2015), Sung Kang (Round 2, 2017)

• Memorial Park Golf Course record: 62, Scottie Scheffler (Round 2, 2021), Tony Finau (Round 2, 2022, Round 2, 2024)

LAST TIME: Jaeger won his first PGA TOUR title in his 135th career start, outlasting world No. 1 Scheffler by one shot. Scheffler missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that would have pushed the tournament to a playoff. Jaeger shot a 3-under 67 in the final round and made nine straight pars to close out the victory.

How to follow (all times ET):

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

PGA TOUR LIVE:

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.