Out of the Rough: Insperity Invitational (2026)

Playing for a fourth consecutive week, the PGA Champions Tour heads to Texas for this week’s Insperity Invitational.

As one of the tour’s longest standing non-major events, the Insperity Invitational was first played in 2004. It was first known as the Administaff Small Business Classic. 

However, the first four editions were played at Augusta Pines Golf Club. It then moved to its current host, The Woodlands Country Club in 2008.

The Tournament Course at The Woodlands Country Club is a former host of the Houston Open on the PGA Tour.

The Field

The PGA Champions Tour’s best are turning out this week for the Insperity Open.

Stewart Cink, the winner of four events on the season including last week’s Regions Tradition, headlines this week’s field.

Zach Johnson is also set to tee it up in Houston.

A few other notable names in this week’s field are Retief Goosen, Steven Alker, David Toms, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Ben Crane.

Cink also comes in as the defending champion, having bested Goosen in a play-off a season ago.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Scott Dunlap (2024,) Alker (2003 & 2022,) Mike Weir (2021,) Scott McCarron (2019,) Bernhard Langer (2018, 2014 and 2008,) John Daly (2017) and Fred Funk (2012.)

The Course

As previously mentioned, The Woodlands Country Club is a former host of the Houston Open on the PGA Tour.

It is a Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin design that was the first of three courses of The Woodlands Country Club in 1978.

The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course plays a par-72 at 7,002 yards.

The course itself snakes through the Village of Grogan’s Mills. It features breath-taking lake views, forced water carries, natural tree lines and pristine Bermuda greens.

It is widely regarded as one of the best courses in the Houston area and in the entirety of Texas, which is saying something. 

As previously mentioned, this course features water, a lot of water.

The course finishes with pond-flanked greens on both holes 17 and 18.

Additionally, the tournament’s most storied hole is the 13th here at The Woodlands Country Club. It is a par-five that features an island green. It is one of the original island greens in golf. 

Natural wooden stadium bleachers frame the 18th green, which is one of the first stadium-build concepts for the PGA Tour.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Friday currently calls for a 50-percent chance of evening thunderstorms. Saturday is also calling for a 55-percent chance of evening thunderstorms. Sunday is calling for a 20-percent chance of precipitation. Temperatures will begin the week at 77-degrees on Friday before jumping to 84-degrees on Saturday and 86-degrees on Sunday. Winds will be the highest on Friday at 11 miles-per-hour. Winds will settle to nine miles-per-hour across the weekend.

Key Stats

• Driving Accuracy Percentage

• Greens in Regulation Percentage

• Scrambling

• Putting Average

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Bounce Back

Betting Card

Alex Cejka (+3300)

This was my first click this week. Cejka is currently third on Tour in par-five average scoring, fifth in GIR%, sixth in bounce back, 12th in driving accuracy percentage, 17th in putting average and 34th in scrambling. He placed fifth last week at the Regions Tradition and 13th at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Cejka placed T35th a season ago and T69th in 2023. He was also fourth here in 2022.

Justin Leonard (+5500)

Leonard has some decent course history over the past three seasons. He placed T11th a season ago, T45th in 2024 and T12th in 2023. He placed 28th last week at the Regions Tradition. He was also 27th at the PGA Senior Championship, 32nd at the Hoag Classic, 24th at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational and second at the Chubb Classic. Leonard is currently fifth on Tour in scrambling, sixth in driving accuracy percentage, 16th in GIR%, 23rd in putting average, 27th in par-five average scoring and 39th in bounce back.

Charlie Wi (+6600)

Over the past four events, Wi has either placed top five or darn near dead last. He placed fifth last week at the Regions Tradition but prior to that placed 59th at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic and 104th at the PGA Senior Championship. He also placed fourth at the Hoag Classic. He is currently fifth on Tour in putting average, 14th in GIR%, 18th in scrambling, 21st in bounce back, 36th in driving accuracy and 45th in par-five average scoring. Wi also placed T10th here in 2024.