The Masters is just over a week away on the PGA TOUR, but before the top players in the world head to Augusta National, there’s one more tournament on the schedule–the Valero Texas Open. The Valero has been the warmup for the Masters since 2019 (with the exception of 2020), and the TPC San Antonio has been the home of the event since 2010. The full field event runs from Thursday, April 2, through Easter Sunday, April 5, barring any weather delays.
Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history and course for the Valero Texas Open.
The Format of the Valero Texas Open
The field of 132 golfers lined up for this week’s event in San Antonio will play all four rounds at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course (more below). The event uses the typical cut rules: reducing the field to the top 65 and ties after Round 2.
The purse for this week is $9.8 million in total. The winner this week will earn $1.764 million and 500 FedExCup points. Another key storyline to watch this week is that the winner also gets an automatic entry into the Masters, if not already qualified. For players looking to compete at Augusta, it’s the last way to get into the field before the big week next week.
The history of the tournament
The Valero Texas Open is one of the oldest events on the PGA TOUR, dating all the way back to 1922, when it was the “Texas Open.” It is the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR and the oldest to be played in the same city. Valero has been the title sponsor since 2002 after Westin, LaCantera and H.E.B were title sponsors in the previous 20 years.
The tournament has taken place in the San Antonio area on a variety of courses, including the Pecan Valley Club and Brackenridge Park Golf Course. It came to TPC San Antonio in 2010 and has stayed at this venue for the last 16 years.
In 2020, it was canceled due to the pandemic, but it returned in 2021 and has stuck in this spot just before the Masters since then.
Last year, Brian Harman defeated Ryan Gerard by three strokes after the wind made the course extremely difficult. His winning score of -9 was not nearly as low as Akshay Bhatia’s winning score of -20 the year before in 2024, when he beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff. In the years since it moved to the spring, the other winners at TPC San Antonio have been J.J. Spaun, Jordan Spieth and Corey Conners twice.
The field this week is a little stronger than last week in Houston as several big names use this event as a tune-up for the Masters. Many players are also hoping to “win and get in” for The Masters next week as well.
Check out the full field and opening odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
A Closer Look at the Course
TPC San Antonio Oaks Course was set up to help players get ready for Augusta National, and the Greg Norman design has become very popular. The fairways are framed by dense brush and mature oak trees, creating a positional golf course. The elevated greens with tricky pin positions and the constant threat of gusty winds make it one of the tougher tests in the regular rotation, playing at an average of +0.26 strokes per round over par.
The formula for success at TPC San Antonio has been fairly simple over the last few years. It’s primarily an accuracy course, as staying in the narrow fairways is important to avoid major tree trouble. Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee are almost as important as Strokes Gained: Approach. Accuracy is needed in all areas of the game and scrambling from out of position is extremely difficult.
Usually it’s steadier shotmakers that have success here, but Jordan Spieth won a few years ago with a wild non-traditional path around the course. With only three water hazards and relatively non-penal rough, it doesn’t appear overly difficult, but TPC San Antonio consistently plays as a stern test due to its firm conditions, frequent winds and demand for accuracy.
Statistically, Strokes Gained: Approach, Bogey Avoidance, Strokes Gained: Par 5 and Driving Accuracy are the top things to look for as you make your picks.
Stay tuned to DK Network all week as we run down our top picks and best bets for this week’s event!
