Before we head to Augusta National for the Masters next week, the PGA TOUR will be hosting its second consecutive event in Texas with the Valero Texas Open. Outside of 2020, when this tournament was canceled due to the pandemic, TPC San Antonio (par 72, 7,438 yards, POA greens) has hosted every Valero since 2010. At last year’s edition of this event, Corey Conners won his second Valero Texas Open at -15. This week presents a full field of 156 golfers and there will be a standard top-65 and ties cut following the first two rounds.
Designed by Greg Norman, TPC San Antonio is a long, flat course that features narrow fairways, 64 bunkers and difficult-to-stick greens. Like most venues, being in excellent form with your irons is essential at TPC San Antonio. Conners led his field in SG APP during his Valero victory last season and notably, three of the past five winners of this event have led their fields in the metric. While both short and long hitters can succeed at TPC San Antonio, being an efficient driver of the golf ball is a clear advantage at this track, with three of the past five victors at TPC San Antonio finishing the tournament top-12 in both SG OTT and fairways found. As expected with this venue being a classic par 72 that features four par fives, being a great par five scorer is a must at TPC San Antonio. Three straight winners at this course have finished the week top-five in par five efficiency, with two of these players notably leading their field in the stat.
Below, I break down four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Valero Texas Open, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st]
Maverick McNealy ($7,400) – McNealy is in the midst of a strong campaign this season, making 8-of-9 cuts with three top-25 finishes, all of which have come over the last two months. Most notably, the Stanford graduate posted a T9 finish at THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks ago, which is McNealy’s best career finish at TPC Sawgrass in four starts at the challenging track. The 28-year-old has moved up 86 spots in the world golf rankings this season and one of the main reasons for his success has been his driver.
McNealy ranks a career-best 26th in SG OTT this season and he has gained strokes with his driver at five straight tournaments. Combine this with McNealy’s always stellar work with his flat stick – he ranks 24th in SGP this season – and he is poised for a high finish at TPC San Antonio this weekend. McNealy has made eight of his last 10 cuts in Texas, with all eight of those finishes being results of T35 or better, including a T35 in his lone start at the Valero two years ago.
Erik Van Rooyen ($7,400) – Van Rooyen is one of the best values on the board at this affordable price tag. The South African has displayed awesome upside this season, with six top-25 finishes in only nine starts, including a T8 at the Mexico Open and a runner-up finish at the Cognizant Classic in back-to-back starts last month. When we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds, Van Rooyen ranks second in par five efficiency and 19th in SG OTT, making him a terrific fit for TPC San Antonio.
Van Rooyen finished T16th at this course in his Valero debut three years ago and should bounce back with a high finish this weekend after he missed the cut at THE PLAYERS in his most recent start. The last two times Van Rooyen has failed to make a cut, he has rebounded with a top-30 finish in his next start.
Lucas Glover ($7,300) – Glover is a steal at this cheap salary. The veteran is coming off a T11 at the Valspar and he has only missed two cuts in his last 14 starts. Glover has also been very consistent at TPC San Antonio, making 5-of-6 cuts at the Texas track. The former major champion has carded a top-20 finish at three of the past four editions of the Valero and absolutely is a threat for another top-20 considering his form as a ball striker.
When we compare this field’s last 50 rounds, no player has gained more strokes on APP than Glover.
Grayson Murray ($5,500) – After missing back-to-back cuts, Murray has regained his form, finishing T25th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T42nd at THE PLAYERS in his last two starts. During both these finishes, Murray collectively gained strokes from T2G, OTT and APP. Furthermore, in his final round at THE PLAYERS, Murray flourished with an 8-under 64 at TPC Sawgrass, which tied for the lowest score of the tournament. Considering how difficult of a course TPC Sawgrass is and that THE PLAYERS hosts a major-like field to compete for the largest purse of the season, Murray’s closing-round 64 was an extremely impressive accomplishment.
The 30-year-old will now look to build off this incredible round at TPC San Antonio, where he finished T16th in his only attempt at the track in 2018. While Murray has missed three cuts in seven starts this season, we can’t forget that he kicked off this season with his first-ever PGA TOUR victory at the Sony Open. Plus, the veteran’s driver has been superb, with him ranking third in total driving for the season. Despite being the 54th-ranked golfer in the world, Murray is only the 104th most expensive option on DraftKings this week. The veteran is clearly underpriced for his talent and needs to be attacked at this near-minimum salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
