A star-studded field of 156 players will take on the par-72, 7,435 yard TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks course that has ranked inside the top-10 most difficult courses on Tour five times since moving here in 2010. Characterized by very steep and penalizing bunkers, complex greens, and narrow, tree-lined fairways, the Oaks course is one of the toughest tests players will face all season.
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Inside the Field
Nine of the top 30 players in the FedExCup Playoffs will tee it up at Valero, led by No. 1 Matt Kuchar and defending champion Andrew Landry. Valero is being contested the week before The Masters for the first time since 2013, and 17 players slated to compete this week are also in the Masters field, including Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Toni Finau.
Fowler makes his first ever career start in the Valero, and has picked up a win and T2 so far this season. Spieth makes his 5th start in San Antonio after a runner-up best finish in 2015. And Finau returns for the first time since 2017, when he recorded his his best start, a T3 finish.
Graeme McDowell is also in the field in the strength of last week's win at the Corales Puntacana Club Championship. And Lucas Bjerregaard comes into Texas after an impressive victory over Tiger Woods at the WGC Dell Match Play, and needs just 31 FedExCup Playoff points to earn Special Temporary Membership on Tour.
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Impact on Golf History
The Valero Texas Open is one of the premier events on Tour, but its long and illustrious history also laid the groundwork for today's PGA Tour. It helped create a year-round schedule by serving as a model for other startup tournaments, and made the sport (as played by professionals) accessible to the masses by providing notable and substantial financial opportunities.
The first Texas Open offered a $5,000 purse, including $1,500 to the winner (three times what the U.S. Open winner was paid in 1922). San Antonio News editor Jack O'Brien asked his friends to pool their money for the tournament in hopes of attracting the sport’s best players, and is credited with starting the event. O'Brien reportedly passed around a hat on the 18th green to gather even more prize money.
Houston golf historian Frances G. Trimble probably summed it up best when he said, "The Texas Open did for golf what the railroad did for the cattle business."
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A Different Kind of TPC Course
TPC San Antonio's Oaks course was designed with the intent to host a Tour event, but it's markedly different than other TPC courses. You won't see any spectator mounding or severe terrains. Oaks has a more natural look and traditional design with native grass and plants prevalent throughout the course.
Gently rolling terrain features less than 100 feet of difference between the high and low points on the course. Narrow corridors carved through oak trees are balanced with wider fairways offering multiple strategic options to the green. Bunkering also reflects the natural, minimalist approach with edges emulating the canopy of native oak trees.
However, that’s not to suggest Oaks is an easy track. It's climactic through and through, particularly on the closing three holes. The 183 yard, par-3, signature 16th hole features a notorious Riviera-like bunker in the middle of the green and requires players to find the right quadrant if they’re going to score. The drivable 347-yard, par-4 17th hole will deliver fits of joy and sorrow all week. While the 591-yard, par-5 18th hole offers tremendous risk-reward opportunity, and when the pin is on the right side, water will eat golf balls for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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Highlight Moments
Tiger Woods made his only appearance at the Texas Open in 1996 as a rookie, and was given his official PGA Tour card outside the scoring trailer adjacent to the 9th green. Adam Scott set the Oaks course scoring record by prevailing on a 36-hole Sunday to win his seventh Tour event and card a 274.
Kevin Na infamously recorded a 16 at the 474-yard, par-4 9th hole after struggling to chop himself free himself from rocks and underbrush. The next year Na returned with a chainsaw to show there were no hard feelings.
One of the Texas Open’s most memorable moments occurred in 1940, when Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson went toe-to-toe for four grueling rounds. Both legends posted scores of 281 before Nelson won an 18-hole playoff by one stroke.
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Keys to Victory
Three of Oak's par-5s measure 591 yards or longer, which means these won’t be easy pickings. In fact, this trio of holes rank inside the top-20 toughest par-5s on Tour. Missing fairways is potentially devastating. Trees and rocks capable of creating unplayable lies are lurking around every corner.
Surviving the par-5s will be just as important as scoring on them. The four par-3s range in distance from 183 yards to 241 yards, putting a premium on distance control. The Bermuda greens are generously sized and relatively quick (running at about 11 on the Stimpmeter), but some are devilishly sloped. Winds can wreak havoc on these holes and produce proximity to hole numbers more characteristic of a weekend golfer than a Tour pro.
Downhill holes play into prevailing winds, uphill holes play downwind, and cavernous bunkers strategically placed throughout the course along with water hazards on seven holes add to the ball-striking challenge.
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