Out of the Rough: Valero Texas Open (2026)

With the Masters Tournament taking place next week, the PGA Tour will make one final stop prior for this week’s Valero Texas Open.

This week serves as the final chance for anyone not yet qualified for the Masters Tournament to make a statement and find themselves in one of the most coveted fields in the sport.

Played annually at the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, the event not only offers the chance for a victor to qualify for The Masters, but as the final tuneup to for the first Major of the season.

Due to this, we’ll see a rather star-studded lineup despite taking place a week prior to the biggest week in golf.

Valero Energy Corporation took over naming rights in 2002 and has been the title sponsor since.

This tournament as a whole has been ongoing for 102 years, dating back to 1922. 

The Field

As the final chance of a tune-up for the Masters Tournament, a star studded field is inline for this week.

World No. 4 Tommy Fleetwood headlines this field as the highest ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He’ll be joined by Collin Morikawa (No. 8,) Russell Henley (No. 9,) Robert MacIntyre (No. 11,) Sepp Straka (No. 12,) J.J. Spaun (No. 13,) Hideki Matsuyama (No. 14,) Ludvig Aberg (No. 18) and Alex Noren (No. 19) as those within the top 20 of the OWGR playing this week. 

Despite shooting a final round of three over, Brian Harman comes in as the defending champion, having held off Ryan Gerard by three strokes. He’ll be back this week to defend his title.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Spaun (2022,) Jordan Spieth (2021,) Charley Hoffman (2016) and Jimmy Walker (2015.)

The Course

The Valero Texas Open is hosted by The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio and has been for the past 14 years. It was previously held at the La Cantera Golf Club up until 2010.

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio plays at 7,428 yards and a standard par-72. It features the standard breakdown of ten par-fours, four par-fives and four par-threes.

The course is one designed by Greg Norman who also brought in Sergio Garcia as a consulting role. Garcia’s involvement was presumably to try and attract the game’s best in lieu of skipping in favor of The Masters. Ironically, Garcia only played the event once before leaving for the LIV Tour. 

The course is a “second shot” course as it rewards top-tier iron players in trending tee-to-green form. In all, it is essentially a run-of-the-mill PGA Tour track that lacks unique identity or defining characteristics.

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio ranks in the top ten of longest courses on Tour each year and features some of the least penal rough both around the fairways and greens. 

However, finding the fairway is important as the fairways are heavily tree lined. The bunkers, both around the green and fairway, do offer a bit of deterrence as they are deep and oddly shaped.

Greg Norman was most notably one of the best drivers in the history of professional golf and therefore his course designs reflect that. This week’s course will be driver-heavy but rather difficult off-the-tee to reflect that; as are his other designs. Of all courses with at least five tournaments since 2015, TPC San Antonio ranks 12th-toughest on Tour off-the-tee.

Finding the greens-in-regulation too will be a challenge as The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio too offers the seventh-lowest Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%) on Tour. 

Designed as a “second shot” course, the approach shots are tricky. Of all courses with at least five events since 2015, The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio ranks as the seventh-toughest for approach shots.

The Bermuda greens don’t offer much of a challenge within 15-feet as TPC San Antonio provides about average difficulty in comparison to the rest of the Tour. However, it is one of the most difficult courses in putts beyond 15-feet. Of courses that have seen at least five events since 2015, this course ranks sixth-toughest in putts over 15 feet. Strong Bermuda putters will see an advantage here.

The weather, most notably winds, play the biggest defense to TPC San Antonio along with the firm and fast conditions. As previously mentioned about the difficulty of both driving and approach shots, the wind has a lot to do with that.

Weather has been a determining factor for scoring at The Oaks Course over the years. In 2019 we saw soft and receptive conditions from heavy rainfall as other years, such as last year, saw heavy winds.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday currently calls for a 25-percent chance of precipitation. Friday and Saturday are calling for a 35-percent chance and Sunday a 55-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms. Temperatures will begin the week at 87-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 90-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will return to 88-degrees on Saturday and fall to 75-degrees for Sunday. Winds will begin the week at 14 miles-per-hour on Thursday before peaking at 16 miles-per-hour on Friday. From there, the winds will settle to 13 miles-per-hour on Saturday and end the week at 15 miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Bogey Avoidance

• Par Five Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)

• Good Drives Percentage

Betting Card

Maverick McNealy (+3125)

In full transparency, I used a boost to get this number on McNealy. I struggled with the board this week with the construction of it is very odd. I landed on McNealy, who I had circled going in but the odds weren’t exactly where I wanted them. Luckily I had a boost to help with that. McNealy is currently sixth on Tour in par-five average scoring, 23rd in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 27th in birdie-or-better percentage, 33rd in SG: OTT, 37th in SG: ATG, 47th in sand saves percentage, 49th in bogey avoidance, 51st in good drivers percentage and 57th in SG: APP. In other terms, he’s above average in each of the nine statistical categories I took into consideration this week. We last saw McNealy at THE PLAYERS Championship where he placed 32nd. Prior to that he placed 13th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, missed the cut at The Genesis Invitational, placed 29th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, 13th at the WM Phoenix Open, tenth at the Farmers Insurance Open and 24th at the Sony Open in Hawaii on the season. He also placed third at this event a season ago, 58th in 2024 and 35th in 2022. 

Alex Noren (+4000)

Noren did not play in this event a season ago but he did place 14th here in 2024 and 15th in 2023. He is currently ninth on Tour in SG: ATG, 24th in sand saves percentage, 33rd in birdie-or-better percentage, 42nd in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 55th in good drives percentage, 58th in par-five average scoring, 70th in SG: APP, 78th in bogey avoidance and 119th in SG: OTT. Noren last played THE PLAYERS Championship where he finished 32nd. Prior to that he placed 24th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, 12th at The Genesis Invitational and 29th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Ryo Hisatsune (+4700)

Hisatsune hasn’t missed a cut since the first week of the season. He last played the Valspar Championship where he placed 30th. Prior to that he placed 13th at THE PLAYERS Championship, 33rd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, 45th at The Genesis Invitational, eighth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, tenth at the WM Phoenix Open, second at the Farmers Insurance Open and 44th at The American Express. He placed fifth here a season ago and 78th in 2024. He is currently eighth in good drives percentage, 15th in SG: OTT, 25th in birdie-or-better percentage, 30th in all of SG: APP, par-five average scoring and SG: ATG, 41st in sand saves percentage, 49th in bogey avoidance and 94th in SG: PUTT Bermuda. 

Max McGreevy (+9400)

McGreevy has not been good at this event or course. He has missed the cut each of the three times he’s played (2025, 2023 and 2022.) However, he is currently ninth on Tour in par-five average scoring, tenth in good drives percentage, 33rd in SG: APP, 38th in SG: OTT, 65th in birdie-or-better percentage, 85th in bogey avoidance, 86th in SG: ATG, 117th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 121st in sand saves percentage. He placed 19th last week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. McGreevy hasn’t been spectacular this season but he also has multiple top-30 finishes including a 29th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, 30th at the Farmers Insurance Open and 27th at The American Express. 

Mac Meissner (+10000)

Meissner is currently 43rd on Tour in bogey avoidance, 50th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 51st in SG: APP, 52nd in par-five average scoring, 69th in good drives percentage, 70th in SG: ATG, 76th in SG: OTT, 110th in birdie-or-better percentage and 128th in sand saves percentage. Meissner started the season out well, placing 40th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, 63rd at The American Express, 49th at the Farmers Insurance Open and 18th at the WM Phoenix Open. He then missed the cut in three straight events (Cognizant Classic, THE PLAYERS Championship and Valspar Championship.) He rebounded last week with a 28th place finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Meissner placed 52nd at this event a season ago.

2025 Betting Card

• Patrick Cantlay (+1800) - T33rd

• Tom Kim (+4500) - MC

• Ben Griffin (+6500) - T40th

• Lee Hodges (+8000) - MC

• Victor Perez (+11000) - MC

• Steven Fisk (+30000) - T33rd

2024 Betting Card

• Hideki Matsuyama (+2200) - T7th

• Byeong Hun An (+3300) - MC

• Billy Horschel (+4500) - MC

• Aaron Rai (+7000) - T58th

• Ryo Hisatsune (+12000) - T78th

• Max Greyserman (+22000) - MC

2023 Betting Card

• Tyrrell Hatton (+1300) - MC

• Si Woo Kim (+2100) - T39th

• Chris Kirk (+3100) - T10th

• Thomas Detry (+4400) - T64th

• Brendon Todd (+4800) - T53rd

• Ben Taylor (+16000) - MC