BlogValero Texas Open Preview and Picks

Things you need to know about the Valero Texas Open

• The Valero Texas Open is an historic tournament, it’s the 6th oldest professional tournament in golf world-wide, the 3rd oldest on the PGA Tour and the longest held in the same city. In 2012, the tournament celebrated its 90th anniversary. Dating back to 1922, the tournament has been through 16 names to date, but it can always trace its lineage back to San Antonio, Texas. As for host courses of the Valero Texas Open, the event has predominantly been hosted by the Brackenridge Park Golf Course, the Willow Springs Golf Course, Fort Sam Houston Golf Course, Oak Hills Country Club, and and between 1995 and 2009, The Resort at La Cantera.  Five years ago they moved to the new TPC San Antonio, which is part of a two course project.
• Always known as a place where pros can go to score low, the Valero Texas Open has been the site of numerous scoring feats. Al Brosch, in the 1951 Texas Open held at Brackenridge Park, became the first PGA Tour player to post a score of 60. In 1955, just four years later, Mike Souchak, again playing at Brackenridge Park, posted a 72-hole score of 257, which would stand as the PGA Tour record until 2001. In the 2003 Valero Texas Open, Tommy Armour fired a 254 at LaCantera to set the record for lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history. His score to par of 26-under also was a Tour record for Par 70 courses. His score eclipsed Donnie Hammond’s 22-under par, which he shot at the 1989 Valero Texas Open

Course information:

TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks Course

San Antonio, Tx.

• 7,435 yards     Par 36-36–72
• AT&T Oaks features a course rating of 76.5 and a slope rating from the back tees of 148. The tees, fairway, and rough are Bermuda Grass but different strains, Emerald Ultradwarf on the tees, TifSport on the fairways, Champion Ultradwarf on the greens and Bandera in the rough. The course is part of a resort and is open to those that stay at the course and it’s members.
• The average green size at AT&T Oaks is 6,400 square feet, which is a little over the average on the PGA Tour.  has 58 bunkers and water that comes into play on 3 holes.
• In 2013 the TPC San Antonio was the 15th hardest course on the PGA Tour playing to a 72.740 average playing .740 stroke over par.
• There wasn’t anything wrong with LaCantera, the reason for the move is financial because the event now doesn’t have to pay a site fee which has been reported in the $300,000 neighborhood.  The course being used is the AT&T Oaks, which will play at 7,522 yards and a par 72.  It was design by Greg Norman with Sergio Garcia as the player consulted.  The course opened in 2009 and will be the  12th TPC course that will be used on the PGA Tour this year.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Valero Texas Open:

Key stat for the winner:

For the regulars of past Valero Texas Open’s, five years ago was the start of the new era here.  For players like Zach Johnson, who won twice and Justin Leonard, who won three times at LaCantera, it was an unpleasant experience as Leonard has not finished better than T30th in four tries while Johnson only played once in 2010 and missed the cut  In looking at the performance stats from 2010 through 2013 hitting greens seemed to be the key for many in the top-ten.  Also interesting to note that putting isn’t much of a key and driving accuracy played a little bit of a factor.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

• Unimportant stat: With the course being new in 2010, it makes sense with wins from inexperience winners like Brendan Steele and Martin Laird.  But Adam Scott won in 2010 and Ben Curtis in 2012 so the players should know the course already.
• Look for the course to play tough, with thick rough and tight fairways that will play havoc on the players.  Look for the winner to be a medium hitter, someone that can do a bit of scrambling.
• Again, with a new course coming into play nobody has the advantage of knowing the course. so a non-winner has just as much of a chance to win as a winner.
• One trend that is pretty unique at the Texas Open is the fact that 3rd round leaders tend to rule the roast.  Since 1988 the 3rd round leader has won 18 of the 26 tournaments so if you are looking for a neat bet with someone, bet the 3rd round leader to win the tournament.
• Fifteen previous Texas Opens have been decided in playoffs, the last coming in 2009 when Zach Johnson defeated James Driscoll.
• In looking at the long range weather forecast it’s going to be warm with temperatures between 82 and 86, but each day will have chances of rain, with the exception of Sunday which is suppose to have zero chance of rain.