The final event before the first major tournament of 2024 commences this week with the Valero Texas Open.
Some players are using this week at TPC San Antonio to prep for next week’s Masters tournament while others are taking the week off to solely focus on their play next week at Augusta National Golf Club.
There are around 25 players playing this week who will also play next week at the Masters. With this tournament also marking the final opportunity for qualification in the Masters, it is the final week a player can earn the final invitation to next week’s first major tournament, if not already in the field.
Related: 10 best golfers of all time
The Valero Texas Open is the second of two PGA Tour events on the Texas Swing after last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which was won by Stephan Jaeger after World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler missed a birdie putt from five feet to force a playoff.
TPC San Antonio is a par-72, measuring 7,438 yards. The field is going to be challenged with one of the hardest courses on the schedule, which makes it a good pre-test for the Masters. The course also features one of the toughest par-5s on the PGA Tour schedule as the average distance on the four par-5s is 588 yards.
The difficulty has been seen in the results as this course presents the third most double bogeys or worse. As a result, players will need to control their drives, be able to scramble out of the bunkers, score on the par-5s, and do their best to not add strokes to their scorecard.
What channel is the Valero Texas Open on?
The Valero Texas Open will be televised between NBC and the Golf Channel.
TV schedule for the Valero Texas Open
| Round | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday, Apr. 4 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday, Apr. 5 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday, Apr. 6 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
| 4 | Sunday Apr. 7 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
Other coverage for the Valero Texas Open
In addition to NBC and the Golf Channel, the Valero Texas Open will also be broadcast on ESPN+ and Peacock. PGA Tour Live for the marquee and featured groups can be exclusively found on ESPN+, in addition to the featured holes around the course.
The Valero Texas Open will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM.
Thursday, April 4 (Round 1)
- ESPN+: 8:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Friday, April 5 (Round 2)
- ESPN+: 8:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 6 (Round 3)
- ESPN+: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 7 (Round 4)
- ESPN+: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
How much are tickets for the Valero Texas Open?
Tickets to walk the grounds for this week begin at $65 while hospitality venues with upgraded tournament experience increase in price, including at the Lexus Cabana Club, the Centennial Club, or the Presidential Pass.
In addition, children 15 and under will receive free admission with a ticketed adult all week but this does not include hospitality venues. Also, military and first responders receive special benefits this week at the Valero Texas Open.
Who are some of the top golfers in the Valero Texas Open?
There are three other top-10 players of the OWGR competing this week in Nos. 8, 9, and 10 Brian Harman, Ludvig Aberg, and Max Homa, respectively, in addition to McIlroy at No. 2. Also playing this week are World No… 11 and 12 Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, respectively.
Some of the crowd favorites also teeing it up this week include World No. 14 and 2021 Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama, World No. 17 and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, and World No. 19 and Texas Longhorn alum Jordan Spieth, whom the latter won this event in 2021.
Last year, Corey Conners won this event by one stroke over rookie Sam Stevens. Conners is looking to become the first back-to-back winner at the Valero Texas since Zach Johnson was victorious in 2008-09. Conners, who also won this event in 2019, is looking to join Justin Leonard and Arnold Palmer as the Valero Texas Open’s only three-time winners.
In addition to trying to compete for a spot in the Masters, players who are not already qualified for the PGA Tour Signature events will be doing so this week through the Aon Next 10 or the Aon Swing 5. The next Signature event is the RBC Heritage, which is one week after the Masters.
5 players who can hoist the Valero Texas Open trophy on Sunday
Billy Horschel
Billy Horschel arrives at TPC San Antonio playing pretty well, coming off this third, top 12 finish in the last four starts, including a T7 last week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open where he fired a final round 64 to vault inside the top 10. As a result, he rose to No. 71 in the FedEx Cup standings. Although it is not as relevant now compared to in four months, the top 70 make the FedEx Cup playoffs and the top 50 gain entry to not only the BMW Championship but also next season’s Signature events.
Horschel, who is making his first start at TPC San Antonio since 2019, is part of the group that is playing for the final spot in next week’s Masters Tournament, and with the momentum he has, all he has to do is continue that energy this week.
Ludvig Aberg
Most of the time when players see courses for the first time, there are some learning curves. Well, that is not the case for Ludvig Aberg, who has either adjusted quickly to the courses on the PGA Tour or has had some luck. However, it does not seem like luck as the Swede has made the cut in each of his seven starts, including finishing top 25 or better in each of his last five starts, highlighted by an eighth-place finish at the Players Championship in his last start.
Aberg, who went to Texas Tech, played four seasons in the Texas wind as he ranks 13th in strokes gained total and 24th in strokes gained tee to green, which is going to be critical this week with tee-to-green play. He also ranks second in proximity to the hole and inside the top 25 in par three, four, and five scoring averages.
Matt Kuchar
The veteran Matt Kuchar has plenty of experience at TPC San Antonio. Kuchar will be making his 12th start at the Valero Texas Open and even at the age of 45 has shown he can compete. In three of his last four starts at this event, he has finished inside the top 10, including placing third in last year and second in 2022.
During this event last year, Kuchar birdied four of his last five holes to finish two strokes back. That was a week last year where he ranked second in the field in greens in regulation while making only five bogeys, which also tied for second. With a win, Kuchar has an opportunity to clinch his spot into a tee time for next week Thursday and Friday at the Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick rolls into Texas looking to remain strong into Augusta next week. Fitzpatrick is making his tournament debut this course as he is coming off a solo fifth at the Players Championship a couple weeks ago where he shot all four rounds at the 60s.
This is a course that will give him the precision and meticulous thought he needs to prepare himself for next week’s Masters and can do that with a successful week, ending in a victory.
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama has yet to miss a cut this season in eight starts and has three top-12 finishes in each of his last three starts, including being victorious at The Genesis Invitational a couple of months ago. Matsuyama also has a T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T6 at the Players Championship.
Those last couple of weeks of rest for the next string of tournaments are key right before the major season gets underway including back-to-back weeks with Signature events.
Valero Texas Open pairings
All times ET, (a) is amateur
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 8:20 a.m. | 1:35 p.m. | Patrick Rodgers, Justin Lower, Vince Whaley |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:46 p.m. | Michael Kim, Taylor Pendrith, Andrew Novak |
| 8:42 a.m. | 1:57 p.m. | Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder, Carl Yuan |
| 8:53 a.m. | 2:08 p.m. | Erik van Rooyen, Chad Ramey, Matt Kuchar |
| 9:04 a.m. | 2:19 p.m. | Nico Echavarria, Ryan Brehm, Brandt Snedeker |
| 9:15 a.m. | 2:30 p.m. | Davis Riley, Cameron Champ, J.B. Holmes |
| 9:26 a.m. | 2:41 p.m. | Vincent Norrman, Seamus Power, K.H. Lee |
| 9:37 a.m. | 2:52 p.m. | Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompsson, Ben Taylor |
| 9:48 a.m. | 3:03 p.m. | David Lipsky, Dylan Wu, Ryan Fox |
| 9:59 a.m. | 3:14 p.m. | Padraig Harrington, Beau Hossler, Tyson Alexander |
| 10:10 a.m. | 3:25 p.m. | Nicholas Lindheim, Ryo Hisatsune, Chris Gotterup |
| 10:21 a.m. | 3:36 p.m. | Alejandro Tosti, Parker Coody, Wilson Furr |
| 10:32 a.m. | 3:47 p.m. | Harrison Endycott, Kevin Dougherty, Alex Welch |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 8:20 a.m. | 1:35 p.m. | Andrew Putnam, Jhonattan Vegas, Ryan Moore |
| 8:31 a.m. | 1:46 p.m. | Ryan Palmer, Aaron Rai, Roger Sloan |
| 8:42 a.m. | 1:57 p.m. | Charley Hoffman, Maverick McNealy, Nicolai Hojgaard |
| 8:53 a.m. | 2:08 p.m. | Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, Max Homa |
| 9:04 a.m. | 2:19 p.m. | Brian Harman, Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Scott |
| 9:15 a.m. | 2:30 p.m. | Ludvig Aberg, Harris English, Joel Dahmen |
| 9:26 a.m. | 2:41 p.m. | Billy Horschel, J.J. Spaun, Zach Johnson |
| 9:37 a.m. | 2:52 p.m. | Andrew Landry, Troy Merritt, Eric Cole |
| 9:48 a.m. | 3:03 p.m. | Denny McCarthy, Doug Ghim, Scott Gutschewski |
| 9:59 a.m. | 3:14 p.m. | Adam Long, Jimmy Walker, Chandler Phillips |
| 10:10 a.m. | 3:25 p.m. | Rafael Campos, Erik Barnes, Joe Highsmith |
| 10:21 a.m. | 3:36 p.m. | Ben Silverman, Patrick Fishburn, Blaine Hale Jr. |
| 10:32 a.m. | 3:47 p.m. | Jimmy Stanger, Paul Barjon, Hayden Springer |
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 1:35 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Alex Smalley, Hayden Buckley, Taylor Montgomery |
| 1:46 p.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Keith Mitchell, Ben Martin, Brandon Wu |
| 1:57 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Tyler Duncan, Bud Cauley, Robby Shelton |
| 2:08 p.m. | 8:53 a.m. | Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood |
| 2:19 p.m. | 9:04 a.m. | Hideki Matsuyama, Lucas Glover, Jordan Spieth |
| 2:30 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Tom Kim, Akshay Bhatia, Russell Henley |
| 2:41 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Austin Eckroat, Grayson Murray, Adam Schenk |
| 2:52 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Kevin Streelman, Bronson Burgoon, Harry Hall |
| 3:03 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Alex Noren, S.H. Kim, Kevin Yu |
| 3:14 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | C.T. Pan, Kevin Chappell, Byeong Hun An |
| 3:25 p.m. | 10:10 a.m. | Chan Kim, Mac Meissner, Rico Hoey |
| 3:36 p.m. | 10:21 a.m. | Thorbjorn Olesen, David Skinns, Peter Kuest |
| 3:47 p.m. | 10:32 a.m. | Jacob Bridgeman, Raul Pereda, Joe Sullivan (a) |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 1:35 p.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Luke Donald, Ben Griffin, Matti Schmid |
| 1:46 p.m. | 8:31 a.m. | Martin Laird, Aaron Baddeley, Zac Blair |
| 1:57 p.m. | 8:42 a.m. | Lanto Griffin, Nate Lashley, Joseph Bramlett |
| 2:08 p.m. | 8:53 a.m. | Lee Hodges, Nick Hardy, Kevin Kisner |
| 2:19 p.m. | 9:04 a.m. | Adam Svensson, Chez Reavie, Webb Simpson |
| 2:30 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Camilo Villegas, Stewart Cink, Brendon Todd |
| 2:41 p.m. | 9:26 a.m. | Garrick Higgo, Chesson Hadley, Carson Young |
| 2:52 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Matt NeSmith, Josh Teater, Sam Stevens |
| 3:03 p.m. | 9:48 a.m. | Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Callum Tarren, Ben Kohles |
| 3:14 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Alexander Bjork, Trace Crowe, Tom Whitney |
| 3:25 p.m. | 10:10 a.m. | Victor Perez, Norman Xiong, Jorge Campillo |
| 3:36 p.m. | 10:21 a.m. | Pierceson Coody, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Ben Willman |
| 3:47 p.m. | 10:32 a.m. | Max Greyserman, Ryan McCormick, Tom Adrounie |