The field at this week’s Valero Texas Open may be lacking in big names, but it still boasts a lot of tremendous players.
Here are those to look at most closely this week at TPC San Antonio:
15. Si Woo Kim
If only the 22-year-old could putt, which he has shown unequivocally that no, he cannot, we would be debating whether Kim could win for the second week in a row.
Unfortunately for Kim, he missed four putts of 7 feet or shorter over his last four holes of last week’s RBC Heritage to fall into a playoff, which he would lose on the third hole. The talent is clearly there, and Kim is finally starting to show something resembling consistency, but he has a heck of a mental hurdle to jump this week.
Odds: 40-1
World Rank: 39th
Last Seven Starts: 2, 24, 9, MC, 59,MC, 62
14. Xander Schauffele
The reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year doesn’t yet have a signature moment in season No. 2, but he he has made 11 of 12 cuts with six finishes inside the top 25.
In two of his last four starts, Schauffele was fantastic in rounds 1 and 2 before fading on the weekend, but he has shown too much in the way of calm nerves to expect that trend to continue long. He putted well last week and Hilton Head, but struggled badly off the tees.
Odds: 33-1
World Rank: 28th
Last Seven Starts: 32, 50, 17, 18, 9, 17, MC
13. Billy Horschel
Coming into Harbour Town last week, the former FedExCup Champion Horschel was in atrocious form, with five missed cuts and a T54 in his previous six starts, but something obviously clicked in Hilton Head, where he finished T5.
He is putting phenomenally as of late and has a lot of positive course history at the Valero, finishing T4 in 2016, third in 2015, and T3 in 2013. Those converging trends could equal another strong start for the four-time PGA Tour winner.
Odds: 30-1
World Rank: 78th
Last Seven Starts: 32, 50, 17, 18, 9, 17, MC
12. Julian Suri
The NYC native has played most of his young career in Europe, where he won twice last year (once on the European Tour and once on the Challenge Tour), but is starting to get his footing on home soil, playing well at the recent WGC-Match Play and following that up with a T8 in Houston where he shot three rounds in the 60s.
He seems to be getting better by the week, and with a subpar field, it would not be shocking to see another high finish at TPC San Antonio.
Odds: 50-1
World Rank: 70th
Last Seven Starts: 8, 29, MC, 48, MC, 68, 2
11. Pat Perez
It has been a tale of two seasons for Perez, who had a phenomenal first five events of the season, which included a victory at the CIMB Classic, but he has struggled in five events since, with just one finish inside the top 30, and a missed cut in his last outing, The Masters.
Perez has played this tournament well before, however, with a high finish of T5 in 2011, and he has been very accurate this season, currently ranking 11th in driving accuracy and 4th in greens in regulation.
Odds: 40-1
World Rank: 22nd
Last Seven Starts: MC, 52, 20, 41, 35, 29, 21
10. Beau Hossler
The recent University of Texas star will be popular among the Texan crowd this week, and given his impressive play in his past two starts, where he has been putting the lights out, they could be cheering him on well into Sunday.
Hossler finished runner-up at another Texas event, the Houston Open just three weeks ago, losing in a playoff to Ian Poulter, and chased that with a T16 last week at the RBC Heritage. He undeniably has winning talent, and TPC San Antonio would be an appropriate first victory of a career that is projected to have many.
Odds: 40-1
World Rank: 83rd
Last Seven Starts: MC, 52, 20, 41, 35, 29, 21
9. Adam Scott
The winner of the Valero Texas Open in its 2010 AT&T Oaks debut, Adam Scott has yet to find his A game in 2018, with a T13 as his best finish in eight starts. He has been excellent tee-to-green, currently ranking 5th on Tour in that statistic, but abysmal putting is severely truncating his finishes and paychecks.
If he can find a passable putting game this week, there is a good chance he finds himself in contention on Sunday.
Odds: 30-1
World Rank: 59th
Last Seven Starts: 32, 41, 16, 13, 53, MC, MC
8. Chesson Hadley
Hadley is notoriously streaky and is coming into San Antonio off consecutive excellent performances, including a T7 at last week’s RBC Heritage. He is second on Tour in strokes gained: approach-the-green, and putted well at Harbour Town.
It helps that he finished T4 in 2015, and he has top 10s in five of 14 starts this season.
Odds: 35-1
World Rank: 71st
Last Seven Starts: 7, 18, 49, MC, MC, 35, 5
7. Kevin Chappell
The defending champion of the Valero Texas Open was exceptionally relieved to finally capture PGA Tour win No. 1 after so many close calls. He has not won again over the past 12 months, but has played consistently well and even made last year’s President’s Cup team.
Chappell is coming in off three consecutive poor outings, but the good vibes from last year’s win should be huge for his chances of going back-to-back in San Antonio.
Odds: 28-1
World Rank: 43rd
Last Seven Starts: MC, MC, 36, 7, 30, 20, 8
6. Ryan Moore
Moore is trending positively as of late, with a top-30 finish at The Masters sandwiched between a T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T16 at last week’s RBC Heritage. He has now finished in the top 25 in 50% of his starts in an underrated season where he ranks 17th in scoring average.
He has only played the Valero twice, but looked good in both starts, with a T8 in 2012 and a T18 last year.
Odds: 25-1
World Rank: 64th
Last Seven Starts: 16, 28, 5, MC, 49, 9, MC
5. Brendan Steele
Steele was the 2011 Valero Texas Open winner, finishing one stroke ahead of Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell, the winner of the past two Valeros respectively. Two great results, a win at the season-opening Safeway Open and a T3 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, has Steele inside the FedExCup’s current top 15. He stumbled to a T62 at TPC San Antonio last year, but finished T13 and T8 the two years prior. He is currently 5th on Tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 8th in greens in regulation.
Odds: 33-1
World Rank: 46th
Last Seven Starts: MC, 17, 20, 49, 3, 29, 20
4. Matt Kuchar
The 7-time PGA Tour winner has not finished atop a leaderboard since 2014, but as one of the biggest names in this field, he should be looking at this tournament as an opportunity.
He had been playing well, finishing in the top 10 at the WGC-Match Play and the Houston Open, before a 4-under 68 had him in early contention at The Masters. He finished up at Augusta poorly, however, and had the same proclivity at the RBC Heritage last week, where another tremendous start (66) led to a rather ordinary result (T23).
Kuchar has three top-15 finishes in this event, but has finished T40 and T45 the past two years.
Odds: 18-1
World Rank: 21st
Last Seven Starts: 23, 28, 8, 9, 40, 58, 26
3. Sergio Garcia
Sergio is the best and highest-ranked player in the field, and that is worth a lot in a tournament with a weak-ish field like this one. He also helped design the course, working as a consultant to Greg Norman, although he has only played it once competitive, finishing T45 in 2010.
Garcia had been playing tremendously heading into his championship defense of The Masters two weeks ago, but he was the epitome of a dud, missing the cut by a mile by shooting 15-over through two rounds, which tied for the third-worst score in the field.
A lot of that was due to one unspeakably poor hole, but overall it was a difficult week of golf, and he will need to get past that in his mind to win at TPC San Antonio, even as the best player in the field.
Odds: 14-1
World Rank: 10th
Last Seven Starts: MC, 9, 4, 7, 33, 32, 1
2. Luke List
The long-hitting List has been playing the best golf of his career as of late, with three top-7 finishes in his last six events, including a playoff loss to Justin Thomas at the Honda Classic. List contended last week at the RBC Heritage, settling for a T3 after some Sunday trouble on the back nine, and he looks very, very close to snatching his first career victory. Could we have back-to-back first time winners at the Valero? If List keeps form, there is a great chance.
Odds: 22-1
World Rank: 53rd
Last Seven Starts: 3, 24, 59, 7, 16, 2, 26
1. Charley Hoffman
The 2016 Valero Texas Open champion has been a horse for the course at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course, also adding a T11 in both 2015 and 2014, a T3 in 2013, a T2 in 2011, and two other T13 finishes, giving him easily the best course history of anyone in the field. Hoffman has a reputation of being a streaky player, and is coming in off three quality results in his last four events. Regardless of the format, Hoffman can be taken with confidence this week.
Odds: 20-1
World Rank: 26th
Last Seven Starts: 23, 12, 36, 14, MC, 20, 41
Next Five: Jimmy Walker, Jamie Lovemark, Brandt Snedeker, Dylan Frittelli, Shubhankar Sharma
