Horses for Courses: Jordan Spieth looking for more birdies at TPC San Antonio

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio welcomes defending champ Akshay Bhatia (+2500) and playoff runner-up Denny McCarthy (+3000) as part of a field of 150 to one of the oldest events on the PGA TOUR.

The duo matched the tournament scoring record of 20-under 268 and staged the first playoff ever at TPC San Antonio, the host course since 2010. Bhatia made his third start, opened with 63, one off the course record, and led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and SG: Approach. He knocked off McCarthy in the first hole of a playoff to become the first left-hander to win in the Texas Hill Country.

Corey Conners (+1600) is second on the all-time money list and the second choice on the betting board at FanDuel Sportsbook. He is the only player fitted for two pairs of cowboy boots, the annual tradition for the winner at TPC San Antonio. The Presidents Cup star personifies the ball-striking qualities needed to be successful at the Valero Texas Open. Playing as a Monday qualifier in 2019, he set the tournament scoring record on 20-under 268 on only his second visit. Never missing the cut or finishing worse than T34, the Canadian added his second title in 2023, opening with 64 and becoming the first player to lead after 18 holes to win the event at TPC San Antonio. In 24 career rounds, he has posted 20 at 72 or better and owns a scoring average of 69.75.

Jordan Spieth (+2200) is one of two native Texans to win the event since moving to TPC San Antonio. Victorious in 2021, he led the field in Birdie or Better Percentage on the greens and was fourth in scrambling, proving there is more than one way to lift the trophy in Hill Country. Making his ninth start, he was the runner-up in 2015, T10 in 2024, and has played the last six weekends he has entered.

Par-5 Scoring Average

Players listed below are competing this week; 2024 ranking

Three of the last four winners have co-led the event in par-5 scoring. The quartet of par-5 holes ranked inside the top 10 of most difficult to navigate on TOUR for five of the last six years. Only the 2022 edition (12th) ranked outside the top 10. The duo of lengthy challenges on the outward nine stretches over 600 yards. The two par 5s coming home register at 553 and 591 yards on the scorecard, with the 18th hole (591 yards) providing a creek bisecting the fairway from the landing area to the green.

The all-time money leader at TPC San Antonio, Charley Hoffman (+8000), has navigated the demanding ball-striking conditions, elevation changes, and Texas weather to qualify for the weekend 13 times in 14 events. The 2016 champion is also a three-time runner-up (2011, 2019, and 2021), shared third in 2013, and owns 10 top-25 paydays.

Notables

• The last two champions owned the outright lead after 18 holes.
• Three of the last six winners won for the first time on TOUR.
• The last four winners have ranked T3 or better in par-4 scoring.
• Four of the last six winners have won on their second or third try.
• TPC San Antonio has played under par just twice in 14 previous events.
• The ryegrass/fescue fairways average 25 to 30 yards in the landing area.
• Poa Trivialis overseeded greens average 6,400 square feet and will not run more than 11.5 feet on the stimpmeter (wind).
• The course tips at 7,438 yards for the third consecutive season.
• Charley Hoffman, 39 in 2016, is the only champion of the last eight who was older than 31.
• Trey Mullinax posted 62 in Round 3 in 2018 and owns the course record.
• Sixteen of the top 50 players in the world are playing, led by No. 5 Ludvig Aberg, the highest-ranked player in the field this week.

Oddsmaker’s extras

Matt Kuchar (+10000) did not make the cut last year for the first time in 12 years. From 2019 to 2023 (no event 2020), he cashed T7, T12, T2, and T3 and owns eight T25 or better paydays from his 11 weekends.

Sam Stevens (+5500) makes his third start and has never signed for a round higher than 72. The Fort Worth native missed a playoff by a shot in 2023 at 14-under and added four more rounds of par or better for T14 in 2024.

Chris Kirk (+9000) returns for the first time since T10 in 2023. Making his 10th start, the Georgian cashed in the top 10 in three of his last five visits and owns five paydays T25 or better. His last 13 rounds, and 26 of 32 in his career, are 72 or better.

Gary Woodland (+5500) owns a streak of four consecutive weekend tee times, including T8 (2022) and T6 (2021) in his previous two tournaments.

Dallas resident Si Woo Kim (+3500), who did not play here in 2024, returns with a streak of six straight Sundays to keep up. Highlighted by T4 in 2019, four of his six paydays are T23 or better.

Hideki Matsuyama (+2200) owns T7 and T15 results from the last two events and has never cashed outside T30 in four career starts.

Tommy Fleetwood (+1600) tuned up for the Masters in 2024 with T7, which included all four rounds at par or better. He co-led the field in Bogey Avoidance.

Aaron Baddeley (+100000) is 10-for-10 and T39 or better in nine. Hey, everyone needs a longshot!

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