The PGA Tour heads to San Antonio for the final tune-up for the season’s first major. The Valero Texas Open is one of the longest running events on tour, and it has moved around to a number of different venues before settling on the Greg Norman-designed TPC San Antonio. The Oaks Course generally plays as one of the tougher tee-to-green tests the schedule, and last year it featured the second most difficult fairways to hit. While the overseeded rough is not much of a problem, avoiding the big miss will still be of utmost importance. Yet approach play still reigns supreme at TPC San Antonio, as the top-four finishers last year all gained over four strokes in that category. This will be obviously be the last opportunity for many of the Masters top contenders to get some competitive reps in before their drive down Magnolia Lane. Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, Tom Kim and Tony Finau, amongst others, will all be looking to fine tune their games ahead of the season’s first major championship, while players such as Ben Griffin, Si Woo Kim and Keith Mitchell will be looking to punch their ticket to Augusta.
RELATED: Tour pro releases painful statement that he did not get into Masters
$10,000 range Play: Tommy Fleetwood, $10,700
Tommy Fleetwood continues to play some of the most well-rounded golf of his entire career, and he has now finished top 25 in all six of his starts this season. The Englishman continues to hit his irons at an elite level, gaining over two strokes on approach in nine out of his last 10 starts, and he is now returning to a golf course where he finished seventh last year, gaining significantly in both ball-striking categories.
Fade: Ludvig Aberg, $10,800 
David Cannon
With only four players in the $10K range this week, Ludvig Aberg is my least favorite option of the bunch. The recent Genesis Invitational winner has lost over two strokes on approach in three out of his last four starts, and this is a hefty price to pay for a player in such questionable approach form.
$9,000 range Play: Keegan Bradley, $9,600
Keegan Bradley continues to be a model of ball-striking consistency, accuracy off the tee and overall play, which will continue to pay dividends at TPC San Antonio. Unsurprisingly, the Ryder Cup captain has recorded three top-25 finishes at TPC San Antonio, including a 23rd and an eighth in his last two appearances, and his approach play specifically at the Greg Norman design has been stellar.
Fade: Hideki Matsuyama, $9,900
Similar to Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama is a tough fade, but in a strong range, the former Masters champion is my least favorite of the bunch. Since winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions to open the season, Matsuyama’s approach play has been trending in the wrong direction, and he has now lost over a stroke with his irons in three out of his last four starts.
$8,000 range Play: Bud Cauley, $8,300 
Logan Bowles
After writing him up for the Valspar two weeks ago, I’ll continue to ride Bud Cauley until the wheels fall off. Cauley is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Valspar where he gained 1.9 strokes off the tee and 8.1 strokes on approach. The former Alabama standout has now gained strokes on approach in four straight starts, and is returning to a golf course where he has already recorded two top-20 finishes.
Fade: Sam Burns, $8,600
Sam Burns has been the easiest fade on the board for a number of weeks now, and I will continue leaving him out of my DraftKings lineups until the iron play gets figured out. Burns has now lost over a stroke on approach in nine out of his last 10 starts, which places a tremendous amount of stress on his putter. Unsurprisingly, Burns has failed to finish top 10 in all eight of his starts this year, and TPC San Antonio, a golf course where he’s missed two of three cuts, is far from a suitable get right spot.
RELATED: Masters 2025: Tiger Woods officially out of Augusta National
$7,000 range Play: Rico Hoey, $7,600
Rico Hoey’s ball-striking upside continues to intrigue me, and he’s finally starting to chip and putt better. Hoey gained strokes around the green and putting for the first time all season, and he certainly didn’t miss a beat off the tee either. Now Hoey returns to a golf course where he finished 14th last year that should heavily accentuate his long iron approach play and par-5 scoring.
Fade: Matt Fitzpatrick, $7,800 
Jared C. Tilton
Matt Fitzpatrick has struggled to find form all season, and he is still searching for his first top-20 finish of the year. TPC San Antonio is one of the most demanding approach courses on the PGA Tour, and the blustery conditions in store do not feel suitable for a player in such shaky tee-to-green form. Fitzpatrick will need to rely heavily on his short game and putting to carry him this week, and even these aspects of his game have been faulty in 2025 as well.
Flier: Matthias Schmid, $7,000
Matti Schmid is coming off a missed cut on the number at the Houston Open, but I’m expecting a bounce back this week in San Antonio. The German still gained over three strokes on approach at Memorial Park, and his long iron approach play will play dividends on the longer par 5s at this challenging Greg Norman design.
$6,000 range Play: Greyson Sigg, $6,800
In a weak $6K range this week, I am simply looking for players with approach upside, and Greyson Sigg certainly checks that box. Sigg ranks top 10 in this field in strokes-gained/approach over his last 24 rounds and he’s in a solid buy-low position after a missed cut at the Houston Open on the number. His accuracy off the tee provides additional value at one of the tougher driving tracks on tour.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
