The Valero Texas Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back 95Â years ago to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corporation took over naming rights in 2002. It is played at The Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio, northeast of the city. The Valero Energy Foundation is the host organization for the Valero Texas Open.
The event is currently managed by Wasserman Media Group. In 2003, it was the site of the 72-hole PGA Tour scoring record of 254, shot by Tommy Armour III. Many big-name players have won this tournament, including Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and Arnold Palmer, who won it three years in a row. It has always been considered a tournament where it is relatively easy to shoot low scores. Since 1934, every tournament winner has finished with a score under-par.
The event has always been played in San Antonio area, and is the sixth oldest professional golf tournament worldwide, the third oldest on the PGA Tour and the longest held in the same city. From its inception until 1940, it was played at Brackenridge Park Golf Course, with the exception of 1927â€"1928, when it was played at Willow Springs Golf Course; additionally, after the event left Brackenridge Park GC it was played at Willow Springs GC from 1941â€"1949. In 1950 and 1951 it was played at both Brackenridge Park GC and Ft. Sam Houston Golf Course; afterwards it stayed at Brackenridge Park GC, with the exception of 1956 and 1960, when it was played at Ft. Sam Houston GC.
From 1961â€"1966 it was played at Oak Hills Country Club, and then from 1967â€"1970 it was at Pecan Valley Golf Club. From 1972â€"1976 it was played at Woodlake Golf Club before returning to Oak Hills CC from 1977â€"1994. From 1995 to 2009 it was played at the Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club. In 2010, it was moved to its present site at TPC San Antonio in the affluent Cibolo Canyon community.
The Texas Open was usually held in September or October. In 2007 and 2008, the event was demoted to the PGA Tour Fall Series. With the demise of the Atlanta Classic for the 2009, the PGA Tour moved the Texas Open into that slot on the schedule into May and became a regular FedEx Cup event. The 2009 event offered an increased purse of $6.1 million (up from $4.5 million) with a $1,098,000 winner's check. In 2011, the event moved to the week following the Masters Tournament. The 2011 event was also best known for golfer Kevin Na scoring a 12-over par 16 on the ninth hole in the opening round.
When it was a Fall Series event, the Valero Texas Open was the alternate tournament to the Presidents and Ryder Cups. In 2013, as the tournament moved to the week before The Masters and aired on NBC for the first time, several European Tour players participated in the Texas Open for the first time since the mid-1980s.
Since Valero became title sponsor in 2002, the tournament has become the annual leader in charitable fundraising among PGA Tour events. In 2015, the Valero Texas Open become only the fourth PGA Tour event to eclipse the $100 million milestone in funds raised for charity. The 2017 edition of the Valero Texas Open raised $11 million for charity, bringing the grand total to over $126 million in charitable giving.
Course layout
Oaks Course
Source:
- The approximate average elevation of the course is 1,100 feet (340Â m) above sea level.
Winners
^ Indicates weather-shortened to 54 holes
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Main sources
Multiple winners
Nine men have won this tournament more than once through 2016.
- 3 wins
- Arnold Palmer: 1960, 1961, 1962
- Justin Leonard: 2000, 2001, 2007
- 2 wins
- Bill Mehlhorn: 1928, 1929
- Sam Snead: 1948, 1950
- E.J. "Dutch" Harrison: 1939, 1951
- Ben Crenshaw: 1973, 1986
- Jay Haas: 1982, 1993
- Duffy Waldorf: 1995, 1999
- Zach Johnson: 2008, 2009
References
External links
- Official website
- Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site
