Valero Texas Open Betting Preview & Tips

subscribe to the waggle duff digest here
Subscribe here to waggle duff digest and get the latest betting tips, fantasy news & giveaways!

The Valero Texas Open is the last chance for players not playing the Masters to punch a ticket to one of the pinnacles of the sport. For those eleven players already playing Augusta it’s the last chance for them to home in their game for the year’s first Major.

The Texas open has been the last event before the masters (Noncovid) for the last 3 years after moving back to the week before in 2019 having previously been the curtain raiser from 2013 – 2015 before it was moved again. It has been a yearly event on the PGA tour since 1956 stopping off at seven different venues.

TPC San Antonio has been the home for the now since 2010. It’s a very weak field that tee it up this week with just 8 of the top 50 in the world playing. The majority clearly all have eyes on next week. The previous winners of this show that it’s not always the cream the rises to the top with five triple-digit in betting terms winning here in ten events so as always the Texas Open is anybody’s to take home the $ 1.6 million & the new set of boots.

Valero Texas Open – The Course

This week’s location is TPC San Antonio, Oaks Course in San Antonio Texas. A 7438-yard course compiling of four par 3s measuring 183-241, ten par 4s measuring 342-481 & four par 5s measuring 567-604. The course is a Greg Norman Design with some input from Sergio Garcia. I’m surprised Jay Mohanan has allowed the tour play here after reading that. The Oaks is a parklands course with 64 bunkers,3 water hazards & tree-lined. The Greens are larger than tour average & is Poa overseeded. The fairways are a mix of wide & narrow so picking the right club off the tee will be crucial to find those all-important landing strips. There is potential for a grandstand finish here with the drivable par 4 17th & the risk-reward par 5 18th.

Previous Winning Stats

2022

Winner – JJ Spaun -13

Odds 175-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 10th

Approach 23rd

Tee to Green 5th

Around the Green 13th

Putting 17th

2021

Winner – Jordan Spieth -18

Odds 10-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 10th

Approach 23rd

Tee to Green 5th

Around the Green 13th

Putting 17th

2020 (Korn Ferry)

Winner – Davis Riley -16

Odds 35-1

2019

Winner – Corey Conners -20

Odds 175-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 4th

Approach 1st

Tee to Green 2nd

Around the Green 58th

Putting 26th

2018

Winner – Andrew Landry -17

Odds 200-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 9th

Approach 1st

Tee to Green 1st

Around the Green 33rd

Putting 8th

2017

Winner – Kevin Chappell -12

Odds 28-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 4th

Approach 2nd

Tee to Green 2nd

Around the Green 32nd

Putting 21st

Average Winning Stats

Winning Score -16

Odds 103-1

Strokes Gained

Off the Tee 13th

Approach 6th

Tee to Green 3rd

Around the Green 28th

Putting 16t

Top 5 players playing this week per category

Off the Tee; Buckley, Hatton, List, Grant & D.Thompson

Approach; Hatton, Fowler ,Bhatia, Knox & Hardy

Tee to Green; Hatton l, Fowler, Kuchar, List & N.Taylor

Around the Green; Wallace, An ,Bezuidenhout, Matsuyama & Griffin

Putting; Montgomery, Ryder, Hall, B.Taylor & Putnam

Valero Texas Open – Picks

Matt Kuchar 28-1

Kuch comes back to a venue where he typically plays very well. He is yet to miss a cut here in 10 starts with three top 10 finishes & a best finish of 2nd last year. The 44-year-old is fresh off a last 16 finish at the match play after progressing through his group & equalling Tiger Woods record of most match play victories in the process. Matt is winless on the PGA tour since the Sony Open in 2019, he does have win on the Asian tour in 2020 but he will be looking to pick up his first PGA tour win in a number of years this week. He has made steady progress back into the top 100 in the world over the last two years & now sits 66th.

Strokes Gained Rank

Off the Tee 67th

Approach 63rd

Tee to Green 27th

Around the Green 18th

Putting 74th

Form – 16/MC/MC/8/32

Course Form – 2/12/7/51/40

Nicolai Hojgaard 50-1 PaddyPower

Nicolai got into this week field with a 2nd place finished last week at the Corales where he shot 71-65-66-68 to finish just one shot behind Matt Wallace. He will be looking to go one better this week & punch a ticket to Augusta. He is 6 events into his schedule which has seen him jet setting over the world, he’s played in Australia Dubai, Thailand, India & now finds himself stateside. During those events he hasn’t finished lower than T38 which shows his game is in a fantastic place. The Dane has had four top 15 finishes in six starts with a best of 2nd last week. With this week’s course being well over 7400 yards & four par 5s to play with I believe Nicolai is set for another great week on the PGA tour.

No Strokes gained Data as he has just 1 PGA tour start. Data taken from last week

Driving Accuracy 67.07% 56th

Greens in Regulation 80.56% 1st

Scrambling 64.29% T42

Putts per GIR 1.655 6th

Form – 2/32/5/13/38

Course Form – Debut

Sam Stevens 80-1

It wasn’t to be last week for the PGA tour rookie who was looking to secure his maiden tour win. He finished with a final round 69 to finish just two shots being Wallace after sharing the

lead after 54 holes. The Oklahoma state grad had just six blemishes over all four days on his cards which shows he is in complete control of his game right now heading into this week. His Greens in reg stats back up this with his GIR for the seasons sitting 26ht at 69.31%. Add his proximity season stat of 35’10 in 20th to the equation & you have to wonder why he hasn’t been in contention more than he has. It can only be down to his putting which he ranks 110th where he is losing strokes to the tour. If he can have another week like last week with the flat stick where he ranked T10 Putts per GIR then he can certainly be there or there abouts come Sunday afternoon

Strokes Gained Rank

Off the Tee 30th

Approach 137th

Tee to Green 84th

Around the Green 118th

Putting 110th

Form – 3/MC/15/MC/34

Course Form – Debut

Kevin Chappell 175-1 Bet365 (EW Extra)

Kevin’s only PGA tour victory came here in 2017. I remember it well as I was on him at just 28-1 that week & 2nd placed Brooks Koepka. After struggling to regain the form of 2017 which saw him as high as 26th in the world ranking he has been trending as of late in the right direction. Since his back surgery in 2018 for a microdiscectomy he hasn’t had the best of times missing numerous cuts, Covid happened & he has another injury setback.

There have been positives however he did shoot a 59 in 2019 at the Greenbrier & on a form note comes into this week on his best run for several years. In his last 3 starts he has finished 29th 15th & 16th, its only a matter of time before he breaks back into the top 10. This week is the perfect opportunity for him, it’s a course he clearly likes & has plenty of experience here. Chappell has 11 starts here with various results but does have the win from 2017, a 2nd in 2011 & 18th last year.

Strokes Gained Rank

Off the Tee 155th

Approach 114th

Tee to Green 130th

Around the Green 74th

Putting 107th

Form – 16/15/29/MC/MC

Course Form – 18/MC/DNP/30/1

Other notables

Rickie Fowler – I really wanted to take Rickie this week but at 18s its simply too short of number to be certain of getting a win.

Davis Riley – Won a Korn ferry event at this course in 2020 & in good form but not the right number for me at 25-1

Kevin Roy – very close to putting him as my outsider this week his approach game stat wise is fantastic for someone that high in the betting. Some books have him at 500-1 this week. He could be worth a top 20 bet at 12-1?

Good Luck

Ryan Hamilton – RH_G0lf







Leave a Reply

%d