One last chance.
This week’s Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio offers the final spot in next week’s Masters. Win, and you’re in (if you’re not already exempt). Also, via the Aon Swing 5, it’s the final opportunity to get into the RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour’s next signature event. On top of that, the Texas Open champion will also collect 500 FedExCup points and $1,710,000 from the $9.5 million purse.
From its 150-player field, course, 103-year history, tee times and how to watch, here’s what you need to know for the 2025 Valero Texas Open.
The field
Not everyone playing in San Antonio needs to lock up a Masters berth.
The highest-ranked player in the field is World No. 5 Ludvig Åberg, who was runner-up last year in Augusta as a rookie. There’s also 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Max Homa and defending champion Akshay Bhatia.
However, some notable names looking to punch their tickets to Augusta are Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland, and anyone who is outside the top 50 in the world entering this week, not otherwise exempt.
The first man out was No. 51 Ben Griffin, who has played 13 weeks in a row, yet was unable to earn a trip down Magnolia Lane. But if he notches his maiden PGA Tour win this week, he’ll get there.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, is teeing up this week. He won at TPC San Antonio in 2021 to break a nearly four-year winless drought. Now, it’s been nearly three years since he last won, but maybe history repeats itself on a course where Spieth has exorcised some demons before.
1,351 days later ... @JordanSpieth is a winner again @ValeroTxOpen. 🏆
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 4, 2021
(Presented by @SuperStrokeGolf) pic.twitter.com/5XDGjoj0ge
The course
TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, where the Valero Texas Open has been played since 2010, provides a rigorous test.
“It's a good golf course,” Rory McIlroy, who’s not in this year’s field, said in 2024. “It’s tough, you’ve got to—it’s visually intimidating. If you start missing it off the tee, you can get yourself in some pretty big trouble out here.”
The Greg Norman-designed 7,438-yard, par-72 was the seventh-hardest course on Tour last season, with a scoring average of 72.514 (+0.514). It features roughly 100 feet of elevation and a mix of wide and narrow tree-lined fairways. Plus, windy conditions typically throw a wrench into the tournament.
“Obviously, this golf course is quite demanding,” Åberg said last year. “It’s quite tough, especially when it starts to get windy and the greens get a little firmer.”
The Oaks Course’s hardest hole is 481-yard, par-4 4th, which played 0.359 strokes over par in 2024, ranked No. 14 on Tour in terms of difficulty. Two spots behind No. 4 on that list was the 454-yard par-4 1st, which played 0.353 strokes over par last season.
On the flip side, its easiest hole last year was the 553-yard par-5 14th, which had a scoring average of 4.668 (-0.332).
It’s officially Advance Week! 🚨 All hands are on deck as we put the finishing touches in place. We can’t wait to welcome players & spectators next week for the @valerotxopen! 🏌️♂️🏆 #ValeroTexasOpen #AdvanceWeek #Countdown #GiddyUp pic.twitter.com/uRcfprcwBa
— TPC San Antonio (@TPCSanAntonio) March 25, 2025
History: overcoming obstacles
In 1921, Jack O’Brien, a sports editor for the San Antonio Evening News, wanted to increase the city’s tourism during the winter, so he started a golf tournament.
After convincing the San Antonio Junior Chamber of Commerce and other benefactors to cough up $5,000, 60 of the world’s top golfers showed up for the first round of the Texas Open on Feb. 3, 1922. Future Hall of Famer Walter Hagen rallied from six strokes back to win the inaugural event in a playoff.
Now, 103 years later, it’s the PGA Tour’s third-oldest tournament and the longest event contested in the same city. It also pioneered the idea of playing in warm weather areas during the winter months, which has become customary on Tour.
The Valero Texas Open boasts illustrious champions such as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Spieth.
However, it had to overcome various obstacles to maintain its longevity.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the event was often staged the same week as the Ryder or Presidents Cup, depreciating the event’s interest. Then, after 2000, Westin Hotels & Resorts didn’t renew its title sponsorship, putting the Texas Open’s future in jeopardy.
Valero Energy Corporation CEO William Greehey would be its savior, though, paying $15.3 million for Valero to attach its name to the tournament for five years. Valero has been the title sponsor ever since.
Still, its spot on the Tour calendar wasn’t ideal. In 2007, it became a fall event, meaning it wasn’t part of the Tour’s regular season. But when the Atlanta Classic dissolved after 2008, the Texas Open took its spring spot on schedule.
Afterward, it flip-flopped on the schedule before and after the Masters, continuing to weaken the strength of field. However, since 2017, the Texas Open has been played the week before the year’s first major, offering the final spot in the field at Augusta to its champion (if they haven’t already qualified).
Recently, Corey Conners in 2019, J.J. Spaun in ‘22 and Bhatia punched their ticket to Augusta by winning at TPC San Antonio. Maybe someone will follow suit at this year’s tournament, which merely exists because of O’Brien’s idea.
How to watch (all times EST)
- Thursday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Friday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Saturday: 1-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
- Sunday: 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
ESPN+ will also have featured coverage each day, starting between 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 6 p.m. over the weekend.
Round 1 and 2 tee times
Groupings and starting times for the first two rounds of the Valero Texas Open pic.twitter.com/cPZpLsu5Ef
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 1, 2025
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Valero Texas Open Preview: Field, Course, History, Tee Times, How to Watch.
