Fantasy Golf: Valero Texas Open Preview
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It’s two weeks after the Masters and most of the World’s top 50 are still taking time off, but Augusta’s first and second round leader Charley Hoffman will be teeing it up as defending champion this week.
Wesley Bryan picked up his first PGA Tour title last week at the RBC Heritage in his home state of South Carolina, but won’t be making an appearance this week – and instead the field is rejoined by Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed.
Luke Donald will hope to go one better after his fifth runner-up finish at Harbour Town, while Ian Poulter is on a last-ditch attempt to save his PGA Tour status after narrowly missing out last week – finishing T11.
But if you’ve got any of the World’s top 10 players in your fantasy golf game, you can be sure they won’t be scoring any points this week.
So who is playing in the Valero Texas Open?
Past winners in the field (that are included in Fantasy game): Charley Hoffman (£10.5m), Jimmy Walker (£13m), Steven Bowditch (£5m), Martin Laird (£7.5m), Zach Johnson (£12.5m)
Branden Grace: Fantasy Price £14m
Grace finished T11 last week and T27 at Augusta, where he produced a moment of pure magic by holing out from the 15th fairway. He’s missed one cut all year, and other than that hasn’t finished in a worse position T39 at the WGC Dell Match Play.
Matt Kuchar: Fantasy Price £13m
Kuchar is a man who likes playing well on a Sunday. A hole in one on the 16th hole during the final round of the Masters cemented his T4 finish in the first major of the year, and a five-under round on Sunday at the RBC Heritage helped him to the same position on the leaderboard last week. The World No.17 has had three top 10s this season and had five finishes inside the top 30.
Jimmy Walker: Fantasy Price £13m
The 2015 champion returns following a T18 place finish at the Masters, and hasn’t missed a cut since January. He hasn’t had a top 10 finish either, but clearly this is a course he feels comfortable on.
Charley Hoffman: Fantasy Price £10.5m
Hoffman stole all the headlines on the opening round at the Masters with an incredibly round of 65, which put him three shots clear of the rest of the field. Hoffman wasn’t able to retain this form over the next few days and ended up T22. The bonus? He showed he can navigate the toughest of conditions. In his last five events he’s gone 4th-cut-2nd-23rd-22nd-cut, but it just means extra practice at a course he feels comfortable on.
Luke Donald: Fantasy Price £9.5m
Yet another runner-up finish at Hilton Head, Luke Donald produced some brilliant golf throughout the week at the RBC Heritage to finish one shot behind Wesley Bryan but with renewed confidence in his game. He’s had a mixed campaign in 2017, with a top 20, two top 30s and two missed cuts in his seven starts.
Soren Kjeldsen: Fantasy Price £10.5m
Kjeldsen didn’t have a fast start to 2017, but he’s certainly found his form in the last couple of months and returns after a week off. In his last five starts his worst finish is T37, which includes 5th in the WGC Dell Match Play and T36 at the Masters.
Ollie Schniederjans: Fantasy Price £8m
Schniederjans briefly led during the back nine on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, but had to settle with T3 behind Wesley Bryan and Luke Donald – but he certainly comes in to this week with confidence. In the 10 tournaments he’s played in 2017, he’s had three top 10s, although he’s also missed two cuts.
Adam Hadwin: Fantasy Price £8m
The Valspar Champion and the man who shot 59 earlier this season took a break to get married and ended up T36 in his first ever Masters. He still hasn’t missed a cut since last September, with two top 5s, two top 10s and a worst result of T49 at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Valero Texas Open: The Course
The Par 72 TPC San Antonia course is a tough course, designed with help from newly crowned Masters Champion Sergio Garcia, who was a consultant to chief designer Greg Norman.
The 7,435 yard course features narrow fairways and deep bunkers, so you either need a good long game or a razor-sharp game around the greens to score well on this course.
