RADIO
Joe Highsmith Still Searching for Form in San Antonio
Joe Highsmith has struggled for much of the season, missing four cuts and finishing no higher than T42. He'll look to find something at the Valero Texas Open, where he finished T51 in his only start here in 2025. Highsmith has struggled across the board, ranking 145th in total strokes gained (-1.202 per round), 128th in putting (-0.426), and 138th off the tee (-0.412). The only category where he has been positive is on approach, where he ranks 86th at +0.029 per round. Highsmith is treading water and can safely be left out of fantasy lineups until he shows signs of a turnaround.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Christiaan Bezuidenhout Looks to Find Form at the Valero Texas Open
Christiaan Bezuidenhout has put together an up-and-down season, with just three finishes of T30 or better and two missed cuts in his first eight events. He looks to find something at the Valero Texas Open, where he has posted a T28 and T25 in his two prior trips. Bezuidenhout has struggled off the tee this year, ranking 143rd on tour and losing -0.425 strokes per round, but he's been strong with the putter, ranking 12th and gaining +0.710 strokes per round. His approach play has been below average (-0.077), and he ranks 149th in proximity from 200+ yards, which made up 26.8% of approach shots here last year. Bezuidenhout will need his short game to do some heavy lifting to get him into the weekend.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Jordan Spieth a Horse for Course History at TPC San Antonio
Any event in the Lone Star State seems to have Jordan Spieth somewhere in the historical record. TPC San Antonio is certainly one of those places and events. Winning this event in 2021, the 32-year-old has been a factor here in each phase of his turbulent journey. Most recently, finishing T12 last season. Though more impressive is the fact that he's only missed one cut in nine appearances. It's a bit hard to tell the ceiling he has when the kinks from his surgery in late 2024 still seem to be causing some inconsistencies. The largest concern is off the tee, as he ranks 113th in average strokes gained (-0.168) this season. Spieth should be a decent DFS play coming off three top 15s in his last four starts, but the ceiling for what his expectation should be is a bit muted.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Robert MacIntyre Has One Flaw to Overcome at Valero Texas Open to be a Must-Play
Things are looking well for Robert MacIntyre following a solo fourth-place finish at The Players. He's been feasting on either end of the course all season, ranking sixth in strokes gained putting and 11th in strokes gained off the tee. However, TPC Sawgrass was the first time since the year's first event that the Scotsman gained strokes on approach. All of that falls on what happens under 200 yards, as he is very strong with long irons and woods. That creates some volatility for TPC San Antonio's ball-striker-heavy layout. Luckily, the 29-year-old is one of the top players on and around the green, though I can see his woes throughout the rest of his bag could cause issues for some. But if he can excel on a demanding course like TPC Sawgrass, he could certainly do it here.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Maverick McNealy In Exceptional Form This Season
Maverick McNealy finished tied for 32nd at the PLAYERS Championship three weeks ago, followed by a tied for 13th finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week prior. McNealy will now turn his focus to preparing for this week's Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. McNealy has played well at the Valero Texas Open in the past, finishing tied for third in 2025 and tied for 58th in 2024. Over the past 12 months, McNealy ranks in the 84th percentile in greens in regulation percentage on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway. This is important because over 36% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's Valero Texas Open.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Michael Thorbjornsen Playing Well But Still Searching For A Win
Michael Thorbjornsen finished tied for 14th at last week's Texas Children's Houston Open after being one of the favorites to win heading into the tournament. Thorbjornsen has been playing exceptionally well this season, but has had trouble closing out on Sunday. He has four top-25 finishes and two missed cuts in eight starts this season. Thorbjornsen missed the cut at last year's Valero Texas Open. Over the past 12 months, Thorbjornsen ranks in the 39th percentile in greens in regulation percentage on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway. This is worth mentioning because over 36% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's Texas Valero Open.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Hideki Matsuyama Playing Well Heading to the Valero Texas Open
Hideki Matsuyama finished tied for 27th at the PLAYERS Championship, and this was following a tied for 41st finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week prior. Matsuyama will now turn his focus to preparing for this week's Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. Matsuyama has four top-15 finishes and no missed cuts in seven starts this season. Matsuyama missed the cut at last year's Valero Texas Open but finished tied for seventh in 2024. Over the past 12 months, Matsuyama ranks in the 91st percentile in greens in regulation percentage on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway. This is worth pointing out because over 36% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's Valero Texas Open.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Si Woo Kim Heads to Valero Texas Open For Final Tune-Up Before Masters
Si Woo Kim finished tied for 50th at the PLAYERS Championship three weeks ago, following a tied for 13th finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Kim will now start preparing for this week's Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. Kim has three top-five finishes and no missed cuts in nine starts this season. Kim missed the cut at last year's Valero Texas Open. Over the past 12 months, Si Woo Kim ranks in the 79th percentile in greens in regulation percentage on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway. This is important because over 36% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's Valero Texas Open.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Collin Morikawa Withdraws From Valero Texas Open
The last time we saw Collin Morikawa was leaving TPC Sawgrass in a golf cart after tweaking something in his back on the second hole of the tournament. It appears he is still feeling the effects of whatever is going on, thus forcing him out at TPC San Antonio. This comes the week before the year's first major, where Morikawa has an impressive record and will undoubtedly draw a ton of DFS interest if healthy. Hopefully, this is a precaution to ensure he is ready to go at Augusta, but there are plenty of examples for us to look at how pesky back injuries can be.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Stephan Jaegar Still Looking For Consistency at Valero Texas Open
Everything looked great for Stephan Jaeger during Thursday's opening round last week in Houston. He was near the lead before going +3 on holes six and seven (his 15th and 16th holes of the day). He recovered nicely to post a 66, but it certainly took the wind out of his sails. The German ultimately finished T28. He'll head to San Antonio this week, where he has missed the cut in all three previous appearances. This golf course doesn't provide the same safety to big hitters as Memorial Park does, and all of his length still has him 94th in strokes gained off the tee (-0.058) and 106th in strokes gained on approach (-0.164). The 36-year-old has been solid on and around the greens, but this TPC course asks a little more of players than last week. He may get across the cutline finally, but the chance of being a useful DFS asset is unlikely.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Nicolai Hojgaard is Red-Hot Coming to TPC San Antonio
It was a sublime week for Nicolai Hojgaard in Houston, who finished runner-up to continue what has been an impressive spring. He led the field in strokes gained on approach (1.67) and ranked fourth in strokes gained off the tee (0.92), but couldn't get anything to find the hole on Sunday. He'll head to this week's Valero Texas Open for his third career appearance, where his best finish is a T28 in 2023. Unfortunately, he'll have the same problems to face at TPC San Antonio as he did at Memorial Park. Wind will be a factor, as well as the need to chip and putt it well. Still, he seems to be in a good place with his game, and there isn't any reason to jump off the train now.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Tony Finau a Risky Proposition at Valero Texas Open
It isn't that Tony Finau is playing terrible golf; it's just a very uninspiring version of it. No part of his game has been consistent enough to be excited about, with his strokes gained around the green being the highest-ranked SG metric he has (23rd: 0.312). His time at TPC San Antonio is also not worth getting excited about, outside of a T3 finish in 2017. The 36-year-old's 135th ranking in strokes gained off the tee is, by and large, his biggest pitfall this season. He is hitting less than 50% of his fairways, and unless he finds something to keep him in the short grass more often, this course isn't the kindest for playing out of the rough. Avoid Finau if you can.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Ludvig Aberg Looks to Shake Off Collapse at Valero Texas Open
It hasn't been too many weeks since we all witnessed Ludvig Aberg give up a three-shot lead on the back nine at The Players, ultimately falling to a T5 finish. Still, the show must go on, and if there is anyone seemingly built with the mind to stay calm and persevere, it's the Swede. He'll be making his fourth appearance at this week's Valero Texas Open, where he has a dodgy record. A T14 in 2024 has been the only cut he's made. That seems odd, given the impressive ball striking he has, but the proof is in the putting and short game. He hasn't performed well here in those regards, and it is undoubtedly the struggle so far this season. However, TPC San Antonio is a ball-striker's course through and through, and the 26-year-old ranks 12th this season in strokes gained: tee to green, primarily through his approach and off-the-tee play.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Patrick Rodgers Needs to Make More Birdies in San Antonio
Patrick Rodgers missed the cut in Houston simply because the birdies were not there. The American golfer went 72-72 during the first two rounds. It was the first time Rodgers was in the negative when it came to strokes gained to putting since Scottsdale (WM Phoenix Open). Was last week a blip? That is possible considering Rodgers' approach shots were so erratic and so were his missed putts. The 2.76 strokes lost overall was his worst event since the Betfred British Masters last August. Given the numbers, Rodgers is in an event where outrageously low scores are not commonplace. He did have a Top 5 in San Antonio as recently as 2023 so maybe that betting option of a Top 20 or Top 10 is again a potential choice.
Source: PGATour.com
Source: PGATour.com
Sepp Straka Seeks Opportunity in San Antonio This Weekend
Sepp Straka has enjoyed a very solid 2026 season so far. The Austrian golfer has four Top 25 results in six events and comes off a T-8 at THE PLAYERS Championship. Straka is capable of the odd implosion like round. There was Round 3 at The Genesis Invitational (80) and the 76 at TPC Sawgrass. Straka's numbers do not jump off the page off the tee but his balance does. It is why he ranks 22nd strokes gained overall at 1.082. Straka's fortune this week boils more down to putting. He averages 29.4 putts per round on Sundays which is that one red flag. Starts are key and something that Straka has worked on which makes him a solid early betting option to lead after Thursday. Top 10 and Top 20 bets are also viable choices for Straka again.
Source: PGATour.com
Source: PGATour.com
