San Antonio has been hosting this tournament since 1922, making it the third-oldest and longest-running PGA Tour event in the same city in history. The Valero Texas Open 2026 tees off this week from April 2 to 5 at The Oaks Course in TPC San Antonio, with 132 players competing for a $9,800,000 purse and, more importantly, a final shot at Masters momentum before Augusta the following week.

1. Tommy Fleetwood (+1500)

Two starts at The Oaks Course and a wide range of results tell you a lot about how unpredictable TPC San Antonio can be. Fleetwood navigated the winds well enough for a top-10 in 2024 (T7) but fell apart in 2025 (T62).

The world No. 4 enters the tournament as the top-seeded player in this field of 132. He leads the entire PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, which is the kind of stat that wins tournaments.

Fleetwood has has three top-10s in four starts this season: a T4 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a T7 at the Genesis Invitational, and a T8 at THE PLAYERS Championship. Fleetwood is playing some of the most consistent golf on tour right now and is the rightful favourite at the Valero Texas Open.

2. Ludvig Åberg (+1600)

Ludvig Åberg had last played the tournament in 2024 and finished at T14. He missed the cut last season, but 2026 is going great so far. Ludvig held a three-shot lead going into Sunday at THE PLAYERS Championship before a 76 closed him out at T5. He also put up a T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is knocking on the door and has not broken through since winning the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in 2025.

At +1600, he is priced just a tick behind Fleetwood, and that feels about right. The question is whether he can close this time after coming up short at THE PLAYERS.

3. Jordan Spieth (+1800)

Spieth won here in 2021 and then walked straight into Augusta and put on one of the most memorable Masters runs of the modern era, eventually winning his green jacket. He knows exactly what this event means in the context of the full spring schedule. San Antonio is not a tune-up for him. It is a launchpad.

Speith has an exceptional track record at TPC San Antonio: seven straight cuts made, a win, a runner-up (2015), and back-to-back top-12 finishes in 2024 (T10) and 2025 (T12). The Oaks Course fits his eye.

But his 2026 season has been rough by his standards. No top-10 in seven starts heading into San Antonio. He is still looking for that first strong result of the year. Can Valero Texas Open 2026 give him one?

4. Collin Morikawa (+2000)

Morikawa owns two major championship trophies, the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, and is widely regarded as one of the best iron players of his generation. He has played the tournament only once before in 2024 at At TPC San Antonio, where he finished at T75. This season will be his season appearance.

His 2026 season was rolling nicely before a back issue forced him to withdraw after just one hole at THE PLAYERS Championship. He was on a streak of three consecutive top-10 results before that. Choosing to compete this week, with Augusta one week away, is itself a signal. His back is well enough to play, and he wants competitive reps before the first major.

He leads the entire PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green in 2026 (+1.066) and ranks fourth in SG: Tee to Green. Those are elite numbers. If the back holds and the putter cooperates, Morikawa can win the Valero Texas Open.

5. Rickie Fowler (+2700)

Fowler uses the Valero Texas Open almost every year as his final sharpening session before Augusta, and that tells you something about how he approaches the Masters week. He wants match-play sharpness and 72-hole conditioning. San Antonio gives him both, plus a live chance to prove his form is there.

His record here is genuinely inconsistent: a T10 in 2023, a missed cut in 2024, and a T30 in 2025. But his 2023 performance showed he has the ability to score on this course. A closing 66 at TPC San Antonio is not easy. He has found the gears here before and can do it again.

At +2700 he is the longest price of these five, but there is value in a motivated player with a clear mission. Fowler is a six-time PGA Tour winner who has not lifted a trophy since 2023. A win this week secures can be a real fuel heading into the week.