With a field of 156, larger than the last two events on the PGA Tour, the Valero Texas Open will undoubtedly be a battlefield for the PGA Tour pros who will be vying to lift the trophy at the end of the event. Although Scottie Scheffler will be missing the event, the world number two will be there on the field at TPC San Antonio to give the other players a run for the game.

The event will start on April 4th and before all the Masters’ shenanigans commence, it will end on April 7th. The Texas Open has many things at stake, with the last spot for the 2024 Masters for the winner, who will be the lucky one to triumph in the event. We have our five best choices that may have a better chance.

Top 5 contenders at the Valero Texas open 

175 miles west of last week’s Houston Open, the PGA Tour will stop at the TPC Antonio for the next event in Texas, California, before the players tee it up at the 2024 Masters. The field has 2024 Cognizant Classic winner Austin Eckroat, 1-time PGA Tour winner Akshay Bhatia, Nicolai Hojgaard trying for his maiden victory, and Padraig Harrington among the youngsters. However, the five listed below are a different set, which may give these players a tough battle at TPC Antonio.

1. Corey Conners: The Canadian golfer has won the Valero Texas Open two times, once in 2019 and again in the 2023 season. Conners has made the cut every time he has played at TPC Antonio since 2017. Although Conners started slowly in the 2024 season, in the last two runs, he finished T18 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T13 at THE PLAYERS Championship. The two-time PGA Tour winner has been slowly rising on the leaderboard and may place himself in contention at the 2024 Valero Texas Open as the defending champion.

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2. Hideki Matsuyama: The only Japanese Masters winner recently shocked the masses when he won his career’s ninth victory. Matsuyama shot a final round of 9 under 62 at the Riviera Country Club and won after two years on the PGA Tour. Moreover, after that blistering performance, Matsuyama has been in the top 15 in the last two events played.

He was tied for 12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T6 at the 50th PLAYERS. With gaining his long-lost form back, the Japanese pro may clinch another victory at the Texas Open in a span of a month from the last.

3. Ludvig Aberg: The world no. 9 has been playing consistently since the start of the 2024 season. Although Aberg was slow to finish at the top, so far he has had three top-10 finishes out of the seven games played. He was a runner-up and one stroke away from his second PGA Tour victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Additionally, his latest start at the PLAYERS had him at solo eight on the leaderboard. The Swedish pro has not missed a single cut in the 2024 season and may maintain his streak while winning the Texas Open.

4. Brian Harman: Although the one-time major winner missed the cut at the Valspar Championship, before that, he was a runner-up at the PLAYERS Championship. Harman was close to entering a playoff against Scottie Scheffler, however, but couldn’t make a birdie at the last two holes.

Nonetheless, the 2023 Open Championship winner has carded four top 20s in the 8 events he played. Comparatively, the field is weaker at the Texas Open than the PLAYERS, giving Harman another chance for his fourth PGA Tour victory.

5. Rory McIlroy: The Northern Irishman is the highest-ranked player at the Valero Texas Open as the World no. 2. However, he takes last in the power ranking because his run on the PGA Tour hasn’t been eventful, to say the least. McIlroy did win on the DP World Tour at the Desert Dubai Classic; however, on the PGA Tour, he was not in the top 10 even once.

Although he finished T66 at his season opener in Pebble Beach, the 24-time PGA Tour winner has been in the top 25 at every event he has played: the Genesis Invitational (T24), Cognizant Classic (T21), Arnold Palmer Invitational (T21), and PLAYERS (T19). McIlroy has been consistent, but not enough. Maybe before he plays for his unfulfilled dream of the green jacket, McIlroy pulls through an incredible victory.

What’s the prize purse for the Valero Texas Open? 

Just as the PGA Tour elevated the prize purse for many of its events for the current season, the Valero Texas Open will also have an increased prize purse from last year. The prize purse has been increased by $300,00 and is $9.2 million. Out of which, the winner will bag $1.656 million at TPC Antonio.

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Furthermore, except for the prize purse, the winner will also receive 500 FedExCup points for the season-ending FedExCup Rankings. And the eligibility to play in the men’s first major is the cherry on top to boost any player’s motivation at the Valero Texas Open. Who will win the 2024 edition of the Texas Open? Share your predictions in the comments.

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