2023 Valero Texas Open: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Tyrrell Hatton is favoured to win this week on the golf odds.
Because it has been a busy stretch of big-money events, capped by the WGC-Match Play won by Sam Burns on Sunday in Austin, it’s a pretty watered-down field in San Antonio. The Valero Texas Open, first played in 1922, is the third-oldest PGA Tour event. If you include the U.S. Open (1895) managed by the USGA, and the PGA Championship (1916) managed by the PGA of America, then the Valero Texas Open is the sixth oldest pro tournament worldwide. The Valero Texas Open is also the oldest professional golf tournament to be held in the same city its entire existence.
This event has been played at the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio since 2010. The Oaks, designed by Hall of Famer Greg Norman, is a par 72 at about 7,450 yards. It has taken double-digit under par to win here every year since 2015. All downhill holes play into the prevailing wind, while the uphill holes play downwind.
Just 10 players in the field this week have qualified for the Masters next week. The defending Valero Texas Open champion is American JJ Spaun for his first Tour win. In his 147th PGA Tour start, Spaun fired a 3-under-par 69 during the final round despite a double bogey on the first hole, finishing the tournament at 13-under 275. It gave him a two-shot margin over Matt Kuchar (69) and Matt Jones (66). At the time, Spaun became the first player to win after making a double bogey on the first hole of a final round since Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open.
That remains Spaun’s lone Tour win, and he’s +4000 to repeat. The last to do that here was Zach Johnson in 2009. The last six Valero Texas Open winners have ranked 46th, 23rd, 28th, 46th, 25th and fourth for Driving Distance.
Valero Texas Open Golf Odds
World No. 17 Tyrrell Hatton of England is the +1100 favourite as he makes his tournament debut. Hatton didn’t get out of group play last week in the WGC-Match Play but was recently a runner-up at the Tour Championship.
Rickie Fowler, who does need to win to play in the Masters, is +1600, with Corey Conners and Si Woo Kim both +1900. Fowler missed the cut here last year. Kim was T13. Taylor Montgomery is +2400 with Davis Riley and Hideki Matsuyama each +2500. Montgomery plays here the first time, while Riley was T63 last year and Matsuyama withdrew.
Three years ago, the Canadian Conners had to Monday qualify just to get in and then won at 20-under 268, the lowest winning score at TPC San Antonio. He’s the lone Canadian winner of the event. Last year, Adam Hadwin was the top finisher at T4 with Conners T35, Roger Sloan T53, and Adam Svensson and Nick Taylor missed the cut. Conners is among the favourites this week as noted above, while Taylor Pendrith is +5800, Nick Taylor +6300 and Michael Gligic +33700.
Valero Texas Open Golf Predictions
Lucas Glover is our value play at +11300 to win. He hasn’t been worse than T18 the past three years here and is accurate off the tee, ranking 20th on Tour.