As the 3rd oldest non major tournament on the PGA Tour, the Valero Texas Open has a storied past indeed. Many of the worlds best golfers have played, and won, this event. In Tiger Woods only appearance, he finished T-3 in 1996, the year he came to the PGA Tour.
For the first time in its history, the Valero Texas Open is the event just before The Masters. 19 players in this weeks field are already in at Augusta, and a win for someone note invited is the only way in.
With world #2 Rory McIlroy in prime condition, and only a few shots off the lead, many believe that he'll deliver on Sunday. Others feel that veteran Jim Furyk will make his move.
The buzz in the Media Center, graciously provided by the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, has been at an all time high. Being part of this event since 1996, I have never had to literally fight for my seat to get my job done. The international press has been tremendous for the event, and it would be great to see more of the Texas Golf Writers Association brethren on site, but most don't only cover golf to make a living.
The leaders are on the way to the #1 tee box, and so is this scribe. I'll post a complete tournament analysis and wrap up later today.
FORE!
Showing posts with label valero texas open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label valero texas open. Show all posts
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Someone Jacked My Blog!
Many of you have asked where my weekly blogs went. Well, according to my tech savy crew, most of the posts from 2012 disappeared into cyber space. We are feverishly working on getting them back, but it's not going to interfere with our coverage of the Valero Texas Open (we hope).
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Another Exciting Valero Texas Open
After 68 holes, it seemed like the win would be up from grabs for at least 3 players, including eventual winner Ben Curtis. At that point, Curtis, and Matt Every were tied for the lead, and John Huh was one back.
Though Huh came close on the finishing holes, none of the birdie attempts found the bottom of the cup.
For Every, a bogey on the par 4 15th (the 69th of the round), dashed his chances at a PGA Tour victory.
At 16 and 17, the final group all had pars, and so it came down to #18, the 72nd of the tournament, to see if Curtis could hold on to the lead.
As Every and Huh could only manage to par the 72nd hole, Curtis sank his putt for a birdie to win by 2 shots.
However, even though the Curtis win is a great story itself, the story of Huh finishing in a tie for 2nd. His first 9 on Thursday he seemed to be out of even making the cut. Yes, that early. He shot a 44 on the back side of the AT&T Oaks course at TPC San Antonio, his first 9. However, he rallied after the turn to a 33 for a total of 77, at that time 14 shots back from Round 1 leader, Matt Every.
Every, as you remember, shot the course record 63 on Thursday, and tied for 2nd.
During a Valero Texas Open tradition, Rudy's on the Range, I am fortunate to lunch with many players, caddies, media, sponsors, and volunteers. This year, I was able to lunch with Curtis' caddy, Ricky Elliot. We discussed how been had been playing lately, and also how he liked the course.
At that point, he had only played 10 holes, and Elliot said "Ben should do well this week. He's strking the ball well, and staying out of trouble." I did, of course ask, do you think he has a chance to win? As any good caddy would say "Well, of course!". Good on you Ricky!
Tony Vaught is an international golf writer based in Texas. He currently serves as Vice President of the Texas Golf Writers Association and has been a special contributor to Golfer’s Guide for over 10 years.
Though Huh came close on the finishing holes, none of the birdie attempts found the bottom of the cup.
For Every, a bogey on the par 4 15th (the 69th of the round), dashed his chances at a PGA Tour victory.
At 16 and 17, the final group all had pars, and so it came down to #18, the 72nd of the tournament, to see if Curtis could hold on to the lead.
As Every and Huh could only manage to par the 72nd hole, Curtis sank his putt for a birdie to win by 2 shots.
However, even though the Curtis win is a great story itself, the story of Huh finishing in a tie for 2nd. His first 9 on Thursday he seemed to be out of even making the cut. Yes, that early. He shot a 44 on the back side of the AT&T Oaks course at TPC San Antonio, his first 9. However, he rallied after the turn to a 33 for a total of 77, at that time 14 shots back from Round 1 leader, Matt Every.
Every, as you remember, shot the course record 63 on Thursday, and tied for 2nd.
During a Valero Texas Open tradition, Rudy's on the Range, I am fortunate to lunch with many players, caddies, media, sponsors, and volunteers. This year, I was able to lunch with Curtis' caddy, Ricky Elliot. We discussed how been had been playing lately, and also how he liked the course.
At that point, he had only played 10 holes, and Elliot said "Ben should do well this week. He's strking the ball well, and staying out of trouble." I did, of course ask, do you think he has a chance to win? As any good caddy would say "Well, of course!". Good on you Ricky!
Tony Vaught is an international golf writer based in Texas. He currently serves as Vice President of the Texas Golf Writers Association and has been a special contributor to Golfer’s Guide for over 10 years.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Valero Texas Open - 54 Holes Summary
Live from the Valero Texas Open --- Ben Curtis holds on to the lead after 54 holes with a score of -9. Matt Every, who shot a course record 63 in the opening round is 3 back, and John Huh, Seung-Yul Noh, and Charlie Wi sit at -4.
From PGA TOUR Media: The third round is now in the books on what was an incredibly difficult day of scoring in which TPC San Antonio played well over par. Ben Curtis started the day with a two-shot lead, shot a 1-over 73 and now leads by three. That’s about as good an example as you’ll find when it comes to showing how tough a course played.
When asked how he felt being in this position going into the final round (shooting +1, but still having a 3 shot lead), Curtis chuckled "It's better than being 3 down."
With all the excitement of watching paint dry, we scribes scurried back to our laptops to get the last remaining words down before calling it a night.
This evening, there is a Valero Texas Open tradition -- a free concert. Robert Earl Keen and Wade Bowen will take to the stage momentarily, however this writer will leave that to "young folk".
After a day of being more "PC" than ever before (that story will come out next week -- stay tuned), a couple of cold Shiner Bock at home on the back porch sounds so inviting right now.
From PGA TOUR Media: The third round is now in the books on what was an incredibly difficult day of scoring in which TPC San Antonio played well over par. Ben Curtis started the day with a two-shot lead, shot a 1-over 73 and now leads by three. That’s about as good an example as you’ll find when it comes to showing how tough a course played.
When asked how he felt being in this position going into the final round (shooting +1, but still having a 3 shot lead), Curtis chuckled "It's better than being 3 down."
With all the excitement of watching paint dry, we scribes scurried back to our laptops to get the last remaining words down before calling it a night.
This evening, there is a Valero Texas Open tradition -- a free concert. Robert Earl Keen and Wade Bowen will take to the stage momentarily, however this writer will leave that to "young folk".
After a day of being more "PC" than ever before (that story will come out next week -- stay tuned), a couple of cold Shiner Bock at home on the back porch sounds so inviting right now.
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