Fantasy Golf Tournament Preview- Valero Texas Open
OVERVIEW
The PGA Tour is in San Antonio this week for the Valero Texas Open. Wind is a pretty big factor this week, so it’ll be important to target strong wind players as well as our normal array of statistics. We’re back to a Par 72, which means we get to target Par 5 scoring again which is nice. As I mentioned above, wind is a big factor this week, so not only will we need to target the usual guys who “play well in the wind”, but we’ll also need to target Aussies (Greg Norman’s Design team redesigned the course in 2010 so it makes sense that Aussies would play well here), players who have played well in British Opens, and generally more European players. The course’s defense isn’t just the wind. There are bunkers placed in strategic approach areas and off the tee, so sand saves make its first appearance as a secondary statistic to target this week. Of course, that basically goes hand in hand with scrambling, but it’s also something to keep an eye on when looking for pivots or deciding between players. One thing to note, the runner-ups here in four of the last five years are all Major champions as of writing, which speaks volumes of the type of player it may take to win or come close to winning here. On top of that, Ben Curtis, Adam Scott, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson have all won majors and this event.
TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
o The Course
• TPC San Antonio
• Par 72
• 7,400 yards
• Bermuda greens
o Location: San Antonio, TX
o Corollary Courses: TPC Louisiana
o Past Champions:
• 2017: Kevin Chappell -12 over Brooks Koepka
• 2016: Charley Hoffman -12 over Patrick Reed
• 2015: Jimmy Walker -11 over Jordan Spieth
• 2014: Steven Bowditch -8 over Will Mackenzie & Daniel Summerhays
• 2013: Martin Laird -14 over Rory McIlroy
KEY STATS TO TARGET
o Strong Emphasis – SG: Ball Striking, Birdie or Better %, Par 5 Scoring, Scrambling
o Important – SG: Putting, Sand Saves, P4 Scoring: 400-450 & 450-500, APP 150-175 & 175-200, Putting inside 5’
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