We were so close to claiming our first outright win of the season with Nicolai Hojgaard last week, but he failed to put any pressure on Gary Woodland early in the final round. While an outright win would have been nice, it's so great to see Woodland back in the winner's circle after everything that he has gone through the last few years.
We have one final event before the Masters next week. The cutoff of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings to qualify for Augusta National is over, so the only way a golfer can punch their ticket to the year's first major is by winning the Valero Texas Open.
This isn't the strongest field that we've had this year, but there are still a few big names teeing it up in San Antonio. So let's get into my Texas Open picks and predictions.
Where is the Texas Open?
Texas Open Course Preview: TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course)
TPC San Antonio is a Par 72 that measures 7,438 yards. This is a standard Par 72 layout that features four Par 5s and four Par 3s.
This has been one of the 18 most difficult courses on TOUR in each of the last five years, but the difficulty truly hinges on the weather. It tends to get windy in Texas, and we are looking at heavy wind and rain this weekend.
It'll be interesting to see if they can finish the tournament on Sunday, as the TOUR will not want to have a Monday finish the week of the Masters.
This course features narrow fairways (27 yards wide on average) that lead to low driving accuracy. With thick, rough and tough to hit fairways, it's easy to see why the greens in regulation rate is so low at this event each year.
The greens themselves are average in size (6,400 square feet) and feature bermudagrass with poa trivialis overseed. They will run around 12 on the stimpmeter, which is pretty average for a PGA TOUR event.
We've seen quite the mix of winners at this event over the years. We've seen short game wizards and elite ball strikers win here, so there isn't a super strong course fit.
However, good drivers of the ball will have a major advantage with the narrow fairways and thick rough. Good iron players are always going to have an edge on more difficult courses. And with these greens being tough to hit in regulation, a tidy short game is a positive.
Texas Open Picks
For the second straight week, some big names have withdrawn on Tuesday. Collin Morikawa and Daniel Berger have decided to take the week off, and it has shaken up the odds board.
I'm starting to think this article would have more value if posted on Monday, as we have missed out on better outright numbers two weeks in a row. While not ideal, I still love four bets for the Valero Texas Open.
Si Woo Kim +2200 (FanDuel)
It's hard to envision a better course for Kim.
He's one of the most accurate drivers of the ball on TOUR (while also gaining strokes off the tee), he's second in this field in strokes gained approach in 2026, and he's 10th in this field in strokes gained around the green over the last 12 months.
He hasn't missed a cut all year and has three top-6 finishes under his belt already this season. He also has a good track record at TPC San Antonio, as he's finished in the top 25 in two of the last four years.
The putter is always a wild card, but he could easily run away with this event if he has a good week on the greens.
Maverick McNealy +2800 (Caesars)
McNealy might be the most complete golfer in this week's field.
He has been positive in all four of the strokes gained categories so far in 2026 and is first in the field in Par 5 scoring (which always comes in handy on a Par 72).
He already has one PGA TOUR win on his resume (2024 RSM Classic) and has three top 15 finishes in his last six starts, so he comes into the week in solid form.
He's also made each of his last three cuts at this event and finished T3 here last year. If I could only make one bet this week, it would be McNealy at +2800.
Ryo Hisatsune +4100 (DraftKings)
Hisatsune is having his best year on the PGA TOUR.
He's rattled off eight straight made cuts and has four top 15 finishes during that stretch, including a runner-up finish at Torrey Pines, which is another long and difficult Par 72.
He's fifth in the field in good drive percentage, 10th in strokes gained approach, and 20th in strokes gained around the green this season.
He's an excellent fit for this course, so it's not surprising that he finished T5 here last year.
Thorbjorn Olesen +6500 (DraftKings)
If you look strictly at his form, you would probably scroll right past Olesen this week. He has missed four of his last six cuts, which isn't exactly ideal.
However, the underlying statistics suggest that he's been playing much better than the results. In this field, he's 30th in strokes gained off the tee and sixth in strokes gained approach in 2026. The ball striking has been there; he just hasn't had any success on the greens.
I'm not overly concerned, as he was a positive putter in 2025. I like that he finished T14 last week, and I love that he's finished T5 and T14 at this event in the last two years.
When is the Texas Open?
The 2026 Texas Open tees off on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
- What: 2026 Texas Open
- When: April 2-5, 2026
- Where: TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course), San Antonio, Texas
- Par: 72
- Length: 7,438
- Purse: $9.8 million
Where to Watch the Texas Open?
2026 Texas Open TV Schedule
Round 1: Thursday, April 2
- Live stream: ESPN+ (8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (4 to 7 p.m. ET)
Round 2: Friday, April 3
- Live stream: ESPN+ (8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (4 to 7 p.m. ET)
Round 3: Saturday, April 4
- Live stream: ESPN+ (10:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 2:30 p.m. ET); NBC (2:30 to 6 p.m. ET)
Round 4: Sunday, April 5
- Live stream: ESPN+ (10:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 2:30 p.m. ET); NBC (2:30 to 6 p.m. ET)
