It’s Valero Texas Open week at TPC San Antonio. This week’s field is one of the weaker ones that we will see on Tour this season, as players like Brandt Snedeker and Charley Hoffman are priced above $11,000. TPC San Antonio is a tough par 72 setup that plays just over 7,400 yards. While there isn’t much water on the course, native areas and fescue are found in bunches. The wind also plays a huge factor at this tournament every year and this week will be no exception. This a long, difficult course that favors distance and ball striking, so I am placing an emphasis on strokes gained off the tee, greens in regulation, scrambling, and bogey avoidance this week.
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Recommendations
- Charley Hoffman: $11,200
- Brendan Steele: $10,100
- Xander Schauffele: $10,100
- Jamie Lovemark: $10,000
- Keegan Bradley: $9,700
- Grayson Murray: $8,700
Reasoning
Charley Hoffman ($11,200)
Hoffman stands out as our course horse this week. He has made the cut at this event in all eight of his tries, highlighted by a win in 2016. Hoffman is ranked tenth in the field in strokes gained tee to green and has been in solid form over the past three weeks, finishing T23, T14, and T12 at the Masters. The fact that he is one of the highest priced golfers on the board this week might drive his ownership down a bit, but Hoffman’s history at TPC San Antonio makes him a great option in tournaments.
Brendan Steele ($10,100)
In the $10k range, Steele stands out to me for a few reasons statistically. Steele ranks first in the field in total driving and third in strokes gained tee to green. He is a ball striking machine and he has been in tremendous form this season – missing his only cut at the Masters. His season has been highlighted by a win at the Safeway Open and a T3 at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix in early February. He is a strong option to make the weekend and be in contention come Sunday.
Xander Schauffele ($10,100)
While Schauffele missed the cut at this event last year, he should be able to rebound here this week. He is an extremely talented young player and should be able to take advantage of a weaker field. Schauffele also ranks fifth in the field in strokes gained off the tee. With a strong all-around game and only one missed cut to his name this season, Schauffele is due for a top ten finish soon. There’s no reason to think it won’t happen for him this week in San Antonio.
Jamie Lovemark ($10,000)
Lovemark has strung together a couple of strong performances in his past four tournaments, finishing T16 at the Valspar and 7th at the Honda Classic. What’s notable about these two events is that they both are difficult and often play too windy conditions. With the wind set to play a huge part this weekend, it is encouraging to see that Lovemark flashes his upside in difficult conditions. He ranks 35th on Tour in driving distance, 42nd in scrambling, and is a strong wedge player that ranks 40th in strokes gained approach from inside 125 yards. He will be a solid option this week.
Keegan Bradley ($9,700)
I often tend to avoid Keegan due to his well-documented putting woes, but his ability to drive the golf ball makes him a great option this week. He ranks 32nd on Tour in strokes gained off the tee (ranking 41st in distance and 19th in accuracy) and 12th in greens in regulation percentage. If you looked at these two stats alone, and not his putting, Bradley is one of the stronger plays on the board this week when you factor in his price. He’s flashed upside a few times this season at the Farmers Insurance Open and CIMB Classic, finishing 5th and 2nd respectively. I believe that he has top ten upside again at this event.
Grayson Murray ($8,700)
Rounding out the lower range, Grayson Murray is my favorite play in the high-$8,000 range this week. He ranks 11th in the field in driving distance and should have low ownership after missing a cut at the RBC Heritage last week. Prior to that event, Murray finished T14 in back-to-back events. While he isn’t the most accurate driver of the golf ball, Murray is a decent iron player that can get hot if he is driving it well. It’s difficult to find top-15 upside in the $8k range, but Murray offers that this week.
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Jay Brancato is an NBA and PGA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. You can follow him on Twitter @jay_brancato.