The First Look: Vivint Houston Open

Ya hear, pards? There’s a new sheriff in town. With the revised look of the PGA TOUR schedule this season, the Valero Texas Open has assumed a new position. This week’s edition is the first of 10 straight in the week preceding the Masters. The AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio hosts for the 10th consecutive year. For more on this extreme par 72 and other nuggets of knowledge, scroll past the ranking. Corales champion Graeme McDowell, Jordan Spieth, Charley Hoffman and former VTO winners Jimmy Walker and Andrew Landry will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. For the tournament that’s never left San Antonio since it debuted in 1922, it’s not easy to present fresh perspective. And truth be told, this isn’t the first time that the Valero Texas Open has been contested on the eve of the Masters, but it’s just the second. Six years ago, in the last season before the PGA TOUR introduced the wraparound schedule, the VTO immediately preceded the Masters. The primary difference between then and now is that the 2013 field went the full 156 deep. This week’s field was limited to 144 entrants. Even at San Antonio’s latitude in early April, the limitation of daylight impacts field size. The last exemption into the Masters is reserved for the winner of the Valero Texas Open. As of midday Monday, only 17 in the field at TPC San Antonio have qualified for the season’s first major. While the opportunity to play is invaluable, the opportunity to be tested is guaranteed. TPC San Antonio is a beast of 7,435 yards. Despite the full complement of four par 5s, it’s never averaged under par. Last year’s clip of 72.367 slotted it third-hardest among par 72s in non-majors. The field averaged 4.81 on the par 5s, which have never ranked easier than fourth-hardest of any course during a PGA TOUR season. Greens average 6,400 square feet, so they’re not small targets, but they’re among the stingiest in holding for scoring opportunities. Last year’s field average of 11 greens in regulation per round ranked the course ninth-lowest all season, and that was more than half a click higher than the previous year. As a result, splitting fairways eases the challenge more than usual, but despite two-inch primary rough which is overseeded, proficiency in finding the shortest grass still isn’t a prerequisite for success. En route to his breakthrough title last year, Andrew Landry beat the field average of fairways hit by less than one percent, and then paced it in GIR. He also brought his touch around and on the targets in ranking eighth in strokes gained: putting and second in scrambling. This combination likely will define this week’s champion. The undulating putting surfaces (overseeded bermuda) are governed to run no faster than 11 feet on the Stimpmeter due to winds that are a way of life in south Texas. However, and with a note of respect for the possibility of change, breezes are forecast to be negligible throughout the entirety of the tournament. This wasn’t the case in 2013 when gusts reached 25 mph, much more in line with what’s expected in the Hill Country. With sunshine warming, daytime temperatures will rise into the mid-80s every day but Saturday when clouds and the risk of inclement weather will make it feel 10 degrees cooler. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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Byeong Hun An (+400 for a Top 20) … For some, it probably doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago that they teed it up at Congaree; for him, it probably feels like it’s been a minute. In the PGA TOUR season in between editions, he forged forward on the Korn Ferry Tour and promptly regained status in the big leagues just in time for this second appearance in the Lowcountry (T52). Opened this season with a reminder of his talent in the form of a T4 at Silverado, so he’s back with some momentum piggybacking the purpose. He’s also representing his homeland in the only TOUR stop positioning South Koreans in the spotlight, so the 31-year-old also is buoyed by national pride this week. J.J. Spaun (+350 for a Top 20) … Breakthrough winner in San Antonio just six-and-a-half months ago, it’s basically an insult to drop him in here, but value is value. He scuffled for a while after the coronation at the Valero Texas Open but has since reconnected with the kind of form that yielded the career-defining experience. In his last seven starts, he’s cashed six times, four of which for a top 25, including in each of the last two times out. While he missed the cut at Congaree in 2021, the experience was invaluable for him to get an edge on where to miss and from where to make. Luke List (+275 for a Top 20) … Another first-time winner from earlier this year, when considering the champion of the Farmers Insurance Open for any outcome, it’s best to lean all the way into one direction or the other. Since he relies as much on power and precision from tee to green as anyone, the hope is for no worse than a push with the putter. In a week like this, when only 19 in the field competed at Congaree in 2021, including him (MC), understanding the nuance and undulations of the greens requires time for course debutants. That increases the value of his skill set. The exercise isn’t unlike how it was at Narashino last week, albeit on a much shorter track. Naturally, he led the field in measured drives (ShotLink wasn’t utilized) and ranked T12 in greens hit, but he finished second-to-last in putts per GIR. A final-round 72 bumped him 12 spots on the leaderboard to a T29, his best finish in eight starts. Keith Mitchell … His active narrative can be traced all the way back to about a month before the PGA TOUR first swung through town. It was at the Wells Fargo Championship in May of 2021 when he eliminated pressure of qualifying for the Playoffs and keeping his card. Although he’d missed the cut at the Palmetto Championship at Congaree, he’s gone on record 11 top-15 finishes on the shoulders of a strong, balanced bag. He’s missed only three cuts in individual competition in the last 12 months and only one (Open Championship) in his last 11 starts. Alex Smalley … Among the throng of those who call the Carolinas home, the resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Duke University product has emerged quietly and comfortably as a touring professional on the biggest stage. He advanced to the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs as a rookie last season and has opened 2022-23 with a pair of paydays in three starts, including a T25 last week in Japan. Already proven to improve closer to the hole, so he shouldn’t be playing from behind off the tee at forgiving Congaree. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

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Tiger Woods hit 11 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in a second-round 66 to move from a tie for 25th to a tie for eighth at the WGC-Mexico Championship, where Dustin Johnson leads.

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