One week after Billy Horschel won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as a +7500 dark horse, the PGA Tour heads 90 minutes down the road to TPC San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open.

This event is the final tune-up before the Masters gets underway April 8-11, and most of the big names in golf have decided to skip this week.

One superstar who was slated to compete was World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, but on Monday he declined to play, withdrawing from the tournament in order to prepare for his Masters title defence.

That leaves Tony Finau as the only top-20 player in the world teeing it up.

Another popular player competing is Rickie Fowler, who has struggled this season and he needs a victory to make the Masters field next week, or else he'll miss the event for the first time since 2010.

This championship wasn't contested last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a tour shutdown.

The Valero Texas Open has become a breeding ground for players winning their maiden PGA Tour title, with the last three champions all making this their first triumph.

First off it was Kevin Chappell in 2017, then Andrew Landry followed him in 2018.

Then Canada's own Corey Conners took the title in 2019, meaning he returns as defending champ.

Two years ago, Conners became the first golfer since 2010 (Arjun Atwal) to Monday qualify for a tournament and then go on to win it that week.

It remains Conners' lone PGA Tour triumph, though he had two recent strong finishes before struggling in the Match Play, with a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a seventh at the Players Championship.

He heads the Canadian contingent as one of the +2200 favourites to win yet again.

There are five more Canadian hopefuls this week, with Adam Hadwin sporting the next lowest odds at +8000 to win outright.

The other four are considerable long shots, with Nick Taylor and Roger Sloan at +12500 and David Hearn and Michael Gligic facing long +30000 odds.

Here's our first look at the field for the Valero Texas Open.

Betting Odds To Win 2021 Valero Texas Open – Top 15

Jordan Spieth               +1000

Tony Finau                    +1400

Scottie Scheffler           +1400

Hideki Matsuyama      +1800

Corey Conners              +2000

Abraham Ancer            +2200

Ryan Palmer                 +2800

Si Woo Kim                   +2800

Cameron Tringale         +2800

Charley Hoffman           +3000

Brendan Steele             +3500

Chris Kirk                      +4000

Cameron Davis             +4500

Zach Johnson               +5000

Matt Kuchar                   +5000

 

Spieth sporting super low +1000 odds

It’s hard to believe Jordan Spieth hasn’t won a golf tournament since he captured the 2017 Open Championship claret jug.

His play in the early going of 2021 seems to suggest he’s on the cusp of breaking through and getting back into the winner’s circle.

He co-led through 54 holes in Phoenix before settling for a T-4 result.

Then he went to Pebble Beach and again led going into the final round, only to settle for a tie for third.

He posted another great event at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was another T-4, but he’s yet to convert his best chances this season.

Spieth played well at last week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, winning his round-robin group before being dispatched by Matt Kuchar in the sweet 16.

He’s had a mixed bag at this championship, finishing runner-up in 2015 and 10th in 2014, but has also missed a cut and has middling T-40 and T-31 results.

He certainly has the talent and has been playing much better lately, but at low +1000 odds, the fact he hasn’t won since 2017 and has only played at this venue once since 2015 would make it tough to go all-in on him this week with a great deal of confidence.

Past Five Winners of the Valero Texas Open

2019 Corey Conners -20 (2 shot win)

2018 Andrew Landry -17 (2 shot win)

2017 Kevin Chappell -12 (1 shot win)

2016 Charley Hoffman -12 (1 shot win)

2015 Jimmy Walker -11 (4 shot win)

*The 2020 tournament was not contested due to COVID-19

FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Horse For This Course

Charley Hoffman +3000

Charley Hoffman loves this venue, having won the title in 2016.

He's also been a runner-up on a pair of occasions, way back in 2011 and also the most recent version in 2019 to Conners.

He's excelled in several strokes gained categories at TPC San Antonio.

In the last 36 rounds, he's first in total strokes gained and ball striking, second tee-to-green and putting, and third in SG: off-the-tee and approaching the green.

Hoffman has also been playing solidly recently, making the weekend in five straight tournaments, racking up three top-20 finishes.

Among those was a T-7 at Pebble Beach, a T-10 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T-17 at the Players Championship.

Hoffman benefits from DJ’s absence and with his excellent record around this track he could be a worthy selection.

Trending Up

Zach Johnson +5000

Two-time major champion Zach Johnson had a rough 2019 and start to 2020 where he went 33 straight tournaments without a top-10.

The wily veteran has seen something of a resurgence, posting four top-10's in the last 14 times teeing it up while making the cut in all of them, including a T-8 in his last start at the Honda Classic.

He was fifth in his last Valero Texas Open in 2018, and had a solid T-6 in 2014.

In the last 24 rounds at this track, he's first in strokes gained tee-to-green and sixth in total strokes gained.

Johnson has also won this championship twice, In 2008 and again in 2009, though that was at a different course.

His +5000 odds are intriguing for a player that is on the upswing.