Mark Hubbard (-7) is the first leader of the Valero Texas Open after a troubled opening round. The last tournament on the PGA Tour before the Masters at Augusta started an hour and a half late because of the bad weather and could not complete its first 18 holes. A total of 23 players will have to finish their opening round at TPC San Antonio this Friday. The good news is that no delay should accumulate, since the second round is expected to start at the scheduled time.
The rain made the course more receptive and contributed to slightly more favourable scores. Otherwise, it would have been carnage, as happened in the final groups of the day. The afternoon grew trickier due to the wind and because the greens were gradually regaining their firmness. For that reason, none of those who have not yet finished has a chance of being the leader.
Hubbard has put forward the first serious bid to claim that final spot awarded for the Masters. It will only go to the winner and provided they are not already qualified. In any case, there are still 54 holes left to see who will take that coveted prize. Another player who has gone all out for it from the start is Tony Finau (-6), probably the most illustrious of all those trying this week.
The American has played every Major since 2017 and hopes to prevent the streak from ending on this final attempt. Recent poor results have left him in deep water, but he is determined to surface just in time. He’s not exactly a born winner; he’s always found it hard to come close, but the big prize he seeks is the best possible motivation. Finau had already been playing well and confirmed it in the opening round on this demanding course.
That said, the field is so evenly matched it’s impossible to predict anything. Four players are tied with Finau: Davis Thompson, Andrew Putnam, Robert MacIntyre and Steven Fisk. Of them all, MacIntyre has the least pressure. The Scot has already won on the PGA Tour and is already qualified for Augusta. Indeed, his status as a left-hander and his ability to win arguably put him among the contenders for victory in the first Major of the year.
There are as many as nine players two shots behind. Very tight standings. Among them stand out Ludvig Aberg, Will Zalatoris, Maverick McNealy, Ludvig Aberg or the young South African Christo Lamprecht. There are no fewer than 30 players separated by just three shots. The highest-ranked players yet to finish their rounds are Pontus Nyholm, John Parry and Jeffrey Kang at -4
