Valero Texas Open expected to welcome impressive field

Although Austin lost its PGA Tour event when the Dell Technologies Match Play fell off the 2024 schedule, area golf fans still have plenty of opportunities to see some of the world’s best players in the region.

For example, the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio has already secured a number of top players for this year’s 103rd playing of the event. Collin Morikawa (ranked fourth in the world) joins No. 6 Ludvig Aberg, No. 11 Tommy Fleetwood and No. 12 Patrick Cantlay in making early commitments to the event, which is held on the Oak Course at TPC San Antonio. The tournament is the last stop before players head to the Masters, so the stakes are always high.

A year ago, Akshay Bhatia finished off one of the most impressive and improbable wire-to-wire victories in recent memory, fending off a heroic charge by runner-up Denny McCarthy on Sunday afternoon to capture the title. Bhatia is expected to return as are other former champs Corey Conners (2019, 2023), J.J. Spaun (2022), Charley Hoffman (2016), and Zach Johnson (2008, 2009).

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Others expected to be in the field include Max Homa and Brian Harman, who captured the 2023 Open Championship.

While the ride is longer for Austin residents, the ticket prices are also more affordable than they were at the Dell Match Play, which was held at Austin Country Club. General admission tickets are available through the PGA Tour for $50 while children under 16 get free general admission access with a ticketed adult.

Jordan Spieth shines in Phoenix

It’s fitting that Jordan Spieth made his best showing of 2025 in Phoenix, because the former Texas star seems to make a habit of rising from the ashes when others start to count him out.

Spieth, 31, now has a pair of tournaments under his belt in a return from offseason wrist surgery. Before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, he said he wanted to get in contention just one time before the Masters and had low expectations as he worked his way back to his old form.

But two weeks later, it seems the sky's the limit for Spieth, and a return to the winner's circle now might be a matter of when, not if, as it’s seemed the past couple of years.

Spieth has recorded five straight rounds in the 60s, has only two bogeys in his last 90 holes played and just recorded his best finish since the 2025 Sentry with his T-4 showing at TPC Scottsdale. He never truly challenged winner Thomas Detry over the weekend (no one really did), but Spieth's brilliance, including his out-of-this-world par save on the 11th hole Sunday, provided a glimpse of the Spieth of old and perhaps a return to what once was.

"It was a big progress week for me," Spieth said. "I didn't feel like this was a one-off. It felt like this is just trending the right direction. I'm pretty realistic with myself on that. My expectations have been low, like I've mentioned. Just trying to get a little bit better each time."

Coming into the week, Spieth said last week at Pebble Beach he aggravated his wrist injury during the first round at Pebble Beach but finally settled in by Sunday, when he signed for a bogey-free 67 and carried momentum to TPC Scottsdale.

He finished T-6 at the WM in 2023 and 2024, so the course history was there for a strong finish this year. Four rounds in the 60s later, his return seems well ahead of schedule.

Austin's Loraloma course nearing completion

Golf course designer David McLay Kidd’s new Austin project Loraloma is scheduled to open in May and is creating a buzz. The Scottish architect has a résumé that includes dozens of courses around the world, including the original layout at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon and the highly ranked Gamble Sands in Washington.

Although much of Loraloma, with two miles of frontage along the Pedernales and Colorado rivers, will only have homes on a handful of holes, 29 homesites along the 15th hole have recently opened up. The lots aren’t cheap, starting at $1.125 (and each lot reservation requires a $250,000 non-refundable deposit). However, those who sign on get a social membership valued at $25,000.

“The Loraloma landscape is vastly more visually inspiring than most of what exists in the Austin area today,” McLay Kidd said when plans for the course were originally unveiled. “Our goal is to open up this compelling landscape to golfers for a world-class experience, and I will tread very lightly to preserve and protect this land so that it can be enjoyed and embraced for generations to come.”

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock. Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open to welcome Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg