Walker among five players to watch beyond ‘Big Three’
SAN ANTONIO — All eyes will be on the “Big Three” of Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth, the top names in this year’s field, when the Valero Texas Open tees off Thursday at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course:
But here are five other players that merit keeping an eye on this week:
Jimmy Walker
Perhaps no one in the 144-player player field needs a good showing more than Walker. The former Boerne resident, now living in San Antonio, is in the midst of major slump with 14 missed cuts in his past 20 starts, dating back to last year. His most recent outing at the Honda Classic was encouraging with three rounds of even par or below par golf. But it’s been a long time since Walker has put four good rounds together. He won the tournament in 2015 for his first tour victory and traditionally plays well in the Texas Open, finishing tied for 31st or better nine times including his title year in 13 career starts. Another win would be nice, but the way Walker has been struggling, even a top-25 finish would be considered progress.
Corey Conners
The defending champion, Conners is attempting to become the first back-toback champion since Zach Johnson (2008-09). The Canada native became the first golfer to go from Monday qualifier to tour winner since 2010 when he won the Texas Open in 2019 for his first tour victory. The 29-year-old, ranked No. 41 in the world and No. 28 in the FedEx Cup standings, is having another successful season with five top 10s and nine top-25 finishes in 15 starts with $2.3 million in earnings.
Charley Hoffman
The 2016 champion always seems to be near the top of the Texas Open leaderboard. Since the event moved to TPC San Antonio in 2010, the 44year-old San Diego native has three top-three finishes and four other showings of 13th or better, in addition to his win in 2016. He finished second in 2019, losing to Conners by two strokes. The UNLV graduate is enjoying a solid 2021, with three top 10s and seven top-25 finishes in 17 starts.
Abraham Ancer
The San Antonio resident is still in search of his first PGA Tour win. This could be the week. The 30-year-old native of McAllen who was raised in Reynosa, Mexico, is enjoying another solid season with two top-10 finishes and eight top 25s in 13 starts with more than $1.5 million in earnings. Ranked 31st in the Official World Golf Rankings and 37th in the FedEx Cup standings, Ancer finished tied for 42nd at the Texas Open in 2019 and tied for 58th in 2018.
Scottie Scheffler
The University of Texas graduate, 24, is coming off a second-place finish in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin on Sunday, moving him up in both the Official World Golf Rankings (32 to 22) and FedEx Cup points standings (59 to 26). After a stellar 2020, he’s enjoying another solid season with three top 10s and seven top-25 finishes in 14 events with $2.4 million in earnings. He finished tied for 20th in his only previous Texas Open start in 2019.