The Valero Texas Open is the second-oldest surviving PGA event, dating back to 1922. This year’s tournament will once again take place in San Antonio, Texas at the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio from Thursday, April 1 to Sunday, April 4. It will also be the first Valero Texas Open since 2019 due to last season’s tournament being cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns.
It’s also an important event because next week is the 2021 Masters Tournament, meaning this could be the last opportunity for golfers to gain momentum before the next major.
Speaking of which, not only is Dustin Johnson favored to win the Masters, but he’s also the favorite to win this week’s Valero Texas Open. BetOnline has listed his odds at +700 heading into the tournament.
Odds to Win 2021 Valero Texas Open
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, March 29
- Dustin Johnson +700
- Jordan Spieth +1200
- Scottie Scheffler +1600
- Tony Finau +1600
- Hideki Matsuyama +2000
- Corey Conners +2200
- Abraham Ancer +2500
- Brendan Steele +3000
- Cameron Tringale +3000
- Charley Hoffman +3000
- Ryan Palmer +3000
- Chris Kirk +4000
- Si Woo Kim +4000
- Keegan Bradley +5000
- Matt Kuchar +5000
Can Johnson Get One More Win Before the Masters?
Dustin Johnson enters the Valero Texas Open as the +700 favorite to win. While he started the 2021 PGA Season with five top-11 finishes, which includes winning the 2020 Masters, Johnson hasn’t played well since then. He’s finished 54th, 48th and 28th in his last three events. As the 2021 Masters Tournament favorite, it would be good for Johnson to have a decent showing in San Antonio before turning his attention to Augusta, Georgia.
Johnson hasn’t played in this tournament since 2015 when he finished sixth. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Johnson was a late addition to the Valero Texas Open for a reason and that’s to use it as a tune-up before the Masters. If he plays poorly again, it’ll be interesting to see how he performs next week as the favorite to win one of golf’s biggest championships.
Valero Texas Open Fowler’s Last Chance to Qualify for Masters
If anybody literally needs to win the Valero Texas Open, it’s Rickie Fowler (+6600). The 32-year-old only has two top-25 finishes in 14 events over this year’s PGA Tour. It’s gotten to the point where Fowler needs to win this week’s tournament if he wants to play in the 2021 Masters. If he fails, the 2021 Masters Tournament would be the first major he’d miss since 2010.
While he may not have a lot, Fowler does have some Valero Texas Open experience. He’s only competed at the event once, which was back in 2019 when he finished 19th. Golfers have qualified for the Masters at the last minute before and it’s possible that Fowler could shock the world one more time, albeit a long shot at +6600.
Conners Looking for Back-to-Back Victories
2019 Valero Texas Open winner Corey Conners (+2200) has decent odds of being the first player to win the tournament back-to-back since Zach Johnson (+5000) did it in 2008 and 2009. His 2019 win came on a two-stroke victory over Charley Hoffman (+3000).
He’d also be the first Canadian to win the tournament multiple times.
Conners has quietly been having a good 2021 PGA Season. In 15 events, he’s finished in the top-25 nine times. He also had top-7 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and PLAYERS Championship in March. While he’s not the favorite to win, Conners has shown that he’ll compete to the very end and could surprise the field again if he’s able to perform as he did back in 2019.
Full odds list and markets available at BetOnline.ag.
