While we all wish it was Masters week, we are not quite there. As we sit on the precipice of the most enjoyable week of golf each year, we are treated to The Valero Texas Open for now. A respectable tournament that provides a fair test to the field for the week, which has some added star power this year as some players try to use it as a ramp up for The Masters. The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio favors players who are better around the greens than your average PGA Tour course and penalizes inaccurate drivers less. With the stage now set, let us get into our picks for the week. We even have a bonus pick included as we had a hard time winnowing down our choices to just three this week! As per usual our selections will span the top, middle, and bottom of the odds board.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig is truly a stand out player on Tour. He hits it a mile off the tee, hits it close with irons, and generally putts well. I saw someone call him Ludvig Aiberg and that feels like an appropriate nickname for the experience of watching him play golf. His swing is so repeatable and so simple he appears as if he was built in a lab to play this game. He has not missed any cuts this year and has two top ten finishes, both at signature events. He is coming in off an 8th place finish at The Players and TPC San Antonio seems to be a course that would fit his game well (not that any course is a bad fit for him). With a top heavy field this week, I really like Ludvig’s chances to come out and make a statement. I am picking Ludvig to win this week in San Antonio.
Matt Kuchar
After having a resurgent season last year, Kuchar has been in poor form this year. He has only made the cut in two of his starts and his best finish is a T39 at Pebble Beach. This is clearly not a form pick but a true horse for a course pick. Kuchar’s last four finishes at this event are T3, T2, T12, and T7. I would rather be wrong thinking that this trend would continue than be one of the first people off the bandwagon for him at this event. Based on his recent history here, I like Kuchar to find some better form and finish in the Top 10 this week in San Antonio.
Alejandro Tosti
Tosti is about as close a player as you will find to the bomb it off the tee and figure out the rest archetype. He is 5th on tour in driving distance right now. At a venue that does not punish off line drives as much as other venues, this could be a big week for Tosti as he is always a long way down the fairway, but not always in it. He is also coming in on the back of his best finish of the season, a T2 last week in Houston. Combine his weapon of a driver with a currently hot putter at this venue, and I think you have a recipe for success. Look for Tosti to grab a top 10 finish this week at The Texas Open.
Chan Kim
Chan Kim has made the cut in 7 of his 9 starts on tour this year and is riding a streak of 6 consecutive made cuts. He has had a hard time recording really high finishes though because he has a tendency to play 3 great rounds and one awful round. He has a 79, 77, 76 (2), and 75 to his name this year all coming in different events. He plays well enough over multiple days to finish well, but just cannot seem to string together 4 quality rounds. When he does, they are usually at birdie fest events and his success is washed out some by the field. This course is gettable, but not easy by any means. I think a lot of things come together this week for Chan Kim and he finishes in the top 20 at The Texas Open this week.
