Valero Texas Open
Contents:
Spieth Headlines List of Newest Player CommitmentsBirdies for Charity – Trying to Break Records
Did You Know? Invaluable Volunteers
Dash to the VTO Post-Race Party Sponsor Spotlight
Jordan Spieth Headlines List of Newest Player Commitments
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Spieth, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner, will be competing in the Valero Texas Open for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015.
We are proud to announce that Jordan Spieth, a three-time major championship winner, headlines a group of major champions scheduled to compete in San Antonio this April.

In addition to Spieth, U.S. Open champions Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner are in the field. Boerne resident Jimmy Walker, a past Valero Texas Open and PGA Championship winner, was part of an earlier announcement of committed players.

Spieth, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner, will be competing in the Valero Texas Open for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015, the same year he won his first major at the Masters Tournament. Spieth followed the win in Augusta with a U.S. Open title and two more wins on his way to Player of the Year honors and being crowned FedExCup Champion. In 2017, Spieth won The Open Championship, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three legs of the Grand Slam before the age of 24. The Dallas native and University of Texas alum is currently ranked 23rd in the world.

Dufner, a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR, won the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club (Pittsford, NY) two years after finishing second in Atlanta. His most recent win came at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament in 2017. This will be his first start in San Antonio since 2015.

Furyk captured the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields Country Club, the eighth of his 17 career victories. The 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain has a strong track-record here finishing no worse than T26 in three of his last four starts, including a T3 in 2013 and a T6 in 2014.

McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where the national championship returns this year for the first time since the Irishman won there. McDowell has three PGA TOUR victories and eight European Tour titles. This will mark his third consecutive start here.

Earlier, organizers announced player commitments from World No. 8 Rickie Fowler, 12th ranked Tony Finau as well as past Valero Texas Open champions Andrew Landry (2018), Kevin Chappell (2017), Jimmy Walker (2015), Martin Laird (2013) and Brendan Steele (2011). San Antonio residents Cameron Champ and Abraham Ancer are also in the field.

Players have until Friday, March 29 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to commit to the Valero Texas Open. They can withdraw from the tournament at any time.

Did You Know?
StarWith his victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Rickie Fowler recorded his fifth PGA TOUR victory in his 220th PGA TOUR start at the age of 30 years, 1 month, 21 days. Fowler, who is currently committed to play in the Valero Texas Open, also moved into the top 10 in the world.
StarEach year, the Valero Texas Open proves pivotal in the race for the FedExCup. Since being moved to its current spot on the schedule in 2009, the winner of the Valero Texas Open has made it through at least two Playoffs events eight of ten. Andrew Landry (2018), Kevin Chappell (2017) Jimmy Walker (2015), Adam Scott (2010) and Zach Johnson (2009) made it through the season-ending TOUR Championship.
StarSince 1970, there have only been four international winners of the Valero Texas Open, three of whom emerged since 2010: Steven Bowditch (2014), Martin Laird (2013), Adam Scott (2010). The fourth, Nick Price, defeated Steve Elkington in 1992 in sudden death at Oak Hills CC.
StarOur 2018 champion Andrew Landry once shot a 58 at his home course the Pea Patch, a nine-hole facility in Groves, Texas which has since closed. The course played about 6,300 yards. "Fifty-eight is 58," Landry says. Fellow PGA TOUR player Chris Stroud also played here as a youngster.
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Dash to the VTO Post-Race Party
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Click to print flyer.
The 3rd annual Dash to the VTO presented by Humana Military will be held on Saturday, March 30 and will include a 5k and one-mile run/walk race around TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. It’s a chance for participants to get a sneak peek at the tournament layout prior to the PGA TOUR competition beginning later that week.

A fun event for the whole family, this race will also help raise funds and awareness for the Valero Texas Open’s Birdies for Charity fundraising campaign.

Don’t forget to invite your cheering squad! Friends and family members are able to enjoy our post-race party by purchasing a Food & Beverage Spectator Pass. The $10 wristband for ages 5+ provides access to take partake in the post-race reception and enjoy the food, drinks and festivities after the conclusion of the race.

Learn more and register at: ValeroTexasOpen.com.

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Birdies for Charity – Trying to Break Records
The tournament hosted a Mid-Season Social on February 1 and provided a mid-season distribution of collected funds thus far totaling over $2.1M for the 2019 Birdies for Charity fundraising program. Birdies for Charity Ambassadors, Randy Carroll with KJ 97 and David Chancellor with WOAI were on-hand to help present the exciting news to the charity representatives.

Charities are striving to seek new donations by Feb. 28 to help them earn their spot within the Zachry Pro-Am Charity Challenge, which earns the coveted title of being in the Top 50 and guaranteeing a minimum of $500 bonus for their respective organization, plus opportunities to win more.

Birdies for Charity has a lofty goal to raise $6M for the 2019 fundraising campaign season. Donations are accepted through April 12 – so there is still time to contribute and support these 230+ participating charities and school programs.

LEARN MORE

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Invaluable Volunteers
Have you registered to volunteer at the Valero Texas Open yet? If not, here’s your chance to help a small handful of dynamic committees still needing help. Register today!

This month we want to feature two volunteers who work countless hours behind the scenes! Both gentlemen were our first and second-year “Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award” recipients.

Tom Mabe was a longtime volunteer who worked with players, fans, and officials for decades as a proud VTO volunteer. Tom was an American hero, retired from the US Army after being stationed in Germany and serving in Korea and Vietnam. Tom passed away during tournament week in 2014 and will be sorely missed, but remembered, at all future Valero Texas Open tournaments.

Tom always had a positive attitude and was truly a team player - willing and happy to take on any tasks or duties that were asked of him. He was passionate about the tournament and even more so of the charities that the VTO supports. Tom took pride in all that he did and was eager to pitch in any way he could.

The Volunteer of the Year Award has been named in his honor and all volunteers and TLC members have the opportunity to nominate a volunteer worthy of recognition who embodies the same character, spirit, and passion as Tom Mabe including his dedication, commitment, passion, charity, character, sacrifice & leadership.

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Greg Brueland was announced as the winner of the inaugural “Tom Mabe of the Volunteer Year Award” in 2015. Brueland embodies the essence and true spirit of volunteerism. He was the Back Nine Coordinator of the Gallery Control committee and now serves on the Tournament Leadership Council (TLC) as Vice Chair for the Operations – Rapid Response committee. He is often complimented for his selflessness and mentorship to other volunteers. Brueland embodies passion, enthusiasm, and his invaluable help is contagious.

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Gerry Hagar has worked as a part of the Pro-VIP Shuttle committee for several years and now serves as TLC Chair for the committee. He exhibits incredible selflessness, commitment, willingness to assist in any situation and despite the long hours of volunteering seven days straight, from sun-up to sun-down during tournament week, maintains a wonderful sense of humor. Hagar was awarded the “Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award” for his outstanding work with the Valero Texas Open in 2016.


To learn more about the benefits of being a part of this elite group of volunteers please visit our website.

Sponsor Spotlight
Sponsor
Founded in 2005 by brothers Kevin & Gary Kelleher, Dripping Springs Vodka is micro-distilled 20 times in small 50-gallon batches then mixed with pure, mineral-rich artesian spring water from the Texas Hill Country before a final clarifying slow filtration through Swedish activated charcoal. Dripping Springs Vodka won Gold Best in Class and the Vodka Purity Trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008. It is the only American Vodka to have won the Vodka Purity Trophy in 50 years of the IWSC, which is the world’s largest and most prestigious Liquor and Wine competition. Stop by the Dripping Springs Spirits Bar, located in the backyard at Valero Texas Open this year, and taste the small batch difference!

www.drippingspringsdistilling.com
Sponsor
University Health System is a nationally recognized teaching hospital and comprehensive network of outpatient healthcare centers throughout San Antonio, Texas. University Health System, marking more than 100 years of service, is proudly owned by the people of Bexar County and partnered with UT Health San Antonio. As South Texas’ only academic medical center, University Health System patients benefit from the latest technologies and advanced treatment options for even the most complex illnesses and injuries.

www.UniversityHealthSystem.com