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March 27, 2015
Second Round Notes – Friday, March 27
Weather: Mostly sunny, with temperatures reaching into the upper 70s. Winds W/SW 6-12 mph
Second-Round Leaderboard
| Jimmy Walker | 71-67—138 | (-6) |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Baddeley | 68-71—139 | (-5) |
| Charley Hoffman | 67-72—139 | (-5) |
36-hole Cut Notes
A total of 75 professionals made the cut at 6-over 150 from a field of 143 professionals and one amateur.
Since moving to TPC San Antonio in 2010, this week’s 6-over 150 supplants the previous-high cut of 4-over 148 (2011, 2012).
Outside the majors, this marks the highest cut on the PGA TOUR since the 2012 Quicken Loans National featured a cut of 6-over 148.
The previous-highest cut on the PGA TOUR was 4-over 144 at The Honda Classic.
This marks the fifth over-par cut on the PGA TOUR in the last six events with a cut (World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship has no cut).
Jimmy Walker
FedExCup points leader and San Antonio resident Jimmy Walker birdied three of his last four holes in round two, Nos. 6-8, to post a 5-under 67, the low round among the morning wave. His lone bogey of the day came at the par-4 17th hole.
Walker has previously held a 36-hole lead/co-lead four times, most recently at this year’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions. After the second round, Walker was tied for the lead with three others, before losing to Patrick Reed in sudden death. The only 36-hole lead/co-lead he managed to convert into victory was at last year’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Through two rounds, Walker has hit 17 of 28 fairways in regulation (60.7 percent) and 25 of 36 greens (69.4 percent). For the second straight day, he has needed 27 putts to complete his round.
Through 36 holes, Walker leads in Strokes Gained: Putting (6.617) and Strokes Gained: Total (12.02).
Walker is making his 10th start in the Valero Texas Open this week, where he posted his strongest finish of T3 in 2010. Walker finished T16 at TPC San Antonio last year.
Walker is making his 224th career PGA TOUR start this week, and 10th of the 2014-15 PGA TOUR Season. In addition to his playoff loss at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and victory a week later at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Walker’s additional top-10 finishes this year came at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (T4) and Farmers Insurance Open (T7).
Following his playoff loss to San Antonio native Patrick Reed in early January, Walker took control of the top spot in the FedexCup standings. With his win at Waialae Country Club a week later, he increased that lead and has yet to let go of it.
With a win this week, Walker would become the season’s first multiple winner for the second season in a row. With his first three TOUR wins early in the 2013-14 campaign, Walker became just the fourth player to win three times in eight or fewer starts to begin a season over the last 20 years, joining Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval.
At last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Matt Every became this season’s 19th different winner in as many events, a storyline which hasn’t been featured since 1994, when 20 events passed before a multiple winner emerged.
Second-Round Lead Notes
Since 2000, six of the 15 second-round leaders/co-leaders of the Valero Texas Open have gone on to win the event, most recently Steven Bowditch last year.
This year, only three of 19 second-round leaders/co-leaders have held on for the win, most recently being Alex Cejka at the Puerto Rico Open.
Charley Hoffman
Like Jimmy Walker, Charley Hoffman also has hopes of becoming the season’s first multiple winner (OHL Classic at Mayakoba).
In round two, Hoffman hit just 50 percent of TPC San Antonio’s 14 fairways and found 12 of 18 greens (66.7 percent). He needed 30 putts to complete his round, as opposed to 24 in round one.
Hoffman is making his 10th-consecutive start at the Valero Texas Open, where he has claimed four top-10 finishes. He has never missed a cut and only once finished outside the top-15 (T70/2008). His top-10 finishes; T8/2006, T9/2009, T2/2011 and T3/2013.
With his even-par second round, Hoffman remains at 35-under-par since the event moved to TPC San Antonio in 2010.
Hoffman’s third career PGA TOUR win earlier this season in October at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba snapped a winless drought of more than four years. With a win this week, Hoffman will have won twice in nine starts this season.
In addition to his win in Mexico, Hoffman added an additional top-10 finish at the Humana Challenge (T2), site of his first TOUR win in 2007. This is Hoffman’s 12th start of the season and first since missing the cut at the Valspar Championship two weeks ago.
Aaron Baddeley
In round two, Aaron Baddeley made five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. In Thursday’s first round, Baddeley holed his provisional shot from the tee of the par-4 1th hole for a birdie from 336 yards. In round two, Baddeley again made birdie at 17, though much more conventionally – 3-wood, wedge from 116 yards to three feet and made the putt.
Baddeley is making his eighth start in the Valero Texas Open, dating to 2000 (MC).
Of his seven previous starts at the Valero Texas Open, his best finish is T3 in 2010, the year the event moved to TPC San Antonio.
Baddeley, a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, is in search of his first win on TOUR since the 2011 Northern Trust Open, a span of 95 starts.
Baddeley has struggled somewhat the past two years. In a combined 48 starts in 2013 and 2014, he collected four top-10 finishes, but made just 23 of 48 cuts. In 2013, he finished 101st in FedExCup points and was 114th last year.
Baddelely is making his ninth start of the 2014-15 PGA TOUR Season, with a T17 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open his best showing. This marks Baddeley’s first start on TOUR since the Northern Trust Open (MC).
Since 2010, Australians have combined for five wins on the PGA TOUR in Texas; Adam Scott (2010 Valero Texas Open, 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial), Jason Day (2010 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship), Steven Bowditch (2014 Valero Texas Open) and Matt Jones (2014 Shell Houston Open).
Phil Mickelson
Making his third start in the Valero Texas Open since 1992 (T47), Phil Mickelson balanced out two bogeys and a double bogey with four birdies in round two. At 2-under 142, Mickelson will head into the weekend four strokes back.
Among Mickelson’s 42 PGA TOUR wins are four in the state of Texas (1996 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, 2000/2008 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and 2011 Shell Houston Open).
With a win at the Valero Texas Open, Mickelson would join Adam Scott as players to win the Texas Slam. Scott won the 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, 2010 Valero Texas Open and 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational.
Mickelson is in search of his 43rd career win on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2013 Open Championship. Mickelson’s lone top-10 finish in the 2013-14 season was a second-place finish at the PGA Championship.
In five starts on TOUR this season, Mickelson has missed two cuts, with a T17 at The Honda Classic the best of his remaining three.
Jordan Spieth
Winner of the Valspar Championship earlier this month, former Texas Longhorn Jordan Spieth posted a 3-under 69 in round two and will begin the weekend just two strokes back at 4-under 140. Spieth is now 30-under par in his last five starts (18 rounds).
Spieth is making his fourth-consecutive start in this week’s Valero Texas Open. The former Texas Longhorn finished 10th last year, missed the cut in 2013 and in 2012, as an amateur, finished T41.
In 12 rounds now at TPC San Antonio, today’s 3-under 69 is Spieth’s second sub-70 score (68/R3/2014).
Miscellaneous Notes
The Valero Texas Open is one of the final two opportunities for players not exempt for the Masters to play their way into the year’s first major championship. The winner of the Valero Texas Open, if not already exempt, will punch his ticket to Augusta. Additionally, the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking through the Valero Texas Open are exempt, as well. Not currently eligible, Harris English is lurking at No. 52 and hopes to play his way to the Masters with a strong performance at TPC San Antonio. English likely needs a seventh-place finish or better this week. At 3-over 147 through 36 holes, he’ll head into the weekend nine strokes back.
Defending Valero Texas Open champion Steven Bowditch followed an 8-over 80 in round one with an even-par 72 in round two to miss the cut.
Jim Furyk, who made the cut on the 6-over-par number, extends his streak of consecutive-cuts made among active players to 33, two behind Steve Stricker.
Sam Burns, the 2014 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year and future LSU Tiger Sam Burns followed his 17-over 89 in round one with a 5-over 77 to miss the cut in his first PGA TOUR start. Burns earned a spot into this week’s field via a sponsor exemption for winning the Junior PGA Championship in 2014.
After winning the Southern PGA Championship, Ryan Polzin earned a berth into the Valero Texas Open this week. Although he missed the cut, he improved on an opening-round, 16-over 88 with a 2-over 74. Polzin birdied three of his last four holes to finish the round. Polzin had Randy Jones serving as caddie this week, a longtime friend and Head Golf Professional at nearby Alamo Golf Club. Jones is battling melanoma cancer and the two were offering black ribbons this week to help raise melanoma cancer awareness.
Past Valero Texas Open champions in the field: Steven Bowditch/2014 (MC), Martin Laird/2013 (+3/T39), Ben Curtis/2012 (MC), Brendan Steele/2011 (-2/T6), Zach Johnson/2008, 2009 (-2/T6) and Justin Leonard/2000, 2001, 2007 (MC).
Zac Blair (back), Daniel Chpora (back), Francesco Molinari (wrist) and Danny Lee (vertigo-like symptoms) withdrew during the second round.
Bogey-free rounds:
| R1: | Charley Hoffman (67) |
|---|---|
| R2: | Zach Johnson (71) |
Morning Scoring Average: 73.10
Afternoon Scoring Average: 71.58
There was a 5.5 stroke-average difference between the morning waves from round one (78.61) to round two (73.10).
Scoring Averages at TPC San Antonio
| Round | Front 9 | Back 9 | Total | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 38.967 | 37.821 | 76.695 | -- |
| R2 | 37.002 | 36.337 | 73.339 | 75.109 |
The par-4 ninth hole played the most difficult in round two at 4.420. The par-5 14th played the easiest at 4.711.
ABOUT VALERO
Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries (collectively, Valero), is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products, and sells its products primarily in the United States (U.S.), Canada, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Ireland and Latin America. Valero owns 15 petroleum refineries located in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day. Valero is a joint venture member in Diamond Green Diesel Holdings LLC, which owns two renewable diesel plants located in the U.S. Gulf Coast region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year, and Valero owns 12 ethanol plants located in the U.S. Mid-Continent region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.6 billion gallons per year. Valero manages its operations through its Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol segments. Please visit investorvalero.com for more information.
ABOUT VALERO IN THE COMMUNITY
Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries (collectively, Valero), and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where Valero has major operations. In 2023, Valero, its employees and the foundation collectively generated more than $77 million in charitable support through direct/in-kind donations, fundraising and volunteerism. Valero employees logged more than 127,000 volunteer hours in 2023 for hundreds of projects in their communities. Valero provides funding to a variety of nonprofit agencies for programs and services supporting education, basic needs, health care and civic initiatives. Through the overwhelming support of sponsors, the foundation’s signature programs, the Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children, generated more than $23 million raised in 2023 for charities across the United States.
ABOUT THE VALERO TEXAS OPEN
The Valero Texas Open is the sixth-oldest professional tournament in golf worldwide, the third-oldest on the PGA TOUR and the longest held in the same city. In 2022, the tournament celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Its list of champions includes some of the greatest names in golf history: Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Lee Trevino, Nick Price, Justin Leonard, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott, Jimmy Walker, Jordan Spieth and 2019, 2023 champion Corey Conners to name a few.
Since Valero became title sponsor in 2002, the tournament has become a leader in charitable fundraising among PGA TOUR events. The Valero Texas Open, together with its Benefit for Children and Champions fore Charity initiatives, has contributed more than $232 million to hundreds of worthy charities since inception. Please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for more information.
Media Contacts
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Valero Texas Open
Director, Media Relations
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