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April 19, 2018
First Round Notes
Weather: Partly cloudy, with a high of 78. Wind E 15-25 mph, with gusts to 30 mph.
First-Round Leaderboard
| Grayson Murray | 67 | (-5) |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Atkins | 68 | (-4) |
| Keegan Bradley | 68 | (-4) |
| Chesson Hadley | 68 | (-4) |
| Billy Horschel | 68 | (-4) |
| Ryan Moore | 68 | (-4) |
Grayson Murray
In his first start at the Valero Texas Open, Grayson Murray offset a double-bogey five at No. 7 with seven birdies, good for a 67.
Before this week, Murray’s best position after 18 holes on the PGA TOUR was T2 at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He finished T63.
Murray, winner of the 2017 Barbasol Championship in his rookie year on the PGA TOUR, is making his 14th start of the 2017-18 season. He finished inside the top-10 at the Safeway Open (T9) and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T8).
This week’s Valero Texas Open marks Murray’s fourth start in a PGA TOUR event in the state of Texas: 2017 Houston Open (T55), 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson (T27) and 2018 Houston Open (T14).
Murray, a Greensboro, North Carolina native, hit nine of 14 fairways in regulation and 13 of 18 greens. He needed 26 putts to complete round one.
First-Round Lead Notes
Since 2000, there have been only two first-round leaders of the Valero Texas Open to hang on for the win. Justin Leonard claimed his fifth PGA TOUR win in 2000 after holding a share of the opening-round lead at LaCantera, and Robert Gamez achieved the feat in 2005.
This season, six of 23 first-round leaders/co-leaders have held on for the win, most recently being Brice Garnett at the Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.
Billy Horschel
2014 FedExCup champion Billy Horschel, who opened with a 4-under 68, has had mixed success at the Valero Texas Open since 2013; 2013/T3, 2014/MC, 2015/3rd, 2016/T4 and 2017/MC.
Horschel is making his eighth start in the Valero Texas Open this week.
Horschel, a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, is in search of his first win since the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas.
Horschel has made just five cuts in 11 starts this season, but comes to San Antonio this week after a T5 showing at last week’s RBC Heritage.
Chesson Hadley
Making his fourth start in the Valero Texas Open, Chesson Hadley made five birdies and one bogey to open with a 68. Hadley finished T56 in 2014, T4 in 2015 and missed the cut in 2016.
Hadley, who won twice on the Web.com Tour last year (LECOM Health Challenge, Albertsons Boise Open), made a strong return to the PGA TOUR this season. In his first three starts of the season, he finished no worse than fourth; T3/Safeway Open, 2nd/Sanderson Farms Championship and T4/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. A fourth top-5 finish came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February (T5).
Hadley comes to this week’s Valero Texas Open on the heels of a T7 finish at last week’s RBC Heritage, his fifth top-10 showing of the season.
Matt Atkins
PGA TOUR rookie Matt Atkins, 27, made five birdies against one bogey to open with a 68.
Atkins, who has made just two cuts in 10 starts this season, made his way onto the PGA TOUR by virtue of his 28th-place finish on the 2017 Web.com Tour priority list.
A native of Aston, Pennsylvania, Atkins won the 2017 El Bosque Mexico Championship on the Web.com Tour.
Miscellaneous Notes
Ryan Moore and Keegan Bradley, both at 4-under par in their fourth start in the Valero Texas Open, have each claimed one previous top-10 finish in the event. Moore finished T8 in 2012 and Bradley finished T9 in his first start in 2011.
Playing on Major Medical Extension, Jon Curran opened with a 3-under 69. He began the season with 18 events available to earn 305 FedExCup points which, combined with his 60 points, would equal the No. 125 total of 365 from the 2016-17 campaign and keep him exempt for the remainder of the season. Curran comes into this week having missed the cut in each of his first 10 starts.
Joaquin Niemann, the former World No. 1 amateur who is making his professional debut this week, opened with an even-par 72.
2015 Valero Texas Open champion and nearby Boerne resident Jimmy Walker opened with a 1-under 71, the same score he opened with en route to his 2105 victory. Walker is making his 13th start in the Valero Texas Open this week, and 11th straight. In addition to his 2015 win, he finished inside the top 10 in 2010 (T3).
Making his first start in the Valero Texas Open since 2011, and third overall, 2010 champion Adam Scott opened with a 3-over 75.
Past Valero Texas Open champions in the field: Zach Johnson (2008, 2009)/70, Adam Scott (2010)/75, Brendan Steele (2011)/70, Martin Laird (2013)/73, Steven Bowditch (2014)/83, Jimmy Walker (2015)/71, Charley Hoffman (2016)/72 and Kevin Chappell (2017)/72.
Chris Stroud withdrew after round one.
Bogey-free rounds:
R1: Billy Horschel (68), Ryan Moore (68)
Scoring Averages at TPC San Antonio:
| Round | Front 9 | Back 9 | Total | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 37.167 | 36.365 | 73.532 | -- |
The par-4 first hole played the most difficult in round one at 4.429. The par-5 14th played the easiest at 4.519.
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
Stephanie Sage
Valero Texas Open
Director, Marketing & Community Relations
210.345.3839 office
Lee Patterson
Valero Texas Open
Director, Media Relations
704.913.1088 mobile
