Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2024
World No. 10 Brian Harman and World No. 11 Ludvig Åberg Join List of Early Commitments
Night to Honor Our Heroes Presented by Boeing to feature John Daly & Major Ed Pulido
SAN ANTONIO, TX — The field for the 102nd anniversary of the Valero Texas Open received another boost this week with commitments from two of last season’s winners—Brian Harman (The Open Championship) and Ludvig Åberg (RSM Classic).
San Antonio’s historical PGA TOUR event returns this spring to TPC San Antonio’s The Oaks course for the 14th year, April 1-7, a week preceding the Masters Tournament.
With the commitments from World No. 10 Harman and World No. 11 Åberg, there are currently five of the top 15 players on the Official World Golf Ranking scheduled to compete. Tournament officials announced a few weeks ago that World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 8 Max Homa and No. 14 Collin Morikawa, who have combined for 36 PGA TOUR victories, announced their intentions to join the 144-player field.
There are now six major champions in the field—Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, Harman, McIlroy, Morikawa, and Jimmy Walker.
This will be Harman’s seventh start and first since 2019 in the Valero Texas Open. He was among the top 25 three consecutive times from 2012-2014, with his best finish a T16 in 2014.
Åberg, a Texas Tech University product, was No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 29 weeks and twice the collegiate player of the year, before turning pro in June of last year. Within five months of turning pro, the 24-year-old won on the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR and was a member of the victorious European team at the Ryder Cup.
PGA TOUR players have until Friday, March 29 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time to commit and can withdraw at any time.
Tournament officials also announced today that a Night to Honor Our Heroes presented by Boeing will feature two-time major champion John Daly and Combat Wounded Veteran Major Ed Pulido, U.S. Army (Ret.). The pair have joined forces to make a major impact on the world of philanthropy for America’s children, first responders and our nation’s Veterans.
The Valero Texas Open’s long-standing tradition of celebrating “Military City, USA” continues this year as active military, wounded warriors and corporate supporters gather Friday night of tournament week on April 5 for this annual military appreciation banquet.
Additional News and Notes:
- Tickets On Sale Now: Tickets to the Valero Texas Open are currently on sale via Ticketmaster and ValeroTexasOpen.com. As is customary, all net proceeds from the event will go to support hundreds of charity organizations throughout South Texas and well beyond.
- Champions fore Charity: Champions fore Charity is a fundraising program that provides participating charities and schools the opportunity to generate contributions through the Valero Texas Open. The Champions fore Charity program distributed over $14.88M to charities, a part of the record-breaking $23 million raised by the tournament in 2023, bringing the grand total to $232 million in charitable giving from Valero Texas Open tournament proceeds.
The 2024 fundraising campaign is presently underway and will conclude April 15. Over 190 participating charities and school programs have already raised over $6 million to date. At the conclusion of the fundraiser, the charities will also receive several financial incentives including a 7% matching gift provided by the Valero Texas Open. To learn more and donate to your favorite charity and/or school visit, www.championsforecharity.com.
- Volunteer Opportunities: Opportunities are still available for individuals looking to support our charitable mission or interested in a behind-the-scenes look at conducting a PGA TOUR tournament. The Valero Texas Open utilizes approximately 2,100 volunteers across twenty-six committees to assist in staging and managing the tournament. Nearly 800 Valero employees are part of this volunteer effort.
Visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for all tournament news, updates, information and to purchase tickets.
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
