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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2024
Fan Favorite Rickie Fowler Leads Latest Group of Early Commitments
Henley, Højgaard, An and Horschel Added to Already Strong Field
SAN ANTONIO, TX — Five players with a combined 17 victories on the PGA TOUR—Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, Nicolai Højgaard, Byeong Hun An and Billy Horschel—committed to compete in the 102nd anniversary of the Valero Texas Open, tournament officials announced today.
San Antonio’s historical PGA TOUR event returns this spring to TPC San Antonio’s The Oaks course for the 14th consecutive year, April 1-7, a week preceding the Masters Tournament.
Fowler, who has performed well in San Antonio, will be making his fifth start since 2019. Last year he finished T10 and in 2019, 2021 was T17 in both starts. The No. 31 ranked player in the world has six career TOUR titles, including THE PLAYERS Championship in 2015 and last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. Following the Valero Texas Open, Fowler will return to the Masters for his 11th career appearance in that tournament.
Henley, a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, will be making his third start in the Valero Texas Open and first since 2019. The No. 30 ranked player in the world’s most recent victory came at the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship. From San Antonio, Henley will also be making a trip to Augusta for the eighth time. Last year, he finished T4 at the Masters.
The World No. 33 ranked player from Denmark, Højgaard, earned his PGA TOUR Special Temporary Membership Status at last year’s Valero Texas Open thanks in part to his T28 finish. He has since gone on to five top-25 finishes on the PGA TOUR, a win at last year’s DP World Tour Championship and was a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team.
With two top-10 finishes already this season, An finds himself in sixth place on the current FedEx Cup standings and 43rd on the world golf rankings. Making his fifth start at the Valero Texas Open since 2017, An will look to improve upon his T6 finish in 2023.
Horschel, the 2014 season-long FedExCup Champion, has also enjoyed strong performances in the Valero Texas Open in his nine starts finishing T3, solo-third, T4 and T11 in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018 respectively. This will be his first start in San Antonio since 2019. The seven-time TOUR winner won the 2022 Memorial Tournament for his most recent victory.
Corey Conners, a two-time winner of the Valero Texas Open, is set to defend his title against what is becoming one of the strongest fields in recent tournament history.
Currently five of the top 15 in the world—No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 8 Max Homa, No. 10 Brian Harman, No. 11 Ludvig Åberg, No. 14 Collin Morikawa—and ten of the top 40 are scheduled to play.
Additionally, 25 PGA TOUR winners in the past two seasons are in the field, including 17 who won last year.
PGA TOUR players have until Friday, March 29 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time to commit and can withdraw at any time.
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.
- Night to Honor Our Heroes presented by Boeing: This year the event 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.
- 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 $6.2 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
