Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2026
Twenty-Two Masters Invitees Currently Scheduled to Play Valero Texas Open
Five Top-50 Ranked Players in the World Join the Field
SAN ANTONIO, TX — The Valero Texas Open, contested a week preceding the Masters Tournament, currently has 21 players coming to San Antonio prior to competing in Augusta when the historical PGA TOUR event returns in twelve days to TPC San Antonio’s The Oaks course, March 30-April 5.
New additions to the Valero Texas Open who are invited to the Masters Tournament include World No. 19 Alex Noren, No. 26 and last year’s 2nd place finisher Ryan Gerard, No. 28 Si Woo Kim, No. 39 Marco Penge, No. 49 Andrew Novak, who finished T3 in last year’s tournament, Sami Valimaki, Michael Kim, Nick Taylor, Haotong Li and San Antonio resident, Johnny Keefer.
Previously announced players who are also scheduled to compete in the Masters following the Valero Texas Open are: World No. 3 Tommy Fleetwood, No. 5 Justin Rose, No. 6 Collin Morikawa, No. 8 Russell Henley, No. 9 Robert MacIntyre, No. 11 Sepp Straka, No. 12 and 2022 Valero Texas Open champion J.J. Spaun, No. 13 Hideki Matsuyama, No. 17 Ludvig Åberg and No. 25 Maverick McNealy.
Defending Valero Texas Open champion Brian Harman and previously announced Max Homa are also invited to the Masters.
Tournament officials also announced today commitments from popular PGA TOUR players Billy Horschel and Tom Kim, who have a combined eleven PGA TOUR titles. This will be Horschel’s tenth start here. He finished third on two occasions. Rickie Fowler, and Gary Woodland, two other fan-favorites, were announced earlier.
PGA TOUR competitors in the 132-player field have until Friday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time to commit and can withdraw at any time.
Additional News and Notes:
- All Ticket Packages On Sale: Tickets to the Valero Texas Open are available for purchase at www.ValeroTexasOpen.com/tickets. As is customary, all net proceeds from the event will go to support hundreds of charity organizations throughout South Texas and well beyond.
- Complimentary Admission for Military: USAA and the Valero Texas Open are offering complimentary tickets to the tournament as a token of appreciation for local service members and veterans. Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and veterans, along with one guest, can register for their complimentary access at https://valerotexasopen.com/military-appreciation/.
Access to the Heroes Pavilion presented by Upland Exploration located on the 17th green, where military guests and their companions can relax and enjoy complimentary snacks, non-alcoholic refreshments, and covered seating. Additional in-venue concessions will be available for purchase.
- Complimentary Admission for First Responders: The Valero Texas Open continues its tradition by offering complimentary tickets to the tournament as a token of appreciation to Bexar County First Responders, along with one guest. Register for complimentary access at https://valerotexasopen.com/first-responders-appreciation/.
Access to the Heroes Pavilion presented by Upland Exploration located on the 17th green, where first responder guests and their companions can relax and enjoy complimentary snacks, non-alcoholic refreshments, and covered seating. Additional in-venue concessions will be available for purchase.
- A Night to Honor Our Heroes presented by USAAwill feature World Golf Hall of Fame member Gary Player. The Valero Texas Open’s long-standing tradition of celebrating “Military City, USA” continues this year as active military, wounded veterans, and corporate supporters gather Friday night of tournament week on April 3 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, along with Benefit for Children and Valero Texas Open raised a record $25 million, bringing the grand total to $281 million in charitable funds raised from Valero Texas Open tournament proceeds.
The 2026 fundraising campaign is presently underway and will conclude April 13. Over 230 participating charities and school programs have already raised over $18.1 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 currently closed and a wait-list is available for individuals looking to support our charitable mission or interested in a behind-the-scenes look at conducting a PGA TOUR tournament: https://valerotexasopen.com/volunteer-overview/. The Valero Texas Open utilizes more than 2,100 volunteers across twenty-four committees to assist in staging and managing the tournament through its Volunteer Program presented by Frost Bank. Nearly 700 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 produces low-carbon fuels including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with a production capacity of approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. See our Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on SAF. Valero also owns 12 ethanol plants located in the U.S. Mid-Continent region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.7 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. Valero employees logged more than 139,000 volunteer hours in 2025 for hundreds of community projects. Valero funds various nonprofit agencies for programs and services supporting education, basic needs, health care, and civic initiatives. Through the overwhelming support of business partners, sponsors, and donors, the Valero Texas Open and the Benefit for Children generated more than $25 million in 2025 for charities in 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, Akshay Bhatia, and 2025 champion Brian Harman 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 $281 million to hundreds of worthy charities since inception. Please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for more information.
Media Contacts
Stephanie Sage
Valero Texas Open
Senior Director, Marketing & Community Relations
210.345.3839 office
Lee Patterson
Valero Texas Open
Director, Media Relations
704.913.1088 mobile
