Valero Texas Open Preview & Fantasy Picks
The PGA TOUR is in San Antonio, Texas for the Valero Texas Open this week. The 2010 winner, Adam Scott, will hope to build off his second place finish at The Masters last weekend and defend his title.
(Adam Scott looks to defend his 2010 Valero Texas Open title)
The Valero Texas Open has a tough act to follow after a Sunday at the Masters which saw five players tied for the lead late in the day. The majority of the top players in the world have decided to sit this one out which leaves the door open for some unknowns to earn their first PGA TOUR victory.
Adam Scott comes in as the favorite clear favorite. At 17th in the Official World Golf Rankings, he's the highest ranked player in the field. A second place finish at The Masters and defending champion of this tournament makes him the player to watch but there is concern of a let down after coming so close to a green jacket just four days ago.
Three Groups To Watch at The Valero Texas Open
3. Jhonattan Vegas, Ryan Palmer & Justin Leonard: Jhonattan Vegas is one of only three players in the field this week who have won in 2011 (Laird and Wagner are the other two) and can pick up valuable FedEx Cup points with a strong finish here, he's currently 12th in the standings. Ryan Palmer finished 10th at The Masters last weekend, his best finish of 2011. Hopefully this will give him the momentum he needs to earn his first PGA TOUR win since January of 2010. Justin Leonard is in search of his first TOUR victory since 2008. The 2011 season hasn't been kind to him but with a weekend field maybe he will take advantage and earn a top 10.
2. Martin Laird, Jimmy Walker & Scott Verplank: As I mentioned above, Martin Laird, is one of only three players in the field to have won this year on TOUR. Combined that with four top 10's and a decent showing at The Masters and you have a player to watch this weekend. Jimmy Walker started the year off with three top 10's in his first five starts. Since then he's cooled off but with a relatively weak field, it wouldn't shock me to see him in the top 10. Scott Verplank hasn't won on TOUR since 2007 but his 2nd place finish at the Shell Houston Open made me think he's got a little something left. Maybe he's going to have a resurgence or maybe he just likes playing in Texas.
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