Our Valero Texas Open PGA DFS picks take us to San Antonio, Texas, for this week’s event at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. The field will face a challenging test with narrow, tree-lined fairways, tough par 5s, and expected windy conditions. Players will need to rely on accuracy over power, with second shots being crucial in these firm conditions. With the Masters just around the corner, 27 players in the field are already set for Augusta, while the rest will be vying for a “Win and Get In” opportunity to secure their spot at the season’s first major. Let’s dive into my DFS picks and core plays for the Valero Texas Open.
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Course Preview
TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course is a Par 72, stretching 7,438 yards. This marks the 15th time the PGA Tour has hosted the Valero Texas Open at this venue. With narrow, tree-lined fairways and four challenging par-5s, accuracy off the tee will be crucial. The course will play firmer this year, and windy conditions are expected. Players will need to be on point with their second shots and be able to take advantage of more difficult par-5s if they want to stay in contention throughout this weekend.
Given these conditions, I’ll be prioritizing Good Drives Gained, Driving Accuracy Percentage, Strokes Gained: Approach, SG: Around the Green and Bogey Avoidance.
Using the Stokastic PGA Sims Tool, I’ve identified the top plays for this week. Our hole-by-hole simulations assess each golfer’s potential outcome alongside PGA DFS projections. By running tens of thousands of lineup simulations, we can pinpoint the best plays, focusing on those that appear most frequently in the highest-ROI lineups. The Sims Tool is a key part of my weekly DFS strategy, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to elevate their DFS game.
Let’s dive into the core players I will be building my lineups around this week on DraftKings
PGA DFS Picks: Valero Texas Open DFS Picks & Core Plays
PGA DFS Picks: Valero Texas Open DFS Picks & Core Plays: Patrick Cantlay – $10,200
Patrick Cantlay is set to make his Valero Texas Open debut this Thursday, looking to build momentum ahead of Augusta.
So far this season, Cantlay has played in six tournaments and hasn’t finished worse than T-33, which came at Pebble Beach. His other results include a pair of T-5 finishes at The American Express and The Genesis Invitational.
Cantlay’s strengths make him a great fit for this environment, particularly his approach play. Over his last 40 rounds, he ranks 10th in the field in SG: APP, 25th in SG: ARG, and 10th in Good Drives Gained.
A key stat to note, given the potential challenges on par 5s, is Par 5 Birdie or Better rate—where Cantlay ranks 3rd this season.
Expect him to take this event seriously as he fine-tunes his game for The Masters, embracing the challenge of a new course that rewards elite ball strikers like himself.
Hideki Matsuyama – $9,900
Hideki Matsuyama is looking to rebound from a missed cut at The Players and build momentum at the Valero Texas Open before The Masters.
The Oaks Course is a good fit for his game. In his last 40 rounds, he ranks 3rd in SG: ARG and 8th in SG: APP among this week’s field. He’s also had solid results here, with three finishes of T-30 or better, along with one withdrawal. His True Strokes Gained at this venue is +1.20.
Following a disappointing result in his last start, Matsuyama will be determined to improve. This is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of his increased motivation.
PGA DFS Picks; Valero Texas Open DFS Core Plays: Rico Hoey – $7,600
Rico Hoey is garnering some attention heading into the Valero Texas Open, and it’s well deserved. He’s coming off a T-11 finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, showing he can excel in Texas. If that wasn’t enough, remember he finished T-14 at this event last year, posting a True SG mark of +1.42.
Hoey excels off the tee, ranking 1st in SG: Off-the-Tee and 5th in Good Drive Percentage. His approach game has also been solid over his last 40 rounds, ranking 29th among the field during that span.
GPP Flier: Andrew Putnam – $7,200
This dark horse pick might not be as bold as some of our previous selections, but given his recent performances, Andrew Putnam is worthy of a spot here.
He missed the cut at both The Players Championship and the Valspar Championship, and now heads to San Antonio, Texas, for the Valero Texas Open, looking to turn his season around.
So, why is Putnam still an intriguing option despite his recent struggles? Over his last 40 rounds, he ranks 12th in Driving Accuracy and 13th in both SG:APP and SG: ARG. He’s also 5th in Bogey Avoidance.
Putnam has played 26 rounds at the Oaks Course, posting a +0.59 True SG mark. He finished T-28 in 2023 and T-14 last year, proving his game suits this course well and that he has the experience to make a run.
Let’s hope our flier can make some noise again, just as Nico Echavarria did with a T-16 finish (after leading into the final round) two weeks ago, and Isaiah Salinda secured T-11 last week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
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