Valero Texas Open Round 1 and 2 Highlights & Round 3 Preview
Players and fans have been frustrated by fog at this year’s Texas Open. With foggy conditions causing up to four hours of delay on Thursday, at the halfway point of the tournament the vast majority of the field still need to complete their second rounds. Here are the 2023 Valero Texas Open Round 1 and 2 Highlights, and our betting preview for round 3.
Valero Texas Open Round 1 & 2 Highlights
It stands to be an action-packed few days of golf with the winner of the event not only bagging themselves a cool $1.6 million but the final spot in next week’s Masters field.
Patrick Rodgers finishes strong to lead the field by three
Heading into the weekend and it’s Patrick Rodgers who has put himself in a golden position to land that precious Masters spot. A seven-year tour veteran, Rodgers has never won on Tour and has never been able to tee it up at Augusta.
One of the lucky few that has been able to finish both of his rounds, Rodgers will head out in today’s final pairing thanks to two rounds of 66 and 67.
The American was able to separate himself from the rest of the field with five birdies in his final six holes in yesterday’s second round. With conditions proving tough, Rodgers has posted three bogeys and will need to cut those out if he is to stay on track to achieving his goal of winning his first tour title and qualifying for his first Masters.
Roberto Diaz aiming to narrow gap at the top
World number 816 Roberto Diaz could be the story of the week as the unheralded Mexican looks to shock the golfing world by winning this week.
Diaz finds himself three shots off Rodger’s lead but will be looking to close that gap with eight holes of his second round still to play.
Corey Conners was a name we highlighted before the action started this week and the 2019 champion finds himself in a strong position heading into the weekend.
Conners is another who has finished his first two rounds and had it not been for three dropped shots in his final three holes, he would have been a lot closer to the lead.
Already assured of his Masters place, the Canadien could be one to keep an eye on.
Valero Texas Open Round 3 Preview
With a three-shot lead, it isn’t a surprise to see that Patrick Rodgers has been installed as the heavy favorite for victory.
Despite never winning on Tour, Rodgers has come close on a few occasions, finishing second twice and recording a string of top-ten finishes.
It’s been a poor season for the American who has only made the cut twice in the eight events he has played so far in 2023. With a huge 36 holes awaiting, it will be fascinating to see how Rodgers handles both the occasion and pressure.
Corey Conners comes next in the betting and in comparison to Rodgers has a bucket load more experience when it comes to competing when it matters most.
A winner of this tournament back in 2019, Conners has also finished inside the top ten of the Masters twice. Some uncharacteristic mistakes derailed the Canadian’s progress yesterday but he will be hoping to get back on track today.
Rounding out the top three in the betting is Brendon Todd. Like Rodgers, Todd has yet to cement his place in next week’s Masters but he has a good chance of flipping that script this weekend.
Todd will resume his second round four strokes behind Rodgers and will be hoping to use the final three holes to reduce Rodgers’s lead even further.
One man to keep an eye on today could be Matt Kuchar. Now a veteran of the tour, Kuchar has shown some signs of life over the last few weeks and put in a great showing at last week’s WGC Matchplay.
A nine-time winner on Tour, Kuchar finished second in this event back in 2014. He will start today five off the lead and if he continues his recent good form he will look to make serious inroads into Rodger’s lead today.
2023 Valero Texas Open
| GOLFER | ODDS BY JAZZSPORTS |
| Patrick Rodgers | +200 |
| Corey Conners | +475 |
| Brendon Todd | +850 |
| Matt Kuchar | +1250 |
| Thomas Detry | +1750 |
| Chris Kirk | +2250 |
| Michael Thompson | +2500 |
| Roberto Diaz | +2500 |
| Eric Cole | +2800 |
| Byeong Huh An | +3300 |
| Luke List | +3300 |
| Nick Taylor | +3300 |
| Andrew Putnam | +4000 |
| Matt Wallace | +4000 |
| Beau Hossler | +6600 |
| Harry Higgs | +6600 |
| Nicolai Hojgaard | +6600 |
| Field | +200 |
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