5 things: Corey Conners looks to join Arnold Palmer in Valero Texas Open lore; Akshay Bhatia leads after 63
With the winds picking up mid-morning, some players had trouble going too low in the first round. The 2024 Valero Texas Open has started its first day in San Antonio, with Corey Conners aiming to become the third player to win three times in the tournament's history. Despite a difficult start to the first round, Akshay Bhatia and Justin Lower both posted strong scores. Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa also remained in contention, while Jordan Spieth struggled early but managed to recover and reach the weekend. Max Homa finished with a 68, putting him near the top of the leaderboard. The event is becoming more popular due to the number of top players in the field, with Homa suggesting it might be more productive for him due to playing before the Masters.
Được phát hành : 4 tuần trước qua Tim Schmitt trong Sports
SAN ANTONIO — TPC San Antonio is a visually appealing place, with gentle hills and greenery as far as the eye can see. And while the Greg Norman-designed Oaks course is a stern test of golf, it’s biggest ally in keeping scores low is a howling wind that can often push flags horizontal.
Thursday was one of those days.
With the winds picking up mid-morning, players had trouble going too low in the first round of the 2024 Valero Texas Open, although a few did post impressive numbers. Akshay Bhatia made the turn at 32 en route to jumping atop the leaderboard and Justin Lower had an impressive run that included big putts on the final three holes of the day. A number of big names stayed in contention as Rory McIlroy birdied 18 to finish with a 69 and Collin Morikawa did the same to post a 70. And while Jordan Spieth struggled early, his ace on No. 16 put him back in contention to reach the weekend.
Here are the five things to know from the opening day if action:
Corey Conners is looking for a third Valero title There’s one date Corey Conners circles on his calendar each year and it’s in the heart of Texas. Conners, who already has a pair of Valero Texas Open titles under his belt, is looking to become just the third player in the storied tournament’s history to win three times. The other two names are pretty impressive: Arnold Palmer and Justin Leonard. Conners’ eagle on the par-5 18th hole was his highlight and helped him overcome three bogeys as he posted a solid 70 to sit right in the thick of things. “This will always be a special place to me,” Conners told San Antonio Express-News sports staffer Ronald Harrod. “Coming off the win last year, obviously a lot of good memories and really drew off the memories I had in ’19 as well last year to get it done. It’s definitely a place I feel comfortable, a place I’m happy walking around. Definitely lots of good vibes and lots of good memories that I can draw from out there.” Max Homa gets much-needed charge to finish with a 68 There’s nothing wrong with his game, but after starting the 2022-23 season with huge success, )Max Homa has been pedestrian to start the 2024 season, posting just one top-10 finish in his opening seven starts and slipping to No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking. To put that in perspective, the calendar is different now (since the PGA Tour went to a January season start, but in Homa’s first seven events of last season he won twice and finished in the top 10 on five occasions. So with a trip to Augusta looming, it certainly was a nice feeling for Homa to birdie three of the last four holes on Thursday and finish with a solid 68 that put him near the top of the leaderboard. “I don’t know, probably just patience,” Homa said, when asked what helped him make his late charge. “I really liked how I played. If you would have told me I would have finished the day without those, I would have had a pretty similar feeling about my day. The quality of golf was really good. So it was obviously great to have that finish, but as far as just a general feeling of the round, I really do believe I would have taken it either way, so I was happy that it worked out the way it did.” Playing before the Masters is becoming more popular The fields at the Valero have waned in recent years as more and more players adhered to a schedule that eliminated play the week before the Masters. With so many top players in the field this week, however, that appears to be changing. Homa, for example, said he’s playing the week before all four majors this year and thinks it might be more productive for him. And Denny McCarthy, who fired a 68 in difficult conditions on Thursday, said he thinks this event makes sense in terms of prep. “I feel somewhat refreshed coming into this week,” McCarthy said. “I like playing the week before a big event. I feel like you get good tournament feels, you get under the gun a little bit, test kind of what you’re working on under the gun. So yeah, I like kind of how I handled what I’ve been working on today. Yeah, I’ve played Augusta a handful of times over the last month and a half and I love the place. I think it’s a good golf course for me, I think I can play well there. “I’m kind of taking what I think I need to do well at Augusta and working on that over the last few weeks and kind of bringing that here. Yeah, everything feels like it’s in good shape.” Justin Lower will be eating some BBQ tonight Justin Lower’s tee-to-green game was strong as he posted birdies on two of the first three holes, but his putter was the key down the stretch as he held on for an impressive 66. Lower turned 35 on Thursday and was heading out to a local BBQ spot in San Antonio to celebrate. “I feel like it’s kind of weird playing on your birthday, but it’s just kind of the way it is,” Lower said. “Kind of the nature of our job, I guess.” Here’s more on his opening round. As things calmed down a bit, the afternoon wave of players got a slightly easier course, and Bhatia took full advantage. He opened with a 32 and then turned on the jets on the back nine, posting birdies on Nos. 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 to shoot back-nine 31 and a 9-under 63. He will take a three-shot lead in the second round Friday but that doesn’t really seem to concern him after just 18 holes of play. “Doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I’m excited to go and sleep. It’s been a long day, it’s been very hot. I’m just trying to do the things that my mental coach and I have been talking about and I’m not trying to win the golf tournament today, but it’s just nice having a nice day today.” If he were to win, though, not only would it be his second PGA Tour victory but it would deliver him a last-minute invite to the Masters next week.