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Latest News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2016

Partial First-Round Notes

Weather: Overcast in the morning, with a high of 80 degrees. NE wind 5-10 mph. Due to inclement weather, round one was suspended from 8:25 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. CT. Sunny skies dominated in the afternoon.

This marks the ninth event of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season to experience a weather-related delay/suspension.

Due to darkness, the first round was suspended at 8:10 p.m. The first round will resume at 8:00 a.m. Friday, with the second round scheduled to begin at approximately 9:00 a.m.

Partial First-Round Leaderboard

Brendan Steele	Thru 13	(-8)
Charley Hoffman	66	(-6)
Stuart Appleby	67	(-5)
Peter Malnati	67	(-5)

Brendan Steele

When play was called for the day, 2011 Valero Texas Open champion Brendan Steele was 8-under par through 13 holes. Beginning on No. 10, he birdied 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 1, 2, 3.

The low 18-hole score since moving to the TPC San Antonio-AT&T Oaks Course of 9-under 63 belongs to Matt Every (R1/2012) and Martin Laird (R4/2013).

When play was called for the day, Steele had hit 10 of 11 greens in regulation and 12 of 13 greens.

Steele has played in each Valero Texas Open since his 2011 victory, where he has played well; 2011/1st, 2012/T4, 2013/T46, 2014/MC, 2015/T8.

Charley Hoffman

Charley Hoffman followed a birdie at the first hole with six more en route to a 6-under 66. His lone bogey of the day came at the par-4 17th hole.

Since moving to TPC San Antonio in 2010, Hoffman is now 37-under-par.

Seeing Hoffman’s name at or near the top the Valero Texas Open leaderboard should come as no surprise. Hoffman is making his 11th-consecutive start at the Valero Texas Open, where he has claimed four top-10 finishes. He narrowly missed the top 10 last year, finishing T11. Hoffman has never missed a cut and only once finished outside the top-15 (T70/2008). His top-10 finishes; T8/2006, T9/2009, T2/2011 and T3/2013.

Hoffman led after 18 holes at last year’s Valero Texas Open with a 5-under 67, before finishing T11. In round three last year, he struggled with a 7-over 79.

Of his 11 starts at the Valero Texas Open now, the first round is the only one in which Hoffman has never posted an over-par score.

Hoffman is making his 13th start of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season, where he remains in search of his first top-10 finish. His best showing to date is a T11 at the Valspar Championship in the Tampa Bay area. Hoffman is coming off a T14 at last week’s RBC Heritage.

Hoffman is in search of his fourth career PGA TOUR win and first since the 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He also won the 2007 Humana Challenge and 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship.

Hoffman missed the cut in three of his first four starts of the season, but has held a job for the weekend in his last nine straight starts.

Should Hoffman’s lead hold, it would mark the sixth time to have an 18-hole/lead co-lead on the PGA TOUR. Most recently, he led by one at the Shell Houston Open, before finishing T33.

First-Round Lead Notes

Since 2000, there have been only two first-round leaders of the Valero Texas Open to hang on for the win. Justin Leonard claimed his fifth PGA TOUR win in 2000 after holding a share of the opening-round lead at LaCantera, and Robert Gamez achieved the feat in 2005.

This year, five 22 first-round leaders/co-leaders have held on for the win, most recently being Branden Grace at last week’s RBC Heritage.

Stuart Appleby

Following an even-par front nine of one birdie, one bogey and seven pars, Australia’s Stuart Appleby finished with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-18, good for a 5-under 67.

Appleby began the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season on a Major Medical Extension. After making just seven starts in the 2014-15 campaign, he underwent surgery for a herniated disk in his back in March of 2015. He needs to earn 358 FedExCup points or $603,502 this season to reach No. 125 from the 2014-15 FedExCup points list or money list as part of his Major Medical Extension.

Appleby comes into the week in San Antonio with 119 FedExCup points and $123,709.

Appleby is making his fifth start in the Valero Texas Open, with a best finish being that of T46 in 2013.

Appleby is making his 11th start of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season this week, with a T26 at the Northern Trust Open his best finish.

Appleby is in search of his 10th career win on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2010 Greenbrier Classic. In the final round of that event, Appleby made nine birdies and an eagle en route to an 11-under 59.

Peter Malnati

Making his second start in the Valero Texas Open, Peter Malnati holed his second shot on the par-4 17th hole from 94 yards – his eighth hole of the day – for eagle en route to a bogey-free, 5-under 67.

Malnati’s first-round 67 is his best first round on the PGA TOUR since opening with a 5-under 65 at the 2014 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

In his only previous start at the Valero Texas Open in 2014, Malnati missed the cut after rounds of 75-77.

With a victory this week, Malnati would join Jason Day and Adam Scott as the only multiple winners in 2015-2016. Earlier this season, Malnati won the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Malnati is making his 18th start of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season, and comes into this week on the heels of seven-consecutive missed cuts.

Steve Flesch

In this week’s field from the alternate list, replacing Colt Knost, Steve Flesch opened with a 4-under 68.

Flesch is making his 10th start in the Valero Texas Open, having claimed top-10 finishes in 2010 (8th) and 2003 at La Cantera Golf Club (T7). In his last start of 2012, he missed the cut.

Flesch has made no more than six starts in a season on the PGA TOUR since 2013. His lone top-10 finish since 2011 was a T7 at the 2015 Barracuda championship in Reno, Nev. (Modified Stableford format).

Flesch is the winner of four PGA TOUR events; 2003 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2004 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, 2007 Barracuda Championship and 2007 Turning Stone Resort Championship.

Flesch spent a few years as a studio analyst for Golf Channel and, more recently, has done work with FOX Sports.

Flesch currently plays on the PGA TOUR out of the Past Champion category.

Zach Johnson

2008 and 2009 Valero Texas Open champion Zach Johnson was nearly forced to withdraw from this week’s Valero Texas Open due to an illness that has been lingering since the Masters two weeks ago.

Johnson opened with a 3-under 69.

Both of Johnson’s wins in San Antonio came at La Cantera Golf Club. In three starts at TPC Santonio, he missed the cut in 2010, finished T6 in 2014 and T20 last year.

Of Johnson’s 12 PGA TOUR wins, four have come in the state of Texas; 2008-2009 Valero Texas Open, 2010, 2012 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.

Johnson, winner of the 2015 Open Championship, has won at least once a season on the PGA TOUR, with the exception of 2011.

So far this season, Johnson has collected three top-10 finishes in 11 starts, the best being solo-fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Jimmy Walker

Defending Valero Texas Open champion Jimmy Walker struggled in round one, opening with a 3-over 75. With a first-round scoring average of 72.00 in 10 previous starts in the Valero Texas Open, his first round ranks as his worst of the four rounds.

Bryson DeChambeau

In his second start as a professional, 22-year-old Bryson DeChambeau bogeyed his last two holes en route to a 2-over 74.

In his pro debut at last week’s RBC Heritage, DeChambeau’s top-10 finish (T4) earned him a spot into this week’s Valero Texas Open field.

Phil Mickelson

When play was called for the day, World Golf Hall of Fame Member Phil Mickelson was 1-over through 14 holes.

Mickelson is making his third-consecutive start in the Valero Texas Open and fourth since 1992 (T47).

Among Mickelson’s 42 PGA TOUR wins are four from the state of Texas (1996 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, 2000/2008 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and 2011 Shell Houston Open).

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 owns two renewable diesel plants located in the U.S. Gulf Coast region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year, and Valero owns 12 ethanol plants located in the U.S. Mid-Continent region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.6 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. In 2023, Valero, its employees and the foundation collectively generated more than $77 million in charitable support through direct/in-kind donations, fundraising and volunteerism. Valero employees logged more than 127,000 volunteer hours in 2023 for hundreds of projects in their communities. Valero provides funding to a variety of nonprofit agencies for programs and services supporting education, basic needs, health care and civic initiatives.  Through the overwhelming support of sponsors, the foundation’s signature programs, the Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children, generated more than $23 million raised in 2023 for charities across 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 and 2019, 2023 champion Corey Conners 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 $232 million to hundreds of worthy charities since inception. Please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for more information.

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