Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2017
Valero Texas Open E-Notes For April 13, 2017
Brooks Koepka Commits Today: This morning, Brooks Koepka, ranked 23rd in the world, committed. Koepka has been playing well as of late—in his last two starts he finished tied for 9th at the WGC-Dell Match Play and tied for 11th at the Masters Tournament.
Major Champions In The Field: Valero Texas Open officials are pleased to announce the addition of four Major Champions to next week’s field -- Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA Championship), Stewart Cink (2009 Open Championship), Retief Goosen (2001 & 2004 U.S. Open), Geoff Ogilvy (2006 U.S. Open). The tournament now boasts a total of nine Major Champions announced to date.
Notable International Competitors: Several international players have also been added, Byeong Hun “Ben” An (South Korea), Aaron Baddeley (Australia), K.J. Choi (South Korea), Ryo Ishikawa (Japan), Freddie Jacobson (Sweden), Sung Kang (South Korea), Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark), Danny Lee (New Zealand), C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei), Seamus Power (Ireland), John Senden (Australia), Cameron Smith (Australia), Nick Taylor (Canada), Tyrone Van Aswegen (South Africa), Camilo Villegas (Colombia).
Facts & Figures: With the year’s first major championship completed, here is a list of Valero Texas Open champions who have also won the Masters Tournament and/or the U.S. Open which will be the next major championship played this year. There are a total of ten players for each of the two majors: Masters—Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Burke, Jr., Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson, Mark O’Meara, Zach Johnson and Adam Scott. U.S. Open—Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Lawson Little, Ben Hogan, Gene Littler, Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Corey Pavin.
Dash to the VTO: Don’t forget the inaugural Dash to the VTO is this Saturday, April 15 at TPC San Antonio. Participants will get a sneak preview of the tournament course and the tournament setup as they run/walk their way through the 10k, 5k and 1 mile course. Registration is still open through ValeroTexasOpen.com and participants receive a Dash to the VTO t-shirt, chipped bib number and a Good-Any-One-Day ticket to attend the Valero Texas Open, April 20-23.
Champion Update: The Masters Tournament was an interesting week for Charley Hoffman. His opening 7-under-par 65 gave him the first-round lead and he stayed in contention until midway through the final round. Hoffman finished tied for 22nd. Hoffman has now played in four Masters, has made the cut in all of them and has never finished out of the top 30. His best finish was a T9 in 2015.
Did You Know?: With Jimmy Walker’s major championship victory at the 2016 PGA Championship, he also became the fifth champion of the Valero Texas Open since 2007, who also owns a major championship title—joining Justin Leonard 2007 VTO & 1997 Open Championship; Zach Johnson 2008 & 2009 VTO, 2007 Masters & 2015 Open Championship; Adams Scott, 2010 VTO & 2013 Masters; Ben Curtis 2012 VTO & 2003 Open Championship.
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.
Media Contacts
Stephanie Sage
Valero Texas Open
Director, Marketing & Community Relations
210.345.3839 office
Lee Patterson
Valero Texas Open
Director, Media Relations
704.913.1088 mobile
