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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2018
Field Notes for April 18, 2018
By the Numbers: There will be 156 players in the field when the competition begins on Thursday. After 36-holes are completed, the field will be cut to the low 70 scores and ties. Only those players making the 36-hole cut will be eligible for earnings from the tournament’s $6.2 million purse.
Coming to San Antonio Hot: RBC Heritage runner-up Si Woo Kim leads a group of six players who finished in the top ten Sunday at the TOUR stop in Hilton Head, SC which includes Luke List (T3), Billy Horschel (T5), Kevin Streelman (T7), Bill Haas (T7) and Chesson Hadley (T7).
Major Champions: There are 12 major championship winners in the field—Keegan Bradley (PGA Championship), Stewart Cink (Open Championship), Ernie Els (Open Championship, U.S. Open), Jim Furyk (U.S. Open), Sergio Garcia (Masters), Retief Goosen (Two U.S. Opens), Zach Johnson (Masters, Open Championship), Martin Kaymer (PGA Championship, U.S. Open), Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open), Geoff Ogilvy (U.S. Open), Adam Scott (Masters), Jimmy Walker (PGA Championship).
Monday Qualifiers: The Monday qualifying was held at Briggs Ranch Golf Club. Joshua Creel, Troy Matteson, Paul McConnell and Curtis Reed were the final four players to earn a spot in the field.
Texas Collegiate Connections: Baylor University—Jimmy Walker; Lamar University—Chris Stroud, Shawn Stefani; TCU—J.J. Henry, Tom Hoge; Texas A&M—Ryan Palmer, Cameron Champ; University of Houston—Jesse Droemer; University of Texas—Jhonattan Vegas, Dylan Frittelli, Cody Gribble, Beau Hossler.
Sponsor Exemption Stories: There are several good storylines among this year’s sponsor exemption list. Local resident Cameron Champ is one of them. Champ practices at the TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course when in town. The former Texas A&M player qualified for the 2017 U.S. Open, where he was T4 through 36 holes before finishing T32 and led the field in driving distance... Joaquin Niemann will be making his professional debut here. The Chile native is the former No.1 ranked amateur in the world.
International Flavor: There are 22 different countries and 44 international players in the field this week.
FedExCup Champions: Former FedExCup champions Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012) and Billy Horschel (2014) are in the field.
FedExCup History at the VTO: Each year, the Valero Texas Open proves pivotal in the race for the FedExCup. Since being moved to its current spot on the schedule in 2009, the winner of the Valero Texas Open has made it through at least two Playoff events seven of nine times. Kevin Chappell (2017), Jimmy Walker (2015), Adam Scott (2010) and Zach Johnson (2009) made it through to the season-ending TOUR 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
