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Early Player Commitments Include Five Past Champions
San Antonio Golf Tournament Continues to Make Impressive Local Economic Impact
SAN ANTONIO, TX - As the Valero Texas Open heads into a new century this spring, tournament officials announced today some past champion commitments for the 144-man field scheduled to compete in the historical PGA TOUR stop on TPC San Antonio's The Oaks course March 27 - April 2, a week preceding The Masters tournament.
2022 champion J.J. Spaun, currently ranked 25th in the FedExCup standings on the strength of two top-12 starts the past few weeks, will defend his title. The San Diego State grad and current World No. 61, will attempt to become the first Valero Texas Open champion to win back-to-back since this year's U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009.
"Yeah, it's still unbelievable," Spaun said after earning his first PGA TOUR victory here last year, "I knew I could win out here on Tour. When I first got out here, I was playing really good and then obviously had a setback two years ago. It's just perseverance, just trying to push through and just stay strong."
Joining Spaun on the past champions list are Corey Conners (2019), Andrew Landry (2018), Jimmy Walker (2015) and Martin Laird (2013).
Conners is currently ranked 32nd in the world and was a member of the International Team in last fall's Presidents Cup matches. Landry is a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, with his most recent victory coming in the 2020 season. Walker, a San Antonio native, is a six-time winner on TOUR including the 2016 PGA Championship. Laird shot the final round course record of 63 to secure his victory in 2013. Steele has won two times since his first career TOUR win here in San Antonio.
PGA TOUR players have until Friday, March 24 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time to commit and can withdraw at any time.
Tickets to the Valero Texas Open are now on sale via Ticketmaster and ValeroTexasOpen.com. As is customary, all net proceeds from the tournament will go to support hundreds of charity organizations throughout South Texas and well beyond.
Additional News and Notes:
 | Economic Impact: The 2022 Valero Texas Open generated an economic impact of $29 Million and generated a fiscal impact, or an increase in taxes, of nearly $1.2 Million. The tournament saw a 30% increase in attendance since 2019. 45% of total attendees were from outside San Antonio and 39% of total attendees were visiting San Antonio for the purposes of the Valero Texas Open. |  |
| Night to Honor Our Heroes: The Valero Texas Open's long-standing tradition of celebrating "Military City, USA" continues this year as active military, veterans, wounded warriors and corporate supporters gather Friday night of tournament week. This year's Night to Honor Our Heroes presented by Boeing will feature a fire-side chat with Head Football Coaches Brent Venables (University of Oklahoma) and Jeff Traylor (University of Texas at San Antonio) already confirmed to participate. Additional participants to be announced at a later date. | |
| Champions fore Charity: Champions fore Charity is a fundraising program that provides participating charities and schools the opportunity to generate contributions through the Valero Texas Open. The Valero Texas Open raised a record-breaking $22 million in 2022 as a part of the 100th anniversary of the tournament, bringing the grand total to $209 million in charitable giving.
The 2022 Champions fore Charity program distributed over $11.55M to nearly 160 participating organizations. The 2023 fundraising campaign is presently underway and will conclude April 11. Over 170 participating charities and school programs have already raised over $3.7 million to date. At the conclusion of the fundraiser, the charities will also receive several financial incentives including a 7% matching gift provided by the Valero Texas Open. To learn more and donate to your favorite charity and/or school visit, www.championsforecharity.com. | |
| Volunteer Opportunities: Opportunities are available for individuals looking to support our charitable mission or interested in a behind-the-scenes look at conducting a PGA TOUR tournament. The Valero Texas Open traditionally utilizes around 2,100 volunteers to assist in staging and managing the tournament. Nearly 800 Valero employees are part of this group. | |
Visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for all tournament news, updates, information and to purchase tickets.
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