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 | | Relive the 2025 Valero Texas Open | |
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| | Honoring The 2025 Volunteer of the Year | |
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This past Saturday evening on June 7, the Valero Texas Open showed its appreciation for the volunteer Tournament Leadership Council (TLC) at its annual Appreciation Banquet. An important part of the ceremony included the presentation to this year's "Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award" recipient, Carol McGuire.
Our Volunteer of the Year is the total package - a dedicated volunteer whose 32-year journey with the Valero Texas Open began as a Walking Scorer using paper and bubble sheets at Oak Hills. Over the years, she's scored winning groups, met legends like Tiger Woods, and built lasting memories. From stepping into key roles like scoring to becoming a Hospitality Co-Captain, she has led with professionalism, heart, and a deep passion for the tournament. She's recruited top volunteers, brought thoughtful leadership, and always finds ways to enhance the experience for guests, players, and fellow volunteers alike. Her commitment, charity, and energy make her an irreplaceable part of the VTO family. Congratulations Carol McGuire on being the 2025 Volunteer of the Year!
Carol was deeply humbled and pleasantly surprised to be recognized by the Tournament Leadership Council and tournament officials as the 2025 Volunteer of the Year for the Valero Texas Open. Upon being presented the award, Carol said, "When I began my journey with the Texas Open in 1993, I never dreamed I would have hundreds of unforgettable moments walking alongside world renowned golfers and making lasting friendships among my fellow volunteers. It has truly been an honor to volunteer all these years, and I will treasure this beautiful Malcolm DeMille trophy and nominee pin forever. I want to thank all my captains, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Hospitality committee who led with wisdom, dedication, and caring which made my experience, fun, enjoyable and fulfilling. VTO has the best team in the world."
Tom Mabe, the award's namesake, was a longtime Valero Texas Open volunteer who worked with players, fans, caddies and tournament officials for decades as a proud member of the TLC. An American hero, retired from the US Army after being stationed in Germany and fighting in Korea and Vietnam, Mabe sadly lost his battle with cancer during tournament week of 2014.
To celebrate Mabe's memory and his vast contributions to the Valero Texas Open over the span of 30 years, the Tournament Staff, along with the TLC, established in 2015 the "Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award."
As Volunteer of the Year, Carol was awarded with a Valero Texas Open gift package including a two-night stay and spa package at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa, complimentary volunteer registration and premium parking for next year's tournament. In addition, a charitable donation totaling $1,000 will be made in Carol's honor to two charities close to her heart, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in memory of her husband, Wayne Jordan, and Texas WINGS to support breast cancer patients.
In addition, Carol received a replica of the Valero Texas Open tournament trophy; a symbol of appreciation for her significant impact on the Tournament. The Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award perpetual trophy now includes Carol's name and will be proudly displayed year-round in the Valero Texas Open offices as a reminder of the importance of Volunteers to the success of the tournament. In addition, the perpetual trophy will be exhibited in the Volunteer Headquarters at the annual Valero Texas Open.
Each Tournament Leadership Council committee designated a volunteer of the year from their respective team that was then nominated for the Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year. All Committee Volunteer of the Year nominees attended the annual TLC Banquet, where the winner was then announced. After much review and deliberation of the nominees, Carol was announced as the 10th recipient of the "Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award." Greg Brueland was the inaugural "Tom Mabe Volunteer of the Year Award" recipient in 2015 followed by Gerry Hagar (2016), Lisa Leong (2017), Barbara Zakrison (2018), Jenny Fischer (2019), Mike Murray (2021), Sherry King (2022), Greg Klemm (2023), and Chuck Rosales (2024).
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| | 2025 USGA Men's Senior Amateur Championship | |
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If you haven't heard the exciting news, the USGA Men's Senior Amateur Championship will be held at Oak Hills Country Club this fall from August 20-28. This will be Oak Hills' 3rd USGA Championship. Previously scheduled for 2028, the date was moved forward due to the damage incurred last year at Biltmore Forest CC in Ashville, NC by Hurricane Helene.
Oak Hills Country Club hosted the Valero Texas Open 1961-1966 and 1977-1994 for a total of 24 tournaments.
The USGA is seeking volunteers to help make this National Championship a success for our great community and state. The Championship Committee anticipates needing an additional 100-150 volunteers. Volunteer shifts are limited and are first come first served.
The cost of volunteering is $50 and will include two (2) shirts and a hat. There will be a Volunteer Day at Oak Hills on Monday, December 8 with complimentary golf, food, and beverages for eligible volunteers.
Eligibility requirements are as follows:
|  | Two shifts of at least 5 hours each, OR | |
| | Three shifts of at least 4 hours each, OR | |
| | Four shifts of any length (includes free Oak Hills hat), OR | |
| | Five or more shifts of any length (includes free Oak Hills hat and Oak Hills shirt) | |
We hope that you can be a part of the 70th USGA Senior Amateur Championship!
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| | Celebration of Champions | |
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Champions fore Charity fundraising program hosted its annual Celebration of Champions on Wednesday, May 14 at Security Service FCU Event Center. Nearly 320 representatives from charities, schools, and program sponsors -- from San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi attended the luncheon as funds raised through the seven month-long Champions fore Charity campaign were distributed to the 176 participating agencies. Based on the generous support from donors, the year over year growth increased 19.53% with a collection of 99.99% of the total fundraising commitments.
 |  | Click to watch highlights from the Celebration of Champions luncheon. |
The Champions fore Charity campaign is a charitable initiative organized and supported by the Valero Texas Open, providing 238 charity organizations throughout the greater San Antonio community and beyond with a fun and unique fundraising platform. The charities also received several financial incentives like the 7% Matching Gift. Thanks to generosity of the community, the 2025 Valero Texas Open, along with Champions fore Charity, and the Valero Benefit for Children, raised a record $25 million, bringing the grand total to $281 million in charitable giving.
Debra Weems, Senior Manager of Community Investment & Engagement for Valero helped celebrate and congratulate the hard work, dedication and passion that the charity representatives put forth to better the community through the various services they provide on a daily basis.
Champions fore Charity Ambassadors, Randy Carroll (KJ 97 radio host), David Chancellor (WOAI news anchor), and Sarah Forgany (KENS news anchor) helped to recognize the achievements made by participating nonprofits in the 2024-2025 fundraising program.
During the remarks, several of the program incentive winners were announced and recognized including:
| Guess the Champion Contest |
Donors from Champions fore Charity had the opportunity to guess who would be the 2025 champion through the "Guess the Champion Contest", for a chance to win a Stay & Play Package provided by TPC San Antonio and the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. No one correctly guessed this year's champion, Brian Harman, so a random draw amongst all donors took place.
The winner for the Stay & Play Package was drawn and unfortunately could not attend the Celebration of Champions. However, the charity the donor supported was Children's Alliance of South Texas - A Child Advocacy Center which received an incentive bonus of $5,000!
| Drawing fore More Awareness |
During the fundraising campaign the Drawing fore More Awareness offered a fun way to keep participating charities and schools engaged and motivated. Throughout the seven-month campaign, charities were entered into a drawing for every $500 worth of pledges they received for a chance to win $2,500. Six (6) lucky charities earned a cumulative total of $15,000 from the Valero Texas Open tournament proceeds.
The drawings took place with the help of program ambassadors, Sarah Forgany, David Chancellor, and Randy Carroll as they each alternated for each contest to randomly draw a qualified charity.
| | Ascension DePaul Services | |
| | Children's Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA | |
| | Down Syndrome Association of South Texas | |
Program Ambassador, David Chancellor with WOAI News 4 hosts a weekly segment on the morning news called "Sock It To Mondays". David partnered with Champions fore Charity which featured two (2) charities each month on the first and third Mondays from November - May. During the remarks, David was surprised to receive a frame with all the charity socks he featured during the campaign season as a keepsake.
| Final Top 10 Charitable Leaderboard |
| 1 | New Braunfels Food Bank | $1,017,000.00 |
| 2 | The Ecumenical Center | $802,020.00 |
| 3 | Arms of Hope | $539,220.00 |
| 4 | First Tee - Greater San Antonio | $501,412.00 |
| 5 | Disabled Outdoorsmen USA, Inc. | $470,000.00 |
| 6 | Autism Community Network | $416,047.28 |
| 7 | Aid the Silent | $402,300.00 |
| 8 | Soldiers' Angels | $377,198.36 |
| 9 | Children's Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA | $360,000.00 |
| 10 | Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy | $356,639.18 |
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| | Champions fore Charity Corporate Partners | |
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Champions fore Charity, thanks to its corporate supporters, is able to deliver 100% of all funds contributed to participating organizations. Please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com to learn more about the Valero Texas Open and its Champions fore Charity program. The 2025-2026 campaign season will kick-off in the fall.
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