PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Valero Texas Open

We do a lot of DFS site specific coverage here at FantasyCPR, so in an effort to bring in new golf fans, and look at Fantasy Golf as a whole, I am excited to bring you my PGA Power Rankings for this weeks Valero Texas Open, played at TPC San Antonio – AT&T Oaks Course, in San Antonio, Texas.

This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 20 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. Before we do that, let’s touch a bit on the history of the Valero Texas Open.

PGA Power Rankings: Valero Texas Open – Course and History

After an exciting WGC-Match Play event last week, the final tune-up for some before the Masters will be this week at the Valero Texas Open. Some players are still trying to qualify for Augusta next week, and many in the field for the first Major of 2019 next week will sit this one out.

Rickie Fowler will tee it up here at the Valero after skipping the WGC-Dell Match Play last week, and he is the clear-cut favorite. Joining him will be Jordan Spieth, as he is still looking to get on track, and Matt Kuchar, who as I write this is battling along in the Match-Play semifinals. After this run here, I would not be surprised to see Kuch sit out this week and rest before the Masters so keep an eye out for that.

The Oaks course at TPC San Antonio is fairly long at 7,435 yards, but plays at par 72, and is said to be playing a little easier this year. The rough is manageable, and the fairways are wider, leaving much more room for error, so expect to see some high scoring this week.

This event obviously doesn’t draw the top names in golf being it is the week before the biggest tournament of the year, but it is still one of the oldest events on tour as it closes in 100 years (this is the 97th).

Last year, Andrew Landry earned his first tour victory, as he held off Trey Mullinax and Sean O’Hair by two strokes. Other recent winners here at TPC San Antonio include Jimmy Walker, Charley Hoffman, and Kevin Chappell.

PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Valero Texas Open

***The following golfers are my top 20 overall. Each golfer will be followed by their official golf world ranking (OGWR) in parenthesis.***

20. Abraham Ancer – (61)

Kicking off the PGA Power Rankings this week for the Valero Texas Open, will be the 28-year-old Abraham Ancer. With a wide open, less than stellar field, and plenty of golfers vying for the last few spots at the Masters next week, my hunch is there will be a few like Ancer on the top of their game, looking for that final invite.

Ancer is coming around a bit after missing back-to-back cuts at the Farmers Insurance open and the WMPO. He did also miss the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but has looked pretty solid the last two weeks.

After a good start at the Players Championship two weeks ago, he tailed off a bit on the weekend, and finished T-12. Ancer also qualified for the Dell Match Play event last weekend, and while he did not advance to the weekend, he came awfully close. He finished 2-1 in his pool, losing to Paul Casey, and beating Charles Howell and Cameron Smith.

19. Si Woo Kim – (56)

Kim snuck into Match Play last week as the 54th seed, and while quite a few golfers had rough weeks, Kim may have been at his worst. He went 0-3, pretty much getting destroyed by everyone in his pool, and with his trip to the Masters already locked up with his Players Championship win exemption, he is a good bet to maybe sit this one out to prepare for Augusta.

Kim was solid in California at the Genesis Open and the Pebble Beach Pro Am, notching back-to-back top fives, but it has been a quick path downhill since. He missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and T-56 at the Players. At the Valero last year, Kim finished T-45 at 1-under.

18. Jhonattan Vegas – (80)

Vegas was at it again this week, as he continues to play out of his mind in 2019. This time it was at the Corales Championship in Punta Cana, as he highlighted a field of lesser-known PGA tour grinders, while the best in the world competed in Match Play. He ended up finishing T-26, just missing his fifth top-25 in 2019, and his fourth in a row.

While I believe a Masters berth is out of the question unless he wins here, Vegas is without a doubt playing his best golf in quite sometime, and possibly ever. He T-3 in impressive fashion in his last action previous to Punta Cana, and he has a good shot to contend this week considering his form, and the field.

17. Jimmy Walker – (103)

Jimmy Walker calls Texas home, and it is obvious by looking at his results here the past few years, that the Valero Texas Open is probably one that he looks forward to every year. It started with his victory in 2015, when he held off Jordan Spieth by four strokes, and the rest of the field by seven or more.

While 2016 was an off-year trying to follow up the victory, it ended with a missed cut. In 2017 however, he bounced right back and T-13, and last year he finished a solo fourth at 14-under par. This is definition course horse this week.

16. Justin Harding – (49)

So if I am reading this correctly, as it currently stands, the 49th ranked Harding has not yet qualified for Masters play, which may explain his entry here at the Valero. The 33-year-old South African will make it if his ranking stays under 50, so I think the fear of dropping a couple of spots will keep him in the states another week, after playing well at the WGC-Dell Match Play last week.

Harding wasn’t bad last week as he went 2-1 in match play, but unfortunately he had Rory McIlroy in his pool, who breezed through the round robin portion of the event. Prior to to match play, Harding was catching fire on the European Tour, with a win at the Qatar Masters, followed by a T-2 at the Magical Kenya Open.

PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Valero Texas Open

15. Hao-Tong Li – (38)

Li was solid in Match Play last week, coming out of his pool with a 2-1 record, and advancing to the round of 16. However it would end there, as he ran into wizard match play genius Kevin Kisner, who eventually went on to claim the victory.

Li has already claimed his spot at the Masters next week with his OWGR ranking finishing inside the top 50 last year, so a late withdrawal here at the Valero is certainly something to watch out for. While he has been solid on the European Tour, he has not played well in the United States in 2019, missing cuts at both Bay Hill, and at the Players Championship.

14. Graeme McDowell – (257)

My ranking may be a little high on McDowell this week, but what can I say I am rooting for the guy! He was able to hold his lead and capture his first win on tour since 2015 at the Corales Championship, and he just keeps grinding away with the hopes of qualifying for a major once again.

Making the Masters is a longshot and highly unlikely, but if he can keep up the solid play he could qualify for another major in the near future. McDowell finished even par here at the Valero Texas Open last year, which was good for a T-51 finish.

13. Ryan Moore – (87)

Moore has been on-and-off as of late and as usual I guess, and while he is somewhat of another course horse here this week, he is no Jimmy Walker. He is coming in off of a missed cut at the Valspar Championship, but prior to that he cracked the top-20 at the Players Championship at nine-under par.

He was just four shots back here at the Valero last year, and it was good for a solo seventh place finish. In 2017 he T-18th, prior to that there is no recent history. Two top-20’s in the last two years however, make him the 13th ranked golfer in the field this week.

12. Joaquin Niemann – (158)

Unfortunately for Niemann, a missed cut at the Corales Championships last week is a serious setback. The young Chilean product will likely play in many a Major Championship in his career, but for now he need to focus on just getting back on track.

Niemann was showing some signs of life making four straight cuts leading into this week, but a poor showing in the alternate tournament that he had a great chance to pick up some ground on the field in will hurt for a bit. This kid has a great swing, and he will be better this week. He did make his debut here last year, and was impressive with a solo sixth place finish.

11. Lucas Bjerregaard – (52)

Another golfer that very well could withdraw this week considering he has already punched his ticket to the Masters, is the up-and-coming Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, who impressed mightily at the WGC-Match Play last week, advancing to the final four. I think fatigue will very much be a factor for the four who made it to Sunday, but if he decides to tee it up on Thursday he will likely be considered a favorite. His fourth place finish this week has moved him up nine spots in the OWGR, as he now currently sits at 43rd.

PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Valero Texas Open

10. Jim Furyk – (54)

Furyk beat Jason Day to start match play last week 2-up, then proceeded to beat Phil Mickelson as well at 1-up. It was on Friday where Old Man Jim ran into a scorching hot Henrik Stenson, who was knocking approach shots within 10 feet on what seemed like every hole. Stenson went on to win 5 & 4, going undefeated, and ending a really good bid for Furyk to shoot up into the top-50 just in time for the Masters.

As it stands now, Furyk looks like he will need a really good finish this week at the Valero Texas Open to make it in, as he has moved up just two spots to 52. If you are a DFS player, these guys like Furyk and Im and who are playing for a berth to a Major should be high on your radar this week.

9. Lucas Glover – (82)

Glover had the week off, as he did not qualify for WGC-Dell Match Play, and decided to pass on the trip to Punta Cana. He has been on heater since the end of 2018, and his accolades have been duly noted in this article and my other PGA pieces.

After three straight top-10’s, Glover missed the cut at the Players, and it looked as though the run was coming to an end. However, he bounced back with another top-20 finishing T-13 at the Valspar, and he continues to play pretty solid golf.

8. Sungjae Im – (59)

This kid just keeps plugging away, and another good finish this week in the form of a T-7 at the Corales Championships should keep moving him up in the OWGR. He moved up 13 spots last week from 72nd, and yet another top-10 will likely have him moving up again. If news he breaks when the new rankings are posted that he has in fact qualified for the Masters by entering the top-50, I would not be surprised if Im finally takes a week off.

Im now has three top-10’s in his last four events, and funny, it appears as though the new rankings have just dropped, and Im only moved up two spots to 57. We will definitely see him once again this week, and you would have to think another top-10 would be enough to get that elusive Masters bid.

7. Jordan Spieth – (30)

Spieth was a little better this week in match play going 1-1-1, but still dropped a couple spots in the OWGR, as the slide continues. I am firm believer that Spieth’s struggles lie in his own mind, as there is simply no other explanation for some of the mistakes we see on the greens.

Regardless, I like everyone else that pays close attention to golf and the PGA Tour believe that Jordan Spieth will find his game again soon. I fully expect him to stay in this field as he needs another tune-up before the Masters, and also considering the fact he was a later commit.

6. Byeong-Hun An – (51)

Another bubble for the Masters, An may need to top-five this week to get his bid. In fact, he may even need to win it. A 1-2 showing at Match Play highlighted by a decisive 5 & 6 win over Kyle Stanley, sent An down three spots in the OWGR to 54th.

Look for An, Im, and Furyk all to be talked about quite a bit this week, as those elusive final spots to Augusta are up for grabs. Benny has been solid in 2019, missing just one cut in seven events, and notching three top-20’s.

PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Valero Texas Open

T-4. Billy Horschel – (40)

As we enter the top five this week, we have another golfer who went 1-1-1 at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championships last week. Another horse for the course, the Florida native has had plenty of success here at the Valero Texas Open over the years.

After tying for third in 2013, Horschel had a hiccup at TPC San Antonio in 2014 missing the cut. In 2015 and 2016 Billy Ho found himself in the top five again here at the Valero, with a solo third in 2015 and a T-4 in 2016. He missed the cut again in 2017, but bounced back again last year to just miss another top ten with a T-11 finish.

T-4. Jason Kokrak – (68)

In somewhat of a surprise, Kokrak’s week off led to a one spot drop in the OWGR, despite his T-2 in his last action just two weeks ago at the Valspar Championship. Kokrak has been steady for weeks, not missing a cut since the Open Championship last year, and notching three top-10’s in his last four outings.

It does not look like he will get a shot at the Masters, but if he keeps up his solid play, he will likely be around for another Major down the road. However, funny things could happen here with a win. Kokrak T-36 here last year.

3. Tony Finau – (15)

After winning his first match last week, Finau lost to eventual champion Kevin Kisner and Ian Poutler, and failed to make it to the weekend. Since his missed cut at the Waste Management Phoenix open, Finau seemed to have turned a corner, grabbing three top-25’s in four events.

Despite the nice finishes, none of those were top-10’s. If Finau can make some noise this week, he will likely be hot commodity going into Augusta considering his pedigree. I like the fact that he is taking the opportunity to work on his game this week in Texas, instead of waiting for the Masters, and I think him and Jordan Spieth do enough this week to make people remember them for next week.

2. Matt Kuchar – (24)

It was a grueling battle and I am guessing Kuchar is exhausted. My goal is to get this published Sunday night, because I have a feeling a handful of withdrawals are coming. Kuchar will likely headline that bunch, and I would rather not keep having to make changes before I get it published. Yup pretty selfish I know, but this Kuchar we are talking about. See what I did there?

Kuchar finished runner-up to Kisner at the WGC-Dell Match Play week, losing on a cold, windy Sunday. Kuch was rocking the beanie, so you know it was not ideal golf weather out there. If he remains in the field I will be surprised after that grueling match play derby, but if he does indeed play, I don’t expect him to skip a beat, as he continues with his solid form.

1. Rickie Fowler – (10)

Much like Kuch is number two almost by default, Rickie Fowler is the easiest choice for number one in the Power Rankings to date. Fowler made his choice to play here at the Valero Texas Open instead of Match Play long ago, as he was one of the first to commit to this tournament this year.

After a week off, he moved up two spots to number eight in the OWGR, despite two poor finishes the last two tournaments prior. Well poor for Fowler’s standards at least, as he T-40 at Bay Hill, and finished T-47 at the Masters. With this field and level of competition, and Fowler being an early commit here, anything less than a win seems like it will be a disappointment.

Thanks for stopping by FantasyCPR and checking out our ever-expanding PGA coverage.. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon, along with some Fantasy Draft coverage once again as well.

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