Valero Texas Open betting tips
The details
Venue: TPC San Antonio, Texas, United States
Date: April 4-7, 2019
Course stats: Par 72, 7,435 yards
Course summary: Designed by Greg Norman, the breeze can play an interesting part with downhill holes into the wind and vice versa. A mix of narrow tree-lined fairways and wider, more open, holes, strategy is important among the oak trees.
Purse: $7.5 million
Defending champion: Andrew Landry (-17)
Weather forecast: Thunderstorms are possible early on Thursday and throughout most of Saturday, with the wind also expected to get up during the third round. Sunday is set to be warm and fine.
TV coverage
Thursday: Featured groups, Sky Sports Golf and Main Event, 1.30pm; Sky Sports Golf, 9pm; Sky Sports Main Event, 10pm
Friday: Featured groups, Sky Sports Golf and Main Event, 1.30pm; Sky Sports Golf, 9pm
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Sky Sports Main Events, 7pm
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Sky Sports Main Event, 6pm
Valero Texas Open betting tips: Each-way selections
Jimmy Walker (60-1 with bet365) has seen his career curtailed since he contracted Lyme Disease – an illness that causes fever, headache and fatigue. It rather stopped him in his tracks after his PGA Championship victory in 2016 but, every now and then, he reminds us of what a quality ball striker he is.
This is a truly speculative bet and should be treated as such. Walker has absolutely no form to speak of this season. His best finish is tied 29th at the CJ Cup last October and he shot 81 in the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational just a couple of weeks ago.
But Walker has a tremendous record at TPC San Antonio. The winner here is 2015, he was 4th last year and has another podium showing on his recent record.
In fact, outside of one missed cut in 2016, he has been in the top 20 in four of the last five years. He finished strongly on the weekend 12 months ago with a pair of 67s and it’s a course that clearly suits his eye.
At that price, I’ll play a small amount that some fond memories can propel Walker to be a reasonable week.
Ryan Palmer (55/1) missed the cut at The Players but prior to that had finished the Honda Classic in fine style – shooting 69 and 63 to surge into the top 5.
The American also recorded top 10s at the CJ Cup and Shriners Hospital for Children Open at the start of the wrap around season so there is plenty of good form in his 2018-19 record.
That makes his odds here, where he put together three top 10s in a row from 2015 to 2017, intriguing.
So that’s who Steve thinks could make a run at a big price but who are the likely contenders? Turn the page to find out…
Tom Jacobs
Tom is a golf betting expert and provides weekly tips for NCG on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. He works as an affiliate operations specialist for odds comparison site Oddschecker, and also co-hosts the Lost Fore Words podcast.
