Valero Texas Open Round 1: Hubbard Leads, Finau and Zalatoris Are Making Their Masters Push

The first round of the Valero Texas Open got off to a rocky start — a 90-minute weather delay, preferred lies because of morning rain, and a bunch of guys who couldn’t finish before dark — but what we got was a leaderboard dripping with storylines heading into Masters week.

Mark Hubbard leads at 7-under 65 after going absolutely nuclear on his back nine, birdieing six of his final eight holes including a gutsy fairway metal over the creek on 18 just before the horn blew. The guy was tied for the lead with five others and decided to just… leave them all behind.

The Masters Chasers

The real drama is a few shots back.

Tony Finau shot a 6-under 66 and needs to win this week to play in his 34th straight major. He’s fallen to 107th in the world — not a sentence anyone expected to write a couple years ago — and hasn’t been eligible for the Masters since 2017. A 40-foot eagle on the par-5 14th got his round rolling after a shaky start, and he’s right there.

Will Zalatoris opened with a 5-under 67 despite two late bogeys, making eight birdies on the day. The guy has had three back surgeries in the last three years, missed a month with an ankle injury in February, and is ranked 299th in the world. He brought his Masters yardage book to San Antonio just in case. If he wins, he’s in. That’s the only path.

“I’m still 29, I still have some spunk in me,” Zalatoris said. “But I still feel like a 29-year-old who’s had three back surgeries for sure.”

If this isn’t the most relatable thing a professional athlete has ever said, I don’t know what is.

The Rest of the Leaderboard

Also at -6: Andrew Putnam, Steven Fisk, Davis Thompson, and Robert MacIntyre (who birdied his last two holes — MacIntyre is already in the Masters, the only one in that group who is).

At -5, a loaded bunch including Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg, and Maverick McNealy — all Masters-bound — plus Zalatoris and others looking to punch their ticket.

Austin Smotherman had maybe the best week of anyone. His wife gave birth to their third daughter on Monday night (he watched on FaceTime from his hotel — couldn’t make the flight back to Dallas in time), and then he made a hole-in-one on the 220-yard 13th with a 6-iron on Thursday. Shot a 68. Good week to be Austin.

Jordan Spieth’s Closing Problems Continue

Spieth was cruising toward a solid opening round and then missed a 7-footer for birdie on 18, followed by missing the 30-inch par putt. Bogey. Shot 71. The closing-hole issues from The Players and Valspar are becoming a pattern.

The Course

TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course played soft after morning storms, and with preferred lies in play, guys took advantage. It’ll likely firm up as the week goes on. The $9.8 million purse is nice, but let’s be honest — everyone wants those cowboy boots and a tee time at Augusta.

What to Watch Friday

Finau and Zalatoris are the stories. Both need a win, not just a good week. Hubbard has to prove the back nine wasn’t a fluke. And about 30 guys still haven’t finished their first round because of the delay.

The Masters is next week, the field is nearly set, and one more spot is up for grabs. With Tiger out of the picture and Woodland taking the week off after his emotional Houston win, the Valero might be the most compelling last-chance-saloon tournament we’ve seen in years.