This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Valero Texas Open
San Antonio, Texas
TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) - Par 72 - 7,438 yards
Field - 144 entrants
Purse - $8.6M
The Preview
Golf contests return to the Yahoo DFS lobby after a brief hiatus during the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club, where former Longhorn Scottie Scheffler notched his third big win in less than two months and overtook Jon Rahm for the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking at just 25 years old. Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, Chad Ramey played his final 54 holes at the Corales Golf Club in a collective 15-under-par to pick up his maiden victory on the PGA Tour as a 29-year-old rookie.
With most of the game's top players already starting preparations for next week's trip to Augusta National, a consequently weak 144-entrant field heads to TPC San Antonio. Luckily, several headliners such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau remain in Texas. The lengthy Oaks Course invites ample distance off the tee while featuring difficult par-5s and slow greens that are overseeded with Poa trivialis to combat potentially windy conditions, which serve as the layout's primary defense. As such, hitting fairways in regulation isn't exactly a necessity. The ball should fly as temperatures figure to flirt with the 90-degree mark from Thursday to Sunday, with a strengthening breeze arriving Friday afternoon.
Recent Champions
2021 - Jordan Spieth
2020 - None
2019 - Corey Conners
2018 - Andrew Landry
2017 - Kevin Chappell
2016 - Charley Hoffman
2015 - Jimmy Walker
2014 - Steven Bowditch
2013 - Martin Laird
2012 - Ben Curtis
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving distance
Par-5 scoring
Proximity: 75-125 yards
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Rory McIlroy - $47
McIlroy, who's rested after skipping the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, returns to TPC San Antonio for the first time since earning runner-up honors here back in 2013 when he paced the field in GIR percentage and total birdies. McIlroy's driving prowess lends him such an advantage at the Oaks Course, and he enters the week ranked first in SG: Tee-to-Green, second in driving distance, second in Opportunities Gained and third in SG: Off-the-Tee over his past 12 rounds.
Bryson DeChambeau - $42
Much like McIlroy, a combination of driving ability and overall win equity make it impossible to ignore DeChambeau, especially at just $42 against this kind of field with many gamers still concerned about his health and lousy course history. You could very well be getting the Bryson that has gained an average of 3.8 strokes off the tee per event throughout his last 20 measured starts, and he's also one of the better putters in attendance. It's probably okay to fade him in cash-game formats, but over-exposure on DeChambeau in GPPs could lead to the highest of payouts. It feels foolish to fork up just as much, if not more of the salary allocation on Corey Conners ($43) or Tony Finau ($42).
Glue Guys
Adam Hadwin - $36
Hadwin could be a chalk candidate after notching back-to-back top-10s to close out his Florida Swing at THE PLAYERS and the Valspar Championship, but even more popular names such as Maverick McNealy ($38), Si Woo Kim ($38) and Chris Kirk ($36) now surround him on the salary board. Hadwin, who finished T23 at TPC San Antonio in 2021, sits third in P3: 200-225 scoring, fourth in proximity from 75-100 yards, seventh in Opportunities Gained and 22nd in SG: Tee-to-Green over his last 12 rounds. Minimizing the sample to his last eight measured rounds, Hadwin has picked up a collective 7.5 shots with his irons and 7.2 on the greens.
Gary Woodland - $34
It doesn't take more than 60 seconds of Valero Texas Open research to find that 2016 champion Charley Hoffman ($34) is THE horse for the course with nine finishes of T13 or better in 11 trips to TPC San Antonio, but this presents an opportunity to pivot to a player with much better recent form at the same price point. Woodland is that guy, as he ranks second among this week's field in SG: Approach, second in P3: 200-225 efficiency, fifth in P5: 550-600 efficiency, sixth in Birdie or Better percentage and ninth in Prox: 100-125 yards over his last 12 rounds while earning the No. 2 spot in my custom model this week. Woodland posted back-to-back top-5s to open the Florida Swing before adding another top-25 result at the Valspar Championship, and he placed T6 here at the VTO last year when he finished third in driving distance.
Bargain Bin
Matthew NeSmith - $26
NeSmith missed the cut at a quirky PLAYERS Championship, but otherwise enjoyed the Florida Swing with finishes of T25-T3 at the Honda Classic and Valspar Championship. He grades extremely well over his last 12 rounds, especially down in this mid-$20s range. During this stretch, he's second in Prox: 150-175, third in Opportunities Gained, sixth in P5: 550-600 efficiency and ninth in SG: Approach. NeSmith has also gained strokes off the tee in five consecutive outings dating back to the WM Phoenix Open.
Dylan Frittelli - $25
Frittelli, who helped the University of Texas win the 2012 NCAA Championship, placed top-50 in five of six starts dating to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's finished T26-T16-T42-T50 in four showings since the Genesis Invitational, gaining a combined 11.2 strokes from tee to green along the way. Frittelli also made the cut in each of his first two Valero Texas Open appearances in 2018 and 2019. He's fourth in P5: 550-600 efficiency and 15th in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds.
Alex Smalley - $20
Smalley is slated to make his TPC San Antonio debut after posting a career-best T2 at last week's Corales Puntacana Championship, where he led the entire field in GIR percentage while also recording seven or more par-breakers in multiple rounds. Over his past 12 measured rounds, the rookie ranks top 25 in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Birdie or Better percentage. On the season, he's 14th on Tour in total driving, 22nd in total birdies and 51st in overall proximity.
