Texas Open preview: Ludvig to bring his A game in Texas

As Augusta creeps ever closer, the PGA Tour remains in the Lone Star State for the Texas Open, offering players the opportunity to make any final adjustments before the big one.

TPC San Antonio is the venue this week, a course which rewards top-level ball striking and sharp approach play, with strokes gained around the green set to play a bigger part than ever before this year.

We’ve selected two players from a weaker than usual field for this event whom we think can put on a show.

Find our selections for the Texas Open below.

Ludvig Aberg 12/1

Ludvig Aberg only turned professional in June 2023, but the 24-year-old Swede has not looked back since. He picked up his first PGA Tour win at the RSM Classic in November last year, racking up a runner-up, T3, T8 and T9 finish since then.

At 12/1 Aberg is second-favourite for this competition, partly owing to the slightly weaker field which is often the case here, but not taking away from the fact that he is one of the elite players on the Tour. Whilst a shorter price than usual, Aberg is only topped by Rory McIlroy in the market and given recent form, it is much more attractive to side with the Swede here.

Similar to McIlroy, Aberg is an elite ball-striker, ranking inside the top 25 on Tour for everything from strokes gained from tee-to-green to driving distance. He is well above average in his approach play from short, medium and long range and is also no slouch with the putter, gaining strokes on the rest of the Tour with the flatstick in hand.

Aberg returns to this tournament having been invited to play as an amateur back in 2022, a trend which is significant given the same situation occurred when he won the RSM Classic. Having attended Texas Tech University, Aberg is no stranger to TPC San Antonio and has recorded strong performances here before his professional days, another potential edge in his favour.

The 8 places available at William Hill will certainly be in Aberg’s sights, looking to put on a show before he takes to the first Major of his career. Getting another win under the belt will do his confidence, which never seems to take a dent, no harm and could propel him to becoming a very consistent winner on the Tour.

Davis Riley 80/1

Davis Riley doesn’t have a star-studded résumé compared to some of the Tour’s biggest names, but with many of them absent here he is one of classier players in the lineup and there are a combination of factors which make him an intriguing prospect here.

At 80/1 Riley sits in midfield as far as the market is concerned, with the real outsiders getting up to the dizzy heights of 1500/1! Despite being just 27 years old, Riley has earned his stripes on the Tour having already competed in 85 events, picking up one win, one runner-up, five T5 and eight T10 finishes.

He has appeared at this tournament before, putting in a less than exciting performance on debut before withdrawing injured last year. Though his course form is not eye-catching, the simple fact that he knows the course will certainly help against a host of debutants.

Statistically, Riley’s driver has treated him best of all this year, with a nice combination of distance and accuracy making him the eighth-most efficient driver on the Tour. His approach play is also sound, excelling from 75-100 yards where he ranks seventh on the Tour.

Riley thrives in the southern states, recording his best finish of the year at the Houston Open last week where he ended up a respectable T14. In a weaker field with some momentum behind him he will be hoping to make it into the 8 places on offer with William Hill