Golf
Valero Texas Open preview: Kim can take another title in 2021
Although we’re less than two weeks away from the Masters, plenty of the world’s best golfers have chosen to tee it up for the Valero Texas Open this week. WGC Dell Technologies Match Player runner-up Scottie Scheffler as well as Jordan Spieth are two notable contenders.
Here’s our look ahead to the action from TPC San Antonio.
Kim looking forward to getting back to TPC San Antonio
As mentioned, TPC San Antonio hosts this week’s tournament and given his strong course form at the Texan course, the claims of SI WOO KIM are pretty clear to see. Although still relatively new to the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old is already a three-time winner, with the most recent of those coming at the American Express in January.
That win earlier this year was further evidence of Kim’s love for Pete Dye-designed courses, and although this week’s test doesn’t fall into that category, it’s not like this is course he hasn’t played well at in the past.
Since missing the cut on debut in 2015, Kim has two top 25s in three appearances, including a tie for fourth the last time this tournament was played in 2019. That fourth-placed finish tells only half the story, though, as he led by three after round one, four after round two and one after round three. He fluffed his lines on Sunday, though, and even-par 72 meant he finished five shots behind Corey Conners.
Those three rounds in 2019 show this is a course that clearly fits Kim’s eye, and he comes into this off a solid showing at the Players Championship where he finished in a tie for ninth. Although it’s been very much feast or famine this season for the South Korean, that performance at Sawgrass will have given him plenty of confidence and the fact he returns to a course he has form at means he gets the headline vote at 33/1.
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It’s clear that Jordan Spieth is very much trending in the right direction as shown by four top 10s in his last six starts. The whole of the golfing world would love to see Spieth back to his best and what better way to warm up for another shot at the Green Jacket than by winning here. He’s playing well and is at home in Texas, but he’s pretty short at 11/1 considering he hasn’t won since the 2017 Open.
Scottie Scheffler (16/1) played really well last week in Austin but looked to be pretty tired during parts of the final against Billy Horschel. He’s still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour and it’s always hard to get over a defeat like the one he had to go through last week.
