Valero Texas Open more than just a sideshow
IN: News | US PGA | Valero Texas Open (2004) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 14 Sep 2004
While much of the golfing world's focus will be on the goings on at Oakland Hills this week, there is still some serious business to attend to in San Antonio, where the Valero Texas Open is to be staged at the La Cantera Golf Club.
The Resort course at the Westin La Cantera Resort is one of two courses on the property, this one designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1995. The Texas Open, under various guises, has been played here every year since. The course converted a par 70 from its original 72 in 2001 and the yardage reduced by 100 yards but still they have ripped it apart. The winning score last year was twenty four under.
The defending champion is Tommy Armour who blitzed them last year when putting together an unbelievable run of 64, 62, 63 and 65 to win by seven over Loren Roberts and Bob Tway. Other recent winners have included Loren Roberts, Justin Leonard (twice) and Duffy Waldorf.
Tommy Armour comes in to this week with a rather ordinary run of form behind him in 2004. Mind you it was pretty much the same scenario last year. It is hard to see him repeating the lesson he served up last year however.
Justin Leonard enters the event as the favourite. Hopefully with the disappointment of the last day drama at Whistling Straits behind him, he will look to further his great record here. His two starts since the PGA suggest that he is still coming to terms with a lost opportunity, but it may just be that a return to La Cantera is just the tonic he needs. Twice a winner and twice a runner up in recent years, his record here needs no further scrutiny.
Robert Allenby is one of the leading players here in terms of world ranking and comes off two very good weeks at the PGA and the NEC. Allenby has not been here since 1998, just prior to gaining his full USPGA Tour card, but is in such good form that his first win of 2004 would not be a surprise.
Duffy Waldorf has played well the last few weeks although a bad Sunday has cost him dearly. His obvious liking for the Resort course, having won in 1999 and finished 4th last year, indicates that another win this week would not be out of the question for the big fella. He has not won since 2000 but maybe this could be the week.
Bob Tway has teased me and cost me over the last few weeks but I am going to give him another chance to redeem himself. He has played very solidly in recent weeks, including his 6th at the NEC, and his 26th last week in Canada was not all bad. He was runner up here last year and was 10th in 2002.
Loren Roberts is another who plays well here. He won in 2002 and was runner up last year. He too is playing solidly of late with a 17th place at the PGA and 21st at the Buick Championship.
Of the Australasians, other than Allenby, there are several. Rod Pampling is in such fine form of late. He followed up his win at the International with a 14th place at the NEC and is having his best year in professional golf. Now that he has won his first USPGA Tour event and convinced himself of his ability to do so, then the floodgates may open. Playing on Tifdwarf greens will not faze him. He played really well here last year especially early in the week.
Aaron Baddeley who was 5th here last year, Steve Elkington, Steve Allan, Greg Chalmers, John Senden, Scott Hend, Grant Waite and Andre Stolz make up the rest of those from down under.
Scott Hend needs only one more good cheque to be assured of full status in 2005 with Chalmers and Waite needing a couple of big cheques to be back on the USPGA Tour next season.
The event is worth US$3.5 million with the winner to take home US$630,000.
