When it comes to the Texas two-step, I am partial to the Valero Texas Open, as I lived in San Antonio for a decade and met my wife there. Those are my cards on the table.
That being said… I love that the Texas Children’s Houston Open is a thing in our lives once more. I’m a Texas dude through and through, and when it comes to Major League Baseball, I root for the Houston Astros. I say this because I went to Opening Day last week and the vibes/energy in Clutch City were all over the place with the Astros being back and the Houston Open going on. Tony Finau even threw out the first pitch on Friday night!
As you can see in the second image, Finau won the Houston Open himself back in 2022 and finished tied for second a year ago. There is a new king of that hill, though, as Min Woo Lee cracked through on Sunday for his first win on Tour, which everybody loved seeing.
Here’s the thing about the recent Houston Open, though… the leaderboard was incredible.
Min Woo Lee obviously won, but Scottie Scheffler tied for second (so did Gary Woodland which was awesome). Wyndham Clark finished T5 along with Rory McIlroy and Alejandro Tosti (who made, uh, some headlines).
Joel Dahmen finished inside the top 20 (T-18)! I feel like the point is obvious by now that it was a rip-roaring good time in Clutch City, even if the rain caused a delay or two.
All due respect to Dahmen, the other non-Min Woo players I mentioned are all currently ranked inside of the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking. I know it isn’t breaking news to say that the best golfers in the world are playing like the best golfers in the world, but we don’t always stroll down Magnolia Lane into the Masters on this kind of high.
If Augusta National does in fact deliver elite golf from Scottie, Rory, Wyndham, and dare I even say Min Woo (Joel too while we are at it) then the golf tournament that always delivers is setting itself up to do so in some seriously impressive and epic fashion.
As noted I am going to soak up every bit of the Valero Texas Open this weekend in San Antonio (who is hosting the Final Four at the same time… Texas is having quite the moment), but it feels like the plates and cups are already set at the table for the tournament unlike any other and I am ready to sit down and have a meal.
