Golf Glance: Final Masters spot on line in Texas; $4M purse for LPGA in Vegas

Field Level Media
01 Apr 2026, 08:11 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The final spot in the Masters Tournament is on the line as the PGA Tour stops in San Antonio, while a $4 million purse is up for grabs for an elite women's field at the ultra-exclusive Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: Valero Texas Open, San Antonio, April 2-5

Course: TPC San Antonio (Par 72, 7,438 Yards)

Purse: $9.8M (Winner: $1.764M)

Defending Champion: Brian Harman

FedEx Cup Leader: Jacob Bridgeman

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3:30 p.m. (GC), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 pm. (NBC)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 10:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

X: @ValeroTxOpen

NOTES: The winner will earn the final invitation into next week's Masters Tournament if not otherwise qualified. Three of the past six winners of the event earned a spot into the Masters. Notable players who are not currently qualified for the masters include six-time PGA Tour winners Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler. ... The field includes 17 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. ... Sponsor exemptions included Ryan Palmer, Brandt Snedeker, Camilo Villegas and Jimmy Walker. ... This is the final event for players to earn spots into the next signature event at the RBC Heritage via the Aon Swing 5. The current leaders are David Lipsky, Chandler Blanchet, Jordan Smith, Johnny Keefer and Marco Penge. ... Zach Johnson in 2008-09 was the most recent player to win consecutive Valero Texas Open titles. ... The TPC San Antonio tournament scoring record of 268 is shared by Corey Conners (2019) and Akshay Bhatia and Denny McCarthy in 2024.

BEST BETS: No. 4 Tommy Fleetwood (+1425 at DraftKings) is the top-ranked player in the field and has finished T8 or better in three of four starts this season. ... Ludvig Aberg (+1500) held the 54-hole lead in his most recent start at The Players, which followed a T3 at Bay Hill. ... Robert MacIntyre (+1800) is coming off a solo fourth at The Players and has three consecutive finishes of T24 or better. ... Si Woo Kim (+2150) has cooled off following a strong start to the season but still has five finishes of T13 or better in eight starts in 2026. ... Hideki Matsuyama (+2250) is one of the most accomplished players in the field as the former Masters champion prepares for Augusta next week. ... Michael Thorbjornsen (+2700) has been in contention before struggling on Sunday each of the past two weeks. The former Stanford standout is still seeking his maiden PGA Tour victory.

Last Tournament: Texas Children's Houston Open (Gary Woodland)

Next Tournament: Masters Tournament, Augusta, Ga., April 9-12

LPGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: Aramco Championship, Las Vegas, April 2-5

Course: Shadow Creek Golf Club (Par 72, 6,765 Yards)

Purse: $4M (Winner: $600,000)

Defending Champion: Inaugural Event

Race to CME Globe Leader: Hyo Joo Kim

HOW TO FOLLOW:

TV: Thursday-Friday: 7-10 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 5-9 p.m. (Golf Channel)

X: @LPGA

NOTES: The 72-hole stroke play event is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour as part of the 'Aramco Series' funded by Saudi Arabia's oil company. ... The field includes each of the top 20 players in the Rolex Rankings and 40 LET players based on the 2025 Order of Merit. ... Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom won the match play event contested at Shadow Creek last year. ... Jessica Korda, the sister of World No. 2 Nelly Korda, is in the field on a sponsor exemption after missing the cut in Arizona last week.

Last Tournament: Ford Championship (Kim)

Next Tournament: JM Eagle LA Championship, April 16-19

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

THIS WEEK: OFF.

2026 Season Leaders: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Ripper GC

X: @livgolf_league

Last Event: LIV Golf South Africa (Individual: Bryson DeChambeau; Team: Crushers GC)

Next Event: LIV Golf Mexico City, April 16-19

DP WORLD TOUR

THIS WEEK: OFF.

Race to Dubai Leader: Patrick Reed

Last Tournament: Hero Indian Open (Alex Fitzpatrick)