Rickie Fowler’s Masters Chase and Two Players to Watch at the Valero Texas Open

I’m not going to act like I’m not looking ahead to next week. The Masters is almost here, which means it’s going to be hard to focus on anything but Augusta National for the next few days. But, there is some golf being played in the Lone Star State this week, and I have my eye on three players—for different reasons.

The field at the Valero Texas Open took a few hits in recent days—Gary Woodland withdrew after his win in Houston, Collin Morikawa also WD’d due to his back—but there is still a handful of stars set to tee it up at TPC San Antonio on Thursday.

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Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Tom Kim, and Max Homa are all on the tee sheet. Not a half-bad lineup with the year’s first major championship slated for next week.

As for the aforementioned three players, let’s dive in.

Rickie Fowler’s Masters Chase

Zalatoris, Finau, and Kim all need a win this week to get into the Masters—but so does Fowler. After missing the cut in Houston and failing to get into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler’s only chance of going back to Augusta is a win on Sunday.

Now, he’s had some success at this event in the past with three top-20 finishes in 2019, 2021, and 2023. But he’s also missed a few cuts.

I’ll be on #RickieWatch all week long. I’m ready to get hurt again.

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Two In-Form Players with Good History at the Valero

I’m disappointed in him for switching to a mallet putter, but I still like Denny McCarthy’s chances in San Antonio. Last year and in 2023, he tied for 18th. In 2024, he lost in a playoff to Akshay Bhatia. Something about this golf course agrees with him.

Since missing the cut at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS, McCarthy has finished T-26 at the Valspar Championship and T-12 at the Houston Open. If his putter gets going, watch out.

Finally, the best-dressed player on TOUR: Keith Mitchell.

He’s made the cut in all nine of his starts this season and finished inside the top 25 three times. Plus, he’s coming off a T-14 in Houston last week.

As for his history at the Valero, his worst finish in four starts is a tie for 26th in 2018. Over the last two seasons, Cashmere Keith has tied for 14th (2024) and 12th (2025).