Purse: $9.5 million (€8.8 million)/$1.7 million (€1.55 million to the winner)
Where: San Antonio, Texas
The course: TPC San Antonio – the Oaks course, 7,438 yards, par 71 – was designed by Greg Norman in consultation with Sergio Garcia, while Pete Dye also had significant input, so there are a number of different characteristics incorporated in the long layout. Although created out of the rocky terrain, the course is a relatively flat, tree-lined layout with wide fairways. The signature hole is the par-3 16th which features a bunker in the centre of the green and has been playfully named as the Avocado.
The field: This is the last-chance saloon for many players seeking to get the one remaining invitation to next week’s Masters, which will go to the winner (if not already exempt). Ludvig Åberg, who missed the cut at The Players, is – at world number five – the best ranked player in the field, while Hideki Matsuyama, the world number six, is fine-tuning ahead of another tilt at the Masters. Akshay Bhatia is the defending champion.
Irish playing: Séamus Power needs a win to gatecrash his way into the field for the Masters and likely also needs a win or a runner-up finish to make the following week’s Heritage, a signature event on the PGA Tour. Power is in a three-ball with Matt Fitzpatrick and Zach Johnson, a two-time winner of the event (off the 10th tee at 2.26pm Irish time); Pádraig Harrington, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, is grouped with Eric Cole and Mark Hubbard (off the 10th at 1.20pm Irish time).
Quote-Unquote: “I feel like it’s just another week. I have my mind really set on Augusta next week so it’s a great week on this golf course to kind of learn where my game’s at, what kind of shots I need to improve on for next week. It’s a great golf course for that, very narrow, very tricky. It’s obviously going to be windy here.” – defending champion Bhatia admitting his focus is perhaps more on the Masters.
Betting: Åberg heads the betting at 12-1 but it is Corey Conners at 14-1 who is something of a course specialist (being a two-time winner) and also a player in form with three top-10s in his last three outings. Denny McCarthy, edged out by Bhatia a year ago, is an each-way look at 28s while further down the market Bud Cauley is on offer generally at 40-1.
On TV: Sky Sports Golf (from 1.15pm)
