Hubbard’s Late Birdie Blitz Secures Lead at Valero Texas Open
Mark Hubbard charged to the top of the leaderboard with a remarkable finishing stretch Thursday, posting a 7-under 65 to take a one-shot lead in the storm-delayed opening round of the Valero Texas Open.
Hubbard was just another name in the middle of the pack before igniting a scorching run, making six birdies over his final eight holes at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks course. He broke free from a six-way tie that included Tony Finau, who’s among several players needing a win this week to punch a last-minute ticket to the Masters.
The dramatic finish culminated at the par-5 18th where, moments before play was suspended due to darkness, Hubbard boldly took on the winding creek from the rough. His fairway metal cleared the hazard, landing about 30 yards short of the flag. A pitch to 3 feet set up his final birdie of the day.
His birdie barrage included a 25-footer sandwiched between a pair of 6-footers, a nifty up-and-down at the par-5 14th, and another precise approach to 6 feet at the par-3 16th.
The round was delayed about 90 minutes at the start due to dangerous weather, with 24 players needing to complete their rounds Friday morning.
Finau, trying to revive his game after falling to No. 107 in the world, sits one shot back after opening with a 66. He’s trying to extend his Masters streak, having played Augusta every year since 2017.
“It didn’t start off great,” Finau said, noting he needed a 7-foot par save on his opening hole and a chip to tap-in range on the next. “And then I was kind of on my way after that.”
A 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 14th sparked his round, helping him join Andrew Putnam, Steven Fisk, Davis Thompson and Robert MacIntyre at 6-under. Of that group, only MacIntyre, who birdied his final two holes, already has a Masters invitation.
The benign conditions at TPC San Antonio helped produce low scores, with very little wind and morning rain that softened the course. Players were allowed preferred lies due to the wet conditions.
Will Zalatoris, still working his way back from multiple back surgeries, showed promising signs with eight birdies in his round of 67.
“The reality is that I’m 10 months removed from basically having my back reconstructed,” Zalatoris said. “If I’m complaining about just a little thing here and there, I’ll still take it.”
Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and Maverick McNealy – all Masters-bound next week – also carded 67s.
Jordan Spieth, who’s been struggling with late-round mistakes lately, continued that trend. After nearly finishing birdie-birdie, he missed a 7-foot birdie attempt on the 18th and then lipped out the 30-inch par putt, dropping him to a 71.
Austin Smotherman had quite the eventful week even before shooting a solid 68. His third daughter was born Monday night, though not exactly as planned.
“I was stuck here in the hotel watching on FaceTime,” Smotherman explained. His wife went into labor around 9:30 p.m. Monday, with Grace Elizabeth arriving just two hours later – too quickly for him to make the four-hour drive to Dallas or catch a flight. “It happened so fast we couldn’t get back in time.”
His week took another happy turn when he made a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the 220-yard 13th hole, helping him to a round that left him just two shots off the lead.
