2022 Valero Texas Open: Final Round Disaster For Leaders In Texas

Entering the final round of the Valero Texas Open, the lead group of Beau Hossler, Dylan Frittelli, and Brandt Snedeker were looking to walk away with not only the victory but the final spot in next week’s Masters at Augusta National. Potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it seemed like the pressure got the best of them, as the final group struggled to stay in contention all day, eventually losing to first-time winner J.J. Spaun.

The combination of Hossler, Frittelli, and Snedeker combined to shoot 4-over on the day, with Hossler the only one to shoot par on the round. It seemed like they were in trouble the entire day, each of them having noticeable trouble with their tee shots.

This group only saw 7 birdies on Sunday, all coming from Hossler and Frittelli. They had only 1 birdie in the last 6 holes, a perfect description of their lackluster finish down the final stretch. While I’m sure that Snedeker is pleased with his best performance of the season, there must be disappointment from his 0 birdies, and 3 bogey Sunday, especially with the Masters spot up for grabs.

The final group struggled mightily down the stretch at the Texas Open

It remains to be seen if the group simply caved to the pressure, or if the opportunity for the direct flight to Augusta, Georgia, blinded their sight in Texas. Regardless, this opened the door for American J.J. Spaun to fire a 3-under 69 and win by 2 strokes over Australian Matt Jones and American Matt Kuchar.

After a double-bogey on the first hole, Spaun settled down, firing 5 birdies thanks to his composure on the greens. This is Spaun’s first victory in 147 starts, and it could not have come at a better time. This win also skyrocketed Spaun to 10th place in the current FedEx Cup Standings, 1,328 behind the leader and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

As mentioned, rounding out this week’s top-3 was American veteran Matt Kuchar, also shooting a final round 69. Kuchar will not be in attendance at next week’s Masters due to his exemption recently expiring.