J.J. Spaun closed with a 5-under 67 on a long, soggy Sunday to claim the Valero Texas Open by a single stroke, producing two clutch shots down the stretch — one that set up a birdie and another that resulted in an eagle — to secure his first victory since last summer’s U.S. Open.
This marked Spaun’s second triumph at TPC San Antonio, but the circumstances were different. Four years ago that win earned him a spot in the Masters; this time he comes away with another title despite already being exempt to Augusta as the reigning U.S. Open champion. The result still carries weight as validation after a difficult start to the season.
Spaun had not cracked the top 20 in seven starts entering the week, his best result a tie for 24th at The Players Championship. He said he’s been working to manage expectations and to focus on one round at a time rather than dwelling on past success, and that mindset helped him steady his play in testing conditions.
Robert MacIntyre had held the lead for much of the tournament, finishing his morning stretch at even-par 72 and remaining a shot clear heading into the final round. The tournament schedule kept groups intact through the finish in hopes of beating additional rain, and Spaun stayed in the mix with a large group of contenders when he hit his for birdie, and for eagle to surge ahead.
Spaun parred out to post 17-under 271, completing his round about an hour before MacIntyre and the final group reached the clubhouse. MacIntyre produced an eagle on the 17th to get within one, but a hooked second shot from a wet fairway on the 609-yard 18th — after taking relief from temporary immovable obstructions — left him with a long wedge to 30 feet and a birdie try that came up short. He closed with a 70 and finished tied for second with Matt Wallace (68) and Michael Kim (69).
The victory was Spaun’s third on the PGA Tour and his second at the Texas Open. Ludvig Aberg continued a run of strong results with his third straight top-10 finish, closing with a 70 to tie for fifth alongside Andrew Putnam, who needed birdie on the 18th to force a playoff but instead found a back bunker and made bogey for a 70.
https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2040891511328416225
