The PGA Tour continues this week as it visits the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course for the 2022 Valero Texas Open. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as my predictions for who will finish in the top 10, my dark horse, and my player to fade.
Winner: Chris Kirk- Although he is coming off a missed cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, Kirk had previously had a stretch of 3 consecutive top 15 finishes on tour, including back-to-back top 10’s at The Honda Classic and at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. His recent form has been stellar, but Kirk also has past success in this tournament, as he has 3 top 10 finishes here in 7 career starts, including a T-6 finish last year. Lastly, Kirk’s overall game appears to be firing on all cylinders, as he sits 10th in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and 15th in Strokes Gained: Total. Kirk has been through a lot in his career both on and off the golf course and his perseverance will be rewarded, as I predict that he will bring home his first PGA Tour victory since 2015 on Sunday!
Top 10: Kevin Streelman- Every player on tour has certain events that set up well for them and they seem to play well in them every year, regardless of their current form. This tournament is one where Streelman seemingly plays well each time he tees it up at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course. In 6 career starts at the Valero Texas Open, Streelman has 2 top 10’s, 4 top 20’s and 0 missed cuts, including back-to-back top 10’s here in each of his last 2 starts (2018 and 2019). Streelman has also been playing some fine golf of late, as he has had 3 top 25’s in his last 4 starts, including a T-7 in his most recent start at the Valspar Championship. Streelman’s recent play and past success line him up for his second consecutive top 10 finish of the season and his third consecutive top 10 finish in this event.
Dark Horse: Patton Kizzire- Currently ranked 92nd in the FedEx Cup Standings, Kizzire has quietly been putting together a solid campaign, as he has 1 top 10, 3 top 25’s, and 4 missed cuts across 14 starts. Kizzire has made the cut in each of his last 5 PGA Tour starts and has had 3 consecutive top 35 finishes during that stretch. His recent play has been paced by his iron game, as he sits 40th in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green. Finally, he finished T-9 in his first start in this event last year after he closed out the tournament with a sizzling 65 in the final round. He might not be a legitimate threat to win, but a top 30 is certainly doable for Kizzire this week.
Player to Fade: David Skinns- In his rookie season on tour, Skinns has had quite the battle this far. After making the cut in 3 of his first starts this season, Skinns has missed the cut in all 7 starts since then. His overall game is horrendous as well, as Skinns has negative Strokes Gained in each of the 6 major Strokes Gained categories. There have been no signs of life in Skinns game so far in 2022 and with a demanding TPC San Antonio Oaks Course looming for Skinns this week, an eighth consecutive missed cut will be in the not too distant future for him.