Who has won the most Valero Texas Open titles? History and past winners explored

The Valero Texas Open tees off in less than 24 hours in San Antonio, Texas. The tournament will be held at the historic ground, The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. The Valero Texas Open is among the most significant events on the PGA Tour and serves as the final stop before the Masters.

Several legends of the game have won the tournament. Arnold Palmer and Justin Leonard both share the record of winning the Valero Texas Open three times. Arnold Palmer won the Texas Open title in three consecutive years - 1960, 1961 and 1962. Justin Leonard won the title in 2000, 2001 and 2007.

Other than Palmer and Leonard, seven players have won the tournament twice. Zack Johnson and Duffy Waldorf have each won the Valero Texas Open twice. Zack Johnson won it in 2008 and 2009 whereas Duffy won it in 1995 and 1999. Sam Snead (1948, 1950) and Bill Mehlhorn (1928, 1929) have also won the tournament twice. Jay Haas won in 1982 and 1993 whereas Ben Crenshaw did in 1973 and 1986. In 1939 and 1951, Dutch Harrison emerged as the winner.

Among the legends of the game, Byron Nelson won the Texas Open in 1940. Another great player, Lee Trevino won the title in 1980. Tom Watson (1987), Hale Irvin (1977), Phil Rodgers (1963), John Mahaffey (1985), Jim Colbert (1983), and Corey Pavin (1988) have all won the tournament once.

Several other players have not won the tournament but have finished runner-ups on multiple occasions. Doug Ford has been runner-up of the tournament four times (1951-53) and 1960. Gary Hallberg has been runner-up in 1990 and 1991, while Charley Hoffman was the same in 2019 and 2021. Justin Leonard and Jay Haas have also been runners-up twice while also winning the title on multiple occasions.

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Valero Texas Open: Other historical details

Valero Texas Open is currently played at The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. The ground was opened in 2010 and was designed by golf architects, Sergio Garcia and Greg Norman. The course is currently par 72 and is 7,435 yards.

The tournament started in 1922 and has been played for more than 102 years now. As the current course is a recent one, the event has been hosted by Oak Hills Country Club, La Cantera Golf Club, Woodlake Country Club, Pecan Valley Golf Course, Fort Sam Houston Golf Course, Brackenridge Park Golf Course and Willow Springs Golf Course, among others.

The Valero Energy Corporation has been the long-standing sponsor of the event since the year 2002, thus the tournament has been known as the Valero Texas Open. Earlier the tournament was known as the Texas Open Invitational, the San Antonio Open Invitational, the Westin Texas Open, and the Texas Open at La Cantera.

The tournament is also known for exceptionally low scores over time. In 2002, Tommy Armour III recorded the lowest four-round score at 254, a remarkable 26 shots under par. In 1955, Mike Souchak won the tournament with an impressive 27 under par with a total score of 257. It was the lowest 72-hole score in a PGA event for many years until surpassed by John Huston in 1998.

There are several favorites this year. In the 2024 Valero Texas Open, the total purse stands at $9.2 million, with winner poised to win $1.66 million.