The Valero Texas Open's 100th Anniversary

March 28 – April 3 at TPC San Antonio

PROUD HERITAGE

The Valero Texas Open, first played in 1922, is the third oldest PGA TOUR tournament. It is only younger than the Western Open (1899) and Canadian Open (1904). If you include the U.S. Open (1895) managed by the USGA, and the PGA Championship (1916) managed by the PGA of America, then the Valero Texas Open is the fifth oldest professional tournament in North America. However, the Valero Texas Open is the oldest Professional Golf Tour tournament to have been held in the same city its entire existence and San Antonio, Texas is proud to welcome it back.

SITE

TPC San Antonio (The Oaks course) is adjacent to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa and has hosted the tournament since 2010. It is the eighth local course to have hosted the event:

TEXAS WINNERS

Among the many Texas natives/residents who have won this tournament are Byron Nelson (Fort Worth, 1940); Ben Hogan (Fort Worth, 1946); Jack Burke, Jr. (Houston, 1952); Tony Holguin (San Antonio, 1953); Wesley Ellis (San Antonio, 1959); Ben Crenshaw (Austin, 1973, 1986); Don January (Denton, 1975); Lee Trevino (Dallas, 1980); Bill Rogers (Texarkana/San Antonio, 1981); John Mahaffey (The Woodlands, 1985); Blaine McCallister (Fort Stockton, 1991); Bob Estes (Austin, 1994); David Ogrin (Garden Ridge, 1996); Justin Leonard (Dallas, 2000-2001 & 2007); Tommy Armour III (Irving, 2003); Bart Bryant (Gatesville, 2004). While 2005 winner Robert Gamez is not from San Antonio, his father is and he has spent plenty of family time in the Alamo City. 2014 Champion Steven Bowditch is originally from Australia but now lives in Dallas. 2015 Champion Jimmy Walker lives in San Antonio and 2018 Champion Andrew Landry lives in Austin. The most recent champion, Jordan Spieth (2021), was born, raised and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.

MULTIPLE WINNERS

For more stats, there have been golf greats who have won multiple Valero Texas Open tournaments: Arnold Palmer 1960-62; Justin Leonard 20002001 & 2007; Bill Mehlhorn 1927-28; Dutch Harrison 1939 & 1951; Ben Crenshaw 1973 & 1986; Jay Haas 1982 & 1993; Duffy Waldorf 1995 & 1999; Zach Johnson 2008-2009.

ValeroTexasOpen.com

• BRACKENRIDGE PARK GOLF

COURSE (21) 1922-1926, 19291940, 1950-1955, 1957-1959

• WILLOW SPRINGS (10) 1927-1928, 1941-1949

• FORT SAM HOUSTON (4) 1950-1951, 1956, 1960

• PECAN VALLEY GOLF CLUB (3) 1967, 1969-1970

• WOODLAKE COUNTRY CLUB (5) 1972-1976

• OAK HILLS COUNTRY CLUB (24) 1961-1966, 1977-1994

• LA CANTERA RESORT COURSE (15) 1995-2009 • TPC SAN ANTONIO (12) 2010-2022 GOLF WITH A CAUSE

The Valero Texas Open is always driven by its charitable mission. In 2015, the tournament raised $10.4 million for charity, becoming only the fourth PGA TOUR event to eclipse the $100 million milestone in funds raised for charity. Thanks to the generosity of the community, the 2021 edition of the Valero Texas Open, along with the Champions fore Charity and the Valero Benefit for Children, raised a record $16 million, bringing the grand total to $187 million in charitable giving.

The Valero Texas Open not only raises funds for local charitable organizations, including several that support several military focused organizations, but also celebrates the rich heritage of the city’s U.S. Armed Forces. The military is a key part of San Antonio and the Valero Texas Open. Many enlisted and retired men and women from the Armed Forces take leaves of absence to be volunteers at the Valero Texas Open. And from a historical perspective, the Valero Texas Open is the only PGA TOUR event to have been played on a military golf course (Fort Sam Houston Golf Course in 1950, 1951, 1956 & 1960).

THE VALERO TEXAS OPEN 100TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

The Valero Texas Open will host a special concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary on Saturday, April 2 with the three-time ACM “Entertainer of the Year” Jason Aldean and three-time GRAMMY award-winner Darius Rucker. Walker County will kick off the concert following tournament play at TPC San Antonio. All ticket holders attending Saturday’s third round of competition will also be able to attend the concert. The concert will start approximately at 6:00pm, following the conclusion of the third round of competition, at the Driving Range at TPC San Antonio.

Natural Bridge Caverns

By Drew Henry

click on this: NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS www.NaturalBridgeCaverns.com TEST YOUR SKILLS! Loser buys Diner.

LIGGETTVILLE

www.Liggettville.com/ shops-at-rivercenter

MISSION REACH FLOTILLA FIESTA

www.SARiverFoundation.org/sarf-events/ mission-reach-flotilla-fiesta

ARMADILLO BOULDERS

www.ArmadilloBoulders.com

CLASS AXE THROWING

www.ClassAxeThrowing.com/ san-antonio

Nothing says a fun time like a bit of chummy competition between friends, family or travel buddies. Put your skills to the test and see

who reigns supreme! On this adventure, we will be swinging from zip lines, floating on kayaks, scaling rock walls, throwing axes and

even chowing down in the ultimate dinner challenge. If you have a competitive spirit, this one is for you! Do you think you have what it

takes to emerge victorious? Then, get ready to test your skills! (Loser buys dinner.)

TWISTED TRAILS ZIP RAILS & ROPES COURSE AT NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS

The Natural Bridge Caverns were discovered in 1960 by four college students who decided to take a summer hike and uncovered a 60-foot landbridge made of limestone marking the entrance to a unique network of caves. While there is lots of exploring to do below ground, the Natural Bridge Caverns Park also offers plenty of above-ground fun… way above ground, that is!

The Twisted Trails Zip Rails & Ropes Course towers 60 feet into the sky. Here, you can test your balance on four levels of suspended ropes. The ropes course includes swinging ropes, rope ladders and tightropes. If you are more into easy-breezy fun, you can traverse over 685 feet of suspended ziplines and soar high above the trees. Tickets start at $24.99, with options for the little ones to navigate the Twisted Tykes course or add on a climbing wall excursion.

LIGGETTVILLE AT THE SHOPS AT RIVERCENTER

If you are looking for some high thrills competition but also enjoy some indoor fun, LiggettVille at the Shops at Rivercenter has you covered. This indoor park is just steps off the River Walk and includes the famous Sky Trail ropes course with a Sky Rail zip line soaring up to 35 feet in the air! For the little competitors in your group, there is the Sky Tykes course, which is positioned three feet off the ground and designed specifically for small children. Plus, the adventure center offers the unique Clip ‘n Climb wall, providing a fresh take on climbing.

Sky Trail and Sky Rail tickets start at just $20 per person, and children’s tickets for the Sky Tykes course are only $10. Reservations provide an hour of fun and include safety equipment rentals, a quick lesson for course navigation and an unforgettable experience. So, see who can make it to the top of the course first and soar the fastest!

MISSION REACH FLOTILLA FIESTA

While some challengers want to soar high through the sky, others just want to go with the flow of the river. If that is you, this next challenge will float your boat… literally! The San Antonio River Foundation and the San Antonio River Authority have partnered to bring back San Antonio’s Official Kayaking Event of Fiesta®, the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta! This annual event takes place on Saturday, April 2, at Padre Park from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

Flotilla attendees have the opportunity to challenge their skills by paddling through an obstacle course. It only costs $20 to participate in the challenge and admission includes kayak rentals. The money raised from the event goes towards bringing awareness to the recreational opportunities along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. This unique stretch of the river contains eight miles of hike and bike trails, grand pavilions, overlooks and new water edge landings for paddle watercraft and other outdoor recreation amenities.

Class Axe Throwing Armadillo Boulders

Armadillo Boulders

San Antonio Botanical Garden

ARMADILLO BOULDERS

Ready for the next challenge? Prepare to climb your way to victory! Next on our list is Armadillo Boulders. This indoor rock-climbing gym is located blocks from San Antonio’s Pearl district, just minutes from downtown. The gym offers over 5,000 square feet of bouldering terrain and even a yoga studio. (We do not think you can compete at feeling Zen, but a yoga class is the perfect way to recharge after an active day of climbing!)

Armadillo Boulders offers over 100 bouldering challenges to overcome. Plus, they switch up the rocks to add 25 new challenges weekly. That means you will never get bored of climbing, even if you become a regular. Day passes are $17 for adults and there are special themed nights where you can scale the wall for just $10. Hang in there, though, because we have more challenges to come!

CLASS AXE THROWING

The next skills test is particularly axe-citing! Grab your friends and your brewskies because we are heading off to San Antonio’s favorite BYOB axe-throwing challenge. Class Axe is an axe-throwing range, where you learn throwing techniques from professional “axe-perts” and try your best to hit the bullseye. Each session includes one hour of fun where experts will coach you through the process and one friend will emerge an axe-throwing champ! Do you think you have what it takes to hit the bullseye?

Class Axe is located in the heart of downtown, just steps away from the Alamo. Booking rates are dependent on group size. The more people you bring to the challenge, the cheaper your tickets and the more fun you will have!

DICK’S LAST RESORT

Anyone else work up an appetite after all this competition? Well, we have one last stop on our skills test adventure and you better come hungry! Dick’s Last Resort is the River Walk’s rowdiest restaurant (and it packs a whole lot of flavor and fun). On this final stop, we will take on Dick’s Big T-Boner Challenge. For this challenge, you must eat two 16-ounce steaks, a 12-inch wiener, a macho nacho app, a house salad, a double portion of loaded mashed taters and a double order of broccoli. Clean your plate in one hour with no helpers and you eat free. If not, loser buys dinner! But you can always wash it down with a 45-ounce Fun Bowl of the Big Dick Super Margarita as a consolation prize.

WRITER’S BIO

Drew Henry is a writer, yogi and meme enthusiast. When he is not writing, he is out exploring all Texas has to offer. View his portfolioat DrewHenryWrites.com and follow his antics on Instagram at @drewhenrywrites.