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The Valero Texas Open began this Thursday, April 4, at TPC San Antonio. The 156 competitors in the field are vying for the final ticket to The Masters Tournament, which will be awarded to the winner if they are not already exempted.
Patrick Rodgers will not be able to contend for that outcome, as he withdrew from the Valero Texas Open after completing his first round. He cited "personal reasons" for his withdrawal, although he did not provide further details.
The news was released by the X account (formerly Twitter) 'PGA Tour Communications,' with the following text in the caption:
"Patrick Rodgers is a WD following the first round of the Valero Texas Open due to personal reasons."
Rodgers played the first round of the Valero Texas Open with a score of 6-over 78. His performance included two double bogeys, five bogeys and three birdies.
The Valero Texas Open was the 11th start for Rodgers during the 2024 season. He made seven cuts and achieved two top-10 finishes in his last 10 events. His most notable result was a T6 finish at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
Rodgers has never played in The Masters Tournament. In six appearances at the Majors (two at the PGA Championship and four at the U.S. Open), he has made five cuts, with a T29 at the 2023 PGA Championship being his best result.
A look into the first round of 2024 Valero Texas Open
The "morning wave" of the 2024 Valero Texas Open witnessed the participation of several top-ranked golfers in the field, including Max Homa and Collin Morikawa. However, Justin Lower emerged as the standout performer.
Lower leads the leaderboard with a score of 6 under 66. His performance had several interesting details, starting with the fact that he achieved it on his 35th birthday.
Lower's score is his lowest since he shot two rounds of 66 at the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta, where he shot the best score of his PGA Tour career (T3). Another noteworthy fact is that, before this round, Lower had a scoring average of 74.67 at TPC San Antonio (six rounds).
Four players are tied for second place with a score of 4 under, including Max Homa, who had five birdies and one bogey. Akshay Bhatia, who carded four birdies with no bogeys on the front nine (currently through 10th), is also in this group.
The top-ranked golfer in the field, Rory McIlroy, has a score of 2 under through 190th. Defending champion Corey Conners also finished with a score of 2 under while Ludvig Aberg finished his first round with a score of even par.
