Rickie Fowler headlines Valero Texas Open field, needs a win to play the Masters

Defending champion J.J. Spaun, Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama will be making the 80-mile drive from Austin Country Club to TPC San Antonio for next week’s Valero Texas Open.

Last year, J.J. Spaun punched his ticket to the Masters with his victory, and if Fowler hopes to tee it up at Augusta National, he’ll have to do the same.

Masters qualifying via OWGR locks after this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, and the former Oklahoma State star will fall short of the top-50 position needed for an invitation to the first major of the year.

Matsuyama will look to bounce back from a week in Austin that saw him go 1-2-0, including a concession of his third match due to a stiff neck that has plagued him for more than a year.

Spaun, on the other hand, will look to carry momentum into next week after going 3-0-0 in group play to advance to the round of 16 in his first appearance at the WGC-Match Play.

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