With Augusta looming, nine of the top 20 players in the world will be in the field for the 2024 Valero Texas Open this week as they look to fine-tune their games beginning on Thursday. However, just as compelling are the players who haven't earned a Masters invitation that need a win to earn a trip to Augusta. Corey Conners was a Monday qualifier before earning a win that got him into the Masters in 2019 and he earned a second Texas Open victory last season.
Conners is comfortably into the field at Augusta this year but he'll still be eager to defend his title at TPC San Antonio this week and will be an undoubtedly popular option for Fantasy golf lineups of all kinds. Conners is listed at 22-1 in the 2024 Texas Open odds while Rory McIlroy is the 9-1 favorite as he looks to get his game into form before making his 10th attempt at a career grand slam next week. Before making any 2024 Valero Texas Open fantasy golf picks, you have to see the Valero Texas Open fantasy golf rankings from SportsLine handicapper Eric Cohen.
Cohen is an avid golf bettor who correctly predicted the pre-tournament outright winner of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (Rickie Fowler +1400), 2023 PGA Championship (Brooks Koepka +2000), 2023 Honda Classic (Chris Kirk +3500), 2022 Open Championship (Cameron Smith +2200), 2022 U.S. Open (Matt Fitzpatrick +2500) and 2022 Phoenix Open (Scottie Scheffler's first career victory at +2800).
Cohen is a contributor to SportsLine's YouTube shows including "Early Edge" and is the host of "The Early Wedge" golf show. Anyone who has followed Cohen's predictions has made positive gains on their golf picks.
Now, Cohen has ranked his top golfers for the 2024 Valero Texas Open. Cohen's picks are only available at SportsLine.
2024 Texas Open expert picks
One player Cohen is getting behind for his fantasy picks is Billy Horschel. The seven-time PGA Tour winner and former FedEx Cup champion is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, missing the playoffs entirely and managing only three top-20 finishes for the year. However, he's already registered four this season in just eight events, including top-12 finishes in three of his last four starts.
Horschel ranks 71st in the FedEx Cup standings but his play has been worthy of better results, as he ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained (1.351). He's 14th in strokes gained: putting (0.631) and he's been sensational on the green historically at TPC San Antonio, gaining 24 strokes against the field on the putting surface in four career top-11 finishes in the Valero Texas Open. He isn't exempt into the 2024 Masters field and one of the sport's most feisty players is a clear threat to win this weekend given the stakes.
On the other hand, the golf expert is fading Max Homa, despite his status as one of the favorites entering the week. After peaking at No. 5 in the world last year, Homa has slipped to 10th in the OWGR and he's a disappointing 39th in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings. The six-time PGA Tour winner has historically struggled in major championships, missing the cut in nine of his 17 starts at those events. Expect him to be more focused on prepping for Augusta than pulling out a result here.
"Homa may still be ranked 10th in the World Rankings, but he sure hasn't played like it in 2024. In seven events, he has registered only one top-10 finish (T8 at the API) and has struggled with his driver and irons," Cohen said. "Homa hasn't played this event since 2019, so I'll ignore the course history. There are certainly better options this week." See all of Cohen's Valero Texas Open picks at SportsLine.
How to set 2024 Valero Texas Open Fantasy golf lineups
For this week, Cohen is backing several underdogs in his 2024 Valero Texas Open fantasy golf picks, including a triple-digit longshot who has "has turned the putter around lately to be better than the field average" that can help spice up your Fantasy golf lineups. See who it is, and get all of Cohen's fantasy golf picks, at SportsLine.
Who wins Valero Texas Open 2024, and who are the top players to target for your PGA fantasy golf picks? Visit SportsLine now to get Eric Cohen's fantasy golf rankings, all from the fantasy expert who has called six outright winners since 2022, and find out.
