Winners, Losers & Payouts: 2026 Valero Texas Open

There are weeks on the PGA TOUR calendar that feel like a gentle lead-in to something bigger.

Last week was not gentle. But it does lead into something important going on in Augusta this week.

The Valero Texas Open—one final stop before The Masters—turned into something closer to survival than preparation. Weather delays stretched the tournament; Sunday became a 27-hole grind for contenders, and the leaderboard behaved like a turbulent mass with a mind of its own.

For as many players who handled the pressure like champs, resilient enough to lift the trophy, Matt Wallace and winner J.J. Spaun led that charge; others couldn’t stand up to the pressure and/or the conditions. Sadly, Stephan Jaegar and Tony Finau led that contingency, firing final round 78s, and once again, Ludvig found himself flipping from cute and contending to frustratingly finishing mostly off camera.

Seven players held at least a share of the lead at some point.

That usually means one thing: this wasn’t about protecting anything. It was about going and getting it.

And in the end, J.J. Spaun was the only one who did.

Spaun didn’t overwhelm the field. He didn’t separate early or coast late. He simply kept moving forward while everything around him stalled, surged, and stalled again.

By the time it was over, he’d posted 17-under, good enough for a one-shot win and a $1.764 million payday. More importantly, he did it by understanding exactly what the day required—patience when things got weird, and aggression when the door cracked open.

Because Sunday wasn’t about perfection.

It was about timing.

And that’s where this tournament was quietly decided.

Early in the day, it felt like it might belong to Robert MacIntyre. He had the lead. He had control. And he had every opportunity to turn this into a statement win heading into Augusta.

But the final round didn’t demand control—it demanded separation.

MacIntyre never quite found it.

He didn’t implode. That’s almost what makes it tougher. He just couldn’t produce the kind of round that Sunday required. A missed look here, a stalled stretch there, and suddenly he wasn’t leading anymore—he was chasing.

And chasing on a day like this is a dangerous place to be.

Speaking of mentally tough last rounds and flipping from leader to chaser, we saw that story play out once again for young phenom Ludvig Aberg. He played himself into contention this weekend to only find himself slipping down the hill as others ran right by him – a trend he needs to break.  

Who made the biggest moves in their final hour on the course?

Matt Wallace and Michael Kim both played well enough to stay in the conversation, finishing at 16-under. But their final rounds followed a similar script—steady, composed… and just a touch too quiet.

On most weeks, that’s enough to contend.

On this Sunday, it was the difference between holding a trophy and watching someone else pick it up.

That’s the cruel math of it:

• Go low, and you win, possibly…Wallace’s last round was superb, but his play Thurs-Saturday held him back
• Stay steady, and you finish one shot short – this was the case with a few guys who finished up in the top 10

Along with fellow Runners-Up Wallace and Kim, MacIntyre took home about $741,000, which eases the pain until you realize how close you really were.

Meanwhile, Spaun kept doing just enough.

A birdie when things tightened. An eagle when it mattered most. And, maybe most importantly, no hesitation. While others hovered, he committed. While others waited, he moved.

On a leaderboard where momentum came in short bursts, Spaun made sure he was the one capitalizing when those moments appeared. He gave off the aura that he had done it before. Probably because he has. Look no further than last year at Oakmont in the US Open where he lifted the winner’s trophy on 18 and earned a spot on the US Ryder Cup squad.

That experience gave Spaun a sense of calm yesterday when others’ Whoops were starting to heat up.

TPC San Antonio didn’t overpower players—it unsettled them. It asked for just enough precision to create doubt, and just enough opportunity to reward conviction.

Seven different leaders. One winner.

That’s not randomness. That’s pressure.

And Spaun handled it better than anyone.

He now heads to Augusta with something plenty of others wish they had right now:

Proof that when a tournament gets uncomfortable, he doesn’t back off. He leans in. Not a bad thing to bring with you to Georgia.

Winners and Losers on Sunday in San Antonio:

Loser: Ludvig. He was leading early during the final round, but like recent history, he couldn’t keep the pedal down. He needs to figure out how to close out tournaments to truly become elite.

Winner: Si Woo Kim. His final round 5-under helped him jump 29 spots on the leaderboard to finish T-10 and pick up a good pile of FedEx points. This type of resolve helps middle-of-the-pack PGA TOUR pros keep their cards at the end of the year, which for most players is one of their primary goals each season.

Loser: Stephan Jaegar. He limped in with a Sunday back nine, 4-over par 40. While most players were picking up birdies coming in, he headed in the other direction with his tail between his legs. He fell 41 spots on the boad.

Loser: Spieth. Spieth’s year is at a crossroads. Right now he making cuts, but not playing well enough on the weekends to maintain his Signature event participant status. He certainly still has a lot of work to do to regain his world-class player designation.  

Winner: Tommy Fleetwood. He posted a steady, final-round 3-under-par 69. He’s been hovering around the Top 5/Top 10 mark early this season. We feel he’s ready to pounce this week in Augusta.

2026 Valero Texas Open prize money payouts:

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