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PGA Tour Pick-4: Valero Texas Open

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Adam Scott: Masters runner-up also happens to be this week's defending champion in Texas. (Getty Images)

The week after the Masters. Time to relax. For PGA Tour pros, it’s a chance to point the car northeast and drive a couple of hours…

Wait a sec. For the first time in nearly three decades, Hilton Head Island isn’t the stop that follows Augusta. It’s San Antonio, then Hilton Head.

Take a closer look, and the progression actually ping-pongs from Augusta to San Antonio to Hilton Head to New Orleans. Good for the rent-your-own-plane set, not so good for rental-car counters.

Maybe it no longer matters, considering purses have managed to hold the line even in a recession. But one has to wonder how much the change affects the fields – especially those who might have hung around for a family outing at Hilton Head but now face a full week in between.

It didn’t seem to hurt the Texas Open all that much. Eighteen Masters participants made the trip, including defending Texas champ Adam Scott and five others in last week’s top 15.

But even with Scott, fellow Aussie Geoff Ogilvy and Bay Hill champ Martin Laird, just six of this week’s top 50 in the world rankings have signed up. Could be a week for a first- or second-time winner….

1) Bo Van Pelt. Perhaps the most surprising of the nine players who held at least a share of the Masters Sunday lead, but a steady game – and a couple of opportunistic birdies – let him bubble to the top. Starting to heat up after missing four of his first five cuts, and San Antonio could be the perfect spot for a 2nd career win.

2) J.J. Henry. Typically one of my go-to longshots, Henry moves to the upper tier after a start that has seen him produce six top-25 finishes without missing a cut this year. He can handle the TPC San Antonio’s 7,500-yard distance and ranks 13th in greens in regulation. Being a Texas resident also doesn’t hurt.

3) Adam Scott. Can’t completely ignore the defending champion, who also happens to share in last week’s runner-up honors. That long putter has brought a new confidence to his game, as shown with his weekend play at Augusta National. Only worry is that last Sunday’s run will leave him drained.

4) James Driscoll. The Massachusetts native is such a longshot that he’s not on some lists. So why pick him? Two top-10 finishes at TPC San Antonio in as many visits. Obviously something about the course agrees with his game. His 2011 season is off to a slow start, though, with four missed cuts in six starts.


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