SAN ANTONIO — Matt Kuchar sauntered up the 18th fairway, his ninth hole of the day since he started on the back during the opening round of the Valero Texas Open, knowing his gameplan was to layup with his second shot on the 591-yard par 5.
For the 44-year-old veteran, the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course offers a few opportunities to get aggressive, but Kuchar knows where and when to take his chances. Meanwhile, his two playing partners — young bucks Matt Wallace and Nico Echavarria — boomed drives and eagerly hustled up to see if they could reach the creek-protected green in two. Wallace waffled, originally waiting while the group on the green putted out, but then switched to an iron and played it safe. Coming off his first Tour victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship, Wallace eventually made par.
Kuchar calmly hit his second shot to 70 yards, stuck a wedge to four feet and tapped in for the group’s only birdie.
Chalk one up to experience.
On Thursday, after a lengthy fog delay and through whipping Texas winds and occasional rain, those with a few more wrinkles and gray hairs had their way at a course designed by Greg Norman with some input from Sergio Garcia.
It’s certainly not surprising that Kuchar would post a solid number — the nine-time PGA Tour winner has finished in the top 25 on seven of 10 starts here, including a runner-up showing last year behind J.J. Spaun in what marked Kuchar’s 500th start.
On Thursday, he started with a bogey but got rolling from there, finishing the front at 33 and posted a 68 at day’s end.
Matt Kuchar plays a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Others over the age of 40 joined the party as well. Jimmy Walker, a 44-year-old who won this event in 2015, had a hot stretch and was firmly in contention after the opening day.
And at the ripe age of 51, Padraig Harrington made a late push to get atop the leaderboard, sitting even with Kuchar at 4 under after the earliest players got through the day.
For Kuchar, a win in San Antonio would earn him a precious invite to Augusta National, where he’s posted four top-8 finishes in 12 appearances. Kuchar had his string of Masters appearances snapped in 2022 and would love the opportunity to return to the first major.
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But he insisted he’s not focusing on that, and even scoffed at a question about a…
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