The Valero Texas Open
With a pause in live activities over the past year, we have missed a lot of the regular events we go to – SXSW, ACL, and the Austin Food & Wine Festival. But, we haven’t missed anything more than live PGA Tour golf! We fixed that this week by visiting the Valero Texas Open. A week filled with world class golf, amazing food, and COVID safe fun made for a memorable experience.
The Golf
With The Masters the following week, many big names showed up to fine tune their games and get into top form before the year’s first major. Golf enthusiasts and amateur spectators alike turned out to see the world’s top golfers like Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Speith, and now Maters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
The action took place on the breathtaking TPC San Antonio Oaks Course located in the Cibolo Canyons area north of San Antonio, Texas. Just 20 minutes from downtown San Antonio, the JW Marriott San Antonio Resort and Spa is situated in the Texas Hill Country where crystal clear streams and towering oak trees meet the majesty of the hills.
As longhorns we were naturally rooting for Jordan Speith and it paid off! Almost four years and 83 starts since his last PGA Tour victory, Spieth became a champion again in San Antonio. He looked in vintage form and appeared calm and collected all week long. We also caught up with fellow longhorn Scottie Scheffler, who was fresh off his strong finish at the Dell Match Play in Austin.
Due to COVID safety precautions, crowd capacity restrictions were in place and it made for great golf viewing. We had unobstructed views of the crazy Mickelson flop shots and purely struck Speith irons.
The Food
No matter who you’re rooting for, everyone can agree that the food was top notch! This year, like many years before, Spectrum Concessions provided all the food for the Valero Texas Open. We had the chance to sit down with Dave Smalley, founder & CEO of Spectrum Concessions.
Dave founded Spectrum in 1992 in his garage and today his company provides concessions to PGA Tour events all across the country, music festivals (yes even ACL), and countless other types of events.
We had to ask Dave what his favorite menu item was at The Valero Texas Open and he recommended the beef brisket tacos. We agree! Smoked meat on site, Spectrum’s own flour tortillas, and all fresh ingredients make for one awesome lunch. And if you are vegan or gluten free, their chef driven menus have offerings for you too.
The Other (Awesome) Stuff
The Valero Texas Open, first played in 1922, is the 3rd oldest PGA TOUR tournament. In addition to the amazing golf and food, the Valero Texas Open consistently runs a smooth operation. With convenient parking + shuttles and ride share options – getting to the VTO was easy as always and hassle free.
Our favorite part of all PGA Tour events and the VTO is the charity. Over it’s close to 100 year history the Valero Texas Open has donated over $171 million to various local organizations. With pre-tournament events like the Dash to the VTO, a run through TPC San Antonio, a charitable impact in for the local community is in the DNA of this event.
We truly enjoyed our experience this year and can’t wait to be back next year when COVID is behind us we can see all of you out there!
Check out our TikTok from the week!
