Golf Tips: Our experts' best bets for the Valero Texas Open

• Steve Rawlings backs Conners to contend again at 19/120.00

• Dave Tindall says Hoge can take another positive step at 80/181.00

• Course info, first round leaders tips and players to back at over 100/1101.00

Valero Texas Open tips and predictions

The Punter: Count on course specialist Connors at 18/1

Steve Rawlings: "We don't appear to be short of correlating form and that was before the last three Valero Texas Open winners - Bhatia, Connors and Spaun - were all in-the-mix heading into round four of the Players Championship a couple of weeks ago.

"Form at the Sony Open, the Puerto Rico Open, the World Wide Technology Championship, (when it was staged at Mayakoba) and the Procore Championship is all worthy of consideration but it's the last named that appears to correlate the best.

"San Antonio winners, Brendon Steele and Jimmy Walker, have both won the Procore at Silverado, the 2018 Procore winner, Kevin Tway, has finished third here, and the 2014 Valero Texas open champ, Steven Bowditch, finished runner-up at Silverado in the same year...

"Corey Conners has Augusta form figures reading MC-46-10-8-6-MC-35 and he's currently trading at 85.0 to win next week's US Masters.

"The 33-year-old Canadian is in brilliant form this year, having finished third in the Arnold Palmer, sixth in the Players Championship and eighth in the Valspar Championship. He's not without a chance next week but he's far more likely to claim his third PGA Tour title here this week given this is where he gained his first two victories.

"Conners has course form figures reading 26-1-14-35-1-25 and it's extremely likely that he'll contend again this time around given his current wellbeing."

Each-way picks from 33/1 to 80/1

Dave Tindall: "Tom Hoge was tied third at The Players Championship, finishing just two behind winner Rory McIlroy, and he ranked 2nd for SG: Approach. After results of 40-67-54 in his three previous events, that seemed a big jump but those trio of midfield finishes were compromised by poor final rounds (77 Bay Hill, 76 PGA National, 79 Torrey Pines).

"At Sawgrass he started Sunday in 22nd but jumped to third after a closing 66; at the Arnold Palmer Hoge was 17th after 54 holes but fell to 40th...

"Hoge's season is up and running it seems and this looks a good chance for him to take another positive step. In truth, his record at TPC San Antonio is a mixed bag in the six events he played there from 2015 to 2021. But in that run he has a ninth and a 12th, shooting a 65 in the former and a 66 in the latter. Hoge had two top 20s (14th Houston Open, 17th Charles Schwab) from three starts in Texas last year and he's a strong wind player."

Find Me a 100 Winner: Back Valimaki at 169/1

Steve Rawlings: "Although his current form figures, that read MC-34-48-69-36-4, look ordinary, Sami Valimaki is actually playing nicely. Prior to his weekend off at the Phoenix Open, he had finished 15^th in the Farmers insurance Open and although he only finished 34^th in the Mexico Open, he was eighth at halfway.

"He sat second after the opening round of the Cognizant Classic, where he finished 48^th, and led the Valspar Championship after round one two weeks ago, so last week's performance wasn't completely out of the blue.

"He ranked number one for the key stat, SG: T2G, in Houston last week and he ranked ninth for putting Average. This is his first appearance at the Valero Texas Open but there's nothing to suggest he can't contend on debut."

First-Round Leader Tips: A trio of picks from 40/1 to 80/1

Dave Tindall: "Akshay Bhatia won here last year by going wire to wire, setting the tone with a 63 to leave the field trailing after day one. And, encouragingly for hopes of a repeat performance on day one, he's been starting well in recent times.

"Bhatia was fourth after round one at Sawgrass on his latest start thanks to a 67 while a Thursday 66 also put him fourth through 18 holes in Phoenix. Another 66 had him ninth after the first round in Mexico and it's no surprise to see the wiry left-hander ranked 8th in the Birdie or Better charts this season.

"With a top three in the Players as well as top 10s in two of his three previous starts (Genesis and Mexico), Bhatia is in great nick and is worth a punt for FRL from his 1.14pm tee-time."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "TPC San Antonio is laid out just over 1,000 feet above sea level, with water coming into play on only two holes - which is rare for such a modern course.

"The majority of fairways are tree-lined and tight, while greens are undulating. Bunkers are large, plentiful and deep on what is a traditional parkland course. The layout is marginally longer than the PGA Tour average, while the Bermuda grass putting surfaces have been over-seeded with Poa Trivialis.

"The Oaks Course is approximately 14 miles north of San Antonio city centre, and around 150 miles from the Mexican border, as well as 190 miles from the nearest coast...

"The 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama [18/1] warms up for Augusta at a venue where he tied-for-seventh last year. The world No 6 from Japan won the opening event of the new PGA Tour season, although he did struggle last time out when he missed the cut at Sawgrass."

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