The Punter's In-Play Blog: Aberg cuts the gap before rain stops play

08:15 - April 05, 2026

The threat of dangerous weather caused a suspension in play at 12:51 local time at the Valero Texas Open yesterday before heavy rain prevented a resumption and the third round was eventually postponed for the day five hours later.

Play will resume at 8:45 local time today (14:45 in the UK) and it's going to be a very long day for the leaders.

The final three-ball only managed six holes before the suspension yesterday, but the weather forecast suggests they should get a clear run today to avoid a Monday finish. Something nobody wants with the year's first major - the US Masters - now just days away.

Here's the latest state of play, together with the Betfair Exchange prices to back and the number of holes of round three played by the leaders.

Robert MacIntyre -15 (6) 1.9720/21
Ludvig Aberg -13 (6) 4.131/10
Ryo Hisatsune -11 (8) 16.531/2
Matt Wallace -11 (14) 46.045/1
Tony Finau -10 (7) 27.026/1
Chris Kirk -10 (9) 55.054/1
Marco Penge -10 (14) 85.084/1
Michael Kim -10 (9) 90.089/1
Chandler Phillips -10 (9) 200.0199/1
Alex Smalley -9 (7) 36.035/1
Andrew Putnam -9 (7) 100.099/1
-9 and 120.0119/1 bar

With birdies at one and two yesterday, Ludvig Aberg has halved the gap between him and the 36-hole leader, Robert MacIntyre.

Both men birdied the fifth before play was suspended and after a day of rain, the birdies are going to continue to drop today at a softened San Antonio.

Having layed the leader yesterday, I'm going to sit tight and see what today brings but I'm pleased to see my Find Me a 100 Winner pick, Chris Kirk, has put himself into the mix after he holed his second shot on the ninth following a pair of birdies at seven and eight.

It's hard to imagine Kirk going low enough to get to the front two given they have more holes to play and if I hadn't already made a move by taking on MacIntyre yesterday, I'd be playing Aberg today at odds in excess of 3/14.00.

It's going to be interesting to see how the front two start when play resumes today but if the Swede starts like he did yesterday, the Scot could be in trouble.

09:10 - April 04, 2026

The start of the Valero Texas Open was delayed due to a dangerous weather situation on Thursday morning but the tournament is almost entirely back on track.

Luke Clanton, who needs to par the ninth to make the cut, has elected to return today rather than finish up in the dark, but he's the only man in the field yet to reach the midway point, so here's the 36-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 8:55.

Robert MacIntre -14 1.9110/11
Ludvig Aberg -10 6.611/2
Thorbjorn Olesen -9 25.024/1
Tony Finau -9 26.025/1
Bud Cauley -9 34.033/1
Kevin Roy -9 42.041/1
Ryo Hisatsune -8 27.026/1
Alex Smalley -8 48.047/1
Andrew Putnam -8 75.074/1
John Parry -8 80.079/1
Steven Fisk -8 85.084/1
Sam Ryder -8 95.094/1
Tommy Fleetwood -7 26.025/1
Michael Kim -7 160.0159/1
-6 and 130.0129/1 bar

With a four-stroke lead, Robert MacIntyre is in the driving seat as he bids to win his third event the week before a major championship.

The 29-year-old Scot won the 2024 Canadian Open a week before the US Open, as well as the 2024 Scottish Open one week before the Open Championship so we shouldn't be surprised to see him nicely primed this week in Texas with the US Masters just a week away, but will he kick on and convert?

The last two winners of the Valero Texas Open have held a wide-margin lead at halfway so that bodes well but a deeper dig into the stats suggests he's too short at odds-on.

Akshay Bhatia beat Denny McCarthy in extra time in 2024, having led by five after 36 holes, and last year's victor, Brian Harman, beat Ryan Gerard by three strokes after he'd led by four at halfway. They're good omens for MacIntyre but I'm far from convinced he should be trading at as short as he is.

Since the turn of the century, only 23 of the 54 players to lead a PGA Tour event by four strokes at halfway have gone on to win but if we take the imperious Tiger Woods out of those stats, who converted four of five four-stroke 36-hole leads, the percentage drops from 43% to 38%

Only two of the last eight 36-hole four-stroke leaders on the PGA Tour have triumphed and prior to Bhatia's victory here two years ago, only three of the 10 previous players to hold a clear halfway lead at San Antonio went on to win.

Ben Curtis won having led by two at halfway in 2012 and both Steven Bowditch in 2014, and Jimmy Walker in 2015, won having led by a stroke but between 2016 and 2023, six players led by at least two strokes at halfway and they all got beat.

Add in the fact that MacIntyre failed to win on the two occasions previously that he's led by at least four strokes at halfway and he starts to look worth taking on.

He finished runner-up to Paul Casey at the European Open way back in 2019 after he'd led by four at halfway and he finished second to Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship in August last year after he'd led by five at halfway.

Ludvig Aberg, like Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the Valspar Championship two weeks ago, is looking for redemption after he traded at odds-on at the Players Championship last time out.

Aberg, who led by three strokes with 18 to play at Sawgrass, was matched at a low of 1.374/11 in round four before Fitzpatrick hit 1.3130/100 with just two holes to play.

Cameron Young pounced late to pass the Englishman, but he won the following week at the Valspar and Aberg looks a fair price to emulate him here.

I was tempted to back the Swede at around 11/26.50 but with 12 players within six strokes of MacIntyre, I was happy to just lay him at odds-on.

Now read more Golf tips and previews here.