Valero Texas Open Round 1

The first round concluded with a three-way tie at the top as Robert MacIntyre, Mark Hubbard, and Alex Smalley all carded impressive rounds of 6-under-par 66. MacIntyre’s round was highlighted by a clean card and exceptional iron play, while Hubbard relied on a hot putter to navigate the undulating greens of the Oaks Course.

They lead a crowded leaderboard that features several high-profile chasers. Tony Finau and Davis Thompson sit just one stroke back at 5-under-par, with Finau providing one of the day's highlights by eagling the par-5 14th.

Other notable performances included Will Zalatoris, who utilized a mid-round scoring streak to finish at 4-under-par, and Austin Smotherman, who thrilled the gallery with a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th. While the scoring conditions were relatively favorable for the early starters, the field average rose as the afternoon gusts made precision into the greens increasingly difficult.