SAN ANTONIO – Everyone else in the field at the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open was playing checkers and Andrew Putnam was playing chess on Thursday.
At least, that’s how he spent a weather delay at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course when lightning pushed back his first-round tee time for 90 minutes. Putnam enjoyed a game of chess with his middle son, Paxley. Then he went out and shot 6-under 66 in the afternoon once the tournament got underway, recording his best score in his last 22 rounds on Tour and his lowest 18-hole score in 22 career rounds in the Valero Texas Open.
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“This is always a course I kind of circle on the calendar as favorable,” he said. “It’s a course that fits my game. You’ve got to drive it straight, and premium on irons.”
Andrew Putnam plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the 2026 Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio.
Putnam was sharpest with a 9-iron in hand, stiffing multiple shots with that club to 2-3 feet. “I think I had three of them on the back nine I kind of tapped in, and a couple good wedge shots,” said Putnam, who carded 31 on the back nine, his first nine of the day. It marked his first opening round in the 60s in nine starts in the event. Putnam, who started the season with a T-2 at The American Express in January, has been playing with conditional status out of the Nos. 111-125 category.
“It’s been a weird year with the schedule, not really knowing what I’m getting in. Sixth week in a row right now, probably in the last seven years I never played that much, but just kept getting in,” said the 37-year-old veteran. “My body felt healthy and felt like my game was in decent shape. Haven’t really felt like I’ve capitalized on how well I’ve been playing, so hopefully this is the week to do it.”
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He was among a pack of five players tied for the lead until Mark Hubbard finished near darkness — 23 players remained on the course when play was suspended due to darkness — and shot 30 on the back to claim a one-stroke lead with 7-under 65. That marks his best score in 15 career rounds at TPC San Antonio. Hubbard, 36, has never finished better than T-25 in five previous starts at the Texas Open. He also hasn’t finished better than T-23 this season in nine starts. He blamed an erratic driver for his pedestrian play, which includes three missed cuts in a row.
“For a while it’s been coming out of both barrels and it’s been ugly,” he said.
As Putnam noted, missing fairways is a recipe for disaster at TPC San Antonio but Hubbard enjoyed a good day off the tee Thursday after switching to a Callaway Quantum driver this week.
“According to my game and statistics, this should be a good course for me. I never played it well. Had honestly some pretty bad memories here. I hit my wife in the head with a driver off the deck like two years ago, so this place has always kind of had my number for some reason. I feel like I’m a little bit due here,” he said.
Asked how long it took for her to forgive him, he replied, “Still going.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Putnam plays chess, shoots 6-under at Valero Texas Open
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