EP. 6: The Texas Open, Our First Tournament

A San Antonio sportswriter did some math in 1921 and built the oldest golf tournament in Texas. From hickory clubs and rubber tees at Brackenridge Park to J.J. Spaun at TPC San Antonio, this is 104 years of Texas Open history — Hogan, Nelson, Palmer, Crenshaw, and the records that still stand.

In 1921, Jack O’Brien of the San Antonio Evening News noticed that the U.S. Open champion took home $500 while a single prize fight paid $25,000. He decided Texas golf deserved better — and the Texas Open was born.
Host Ken Wise traces 104 years and 95 playings of the tournament now known as the Valero Texas Open: the third-oldest event on the PGA Tour, and the only professional tournament held in the same city for its entire existence.
In This Episode
• Why a $25,000 boxing purse launched the oldest golf tournament in Texas
• Brackenridge Park, A.W. Tillinghast, and the rubber mats the pros teed off until the 1960s
• John Bredemus — Princeton man, Olympic-caliber athlete, and the first resident golf course architect in Texas
• Bob MacDonald, Cyril Walker, and the 1922 tournament that drew about 90 players and 6,000 spectators a day
• Gene Sarazen: “We’d play in a cow pasture for $5,000”
• The 1928 rain delay at Willow Springs when Tommy Armour drafted bylaws for a touring pros’ association
• A 17-year-old Ben Hogan’s first professional tournament — and why he went home to practice
• Byron Nelson’s 1939 playoff win, the only Texas Open he ever took
• Mike Souchak’s back-nine 27 and 72-hole 257 in 1955 — records that stood for decades
• Tony Holguin, the Pan American Golf Association, and a 1953 win on his home course
• Wesley Ellis Jr. and the last Texas Open at Brackenridge Park
• Arnold Palmer’s three straight titles — and the Pecan Valley plaque for a shot he missed
• Ben Crenshaw winning his first official start as a full PGA Tour member
• The 19th Hole: where to play San Antonio golf history yourself

Listen & Follow
New episodes of Wise About Golf, the Texas golf history podcast, are available wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts — it helps other golf history lovers find us — and share it with a friend who loves the game.
Links
• Website: https://wiseaboutgolf.com
• Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WiseAboutTexas
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wiseaboutgolf
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiseaboutgolf
• X / Twitter: https://x.com/wiseaboutgolftx
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WiseAboutTexas
• Story ideas and interviews: golf@wiseabouttexas.com
• The original Texas history podcast: https://wiseabouttexas.com