JJ SPAUN BAGGED a sensational eagle on the penultimate hole to warm up for the Masters with a dramatic one-shot victory at the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open on Sunday.
That was enough to vault the 2025 US Open champion, who had started the final round tied for fourth, to the top of the leaderboard ahead of England’s Matt Wallace, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Michael Kim, who finished on 16 under.
The signature moment for Spaun came on the par-four 306-yard 17th, when his tee shot landed on the green and rolled to within 10 feet of the flag.
He duly made the putt for eagle to move to five under for the day, and then held his nerve to make a crucial up-and-down par on the par-five 18th.
The victory couldn’t have been better timed for Spaun, who won his first PGA Tour victory at San Antonio in 2022, but who has endured a rough start to 2026.
“This game is so crazy,” Spaun said afterwards. “I haven’t been feeling at the form that I wanted to be based on last season. Just trying to take each day as it comes and accepting what I have.
“Just means a lot to come back and win here at a place that’s been so good to me.”
Spaun had missed the cut in four of his seven outings so far this season, with his highest finish before this week a tie for 24th place at The Players Championship last month.
But now the 35-year-old will head to Augusta for next week’s Masters in fine fettle as he hunts a second major championship.
Spaun said adopting a more relaxed approach had been behind this week’s improved form.
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“I put a lot of pressure on myself this year to start the year, and a lot of expectations,” he said.
“It’s the complete opposite of the mantra I had all year last year that really helped me, so I tried to get back to that.
“Went into the last few weeks, starting at The Players, just trying to be freed up and put less pressure on myself.”
Séamus Power was also in action at the Texas Open but failed to make the cut after rounds of 71 and 73.
LPGA golfer Leona Maguire plays her tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the Aramco Championship. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, in the LPGA, Leona Maguire finished tied for second at the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas.
Lauren Coughlin carded an even-par 72 to complete a wire-to-wire victory, capturing her third LPGA title by five strokes.
Coughlin punctuated her week on the challenging Shadow Creek course in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her third birdie of the day at the 18th.
Her seven-under par total of 281 put her five clear of world number two Nelly Korda and Maguire.
Korda, who started the day two strokes adrift, closed with a three-over 75, her only birdie of the day coming at the final hole.
Maguire, meanwhile, moved up the leaderboard with a one-under 71 to join Korda on two-under.
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, who shared the first-round lead with Coughlin, posted a two-over 74 for a one-under total of 287.
The leading four were the only players to finish the week under par after a day of swirling, gusting winds and high scores.
“I just know I played really, really great all week,” said Coughlin, whose two prior titles came at the 2024 Canadian Women’s Open and Scottish Women’s Open.
Ranked 32nd in the world coming into the week, the American is projected to rise to 12th in the rankings after the victory in a star-studded event that featured all of the top 20-ranked players.
The tournament, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour, is part of the Saudi-backed Global series and featured a total purse of $4 million with a $600,000 winner’s prize.
More important to Coughlin, it gave her another chance to tackle Shadow Creek, where she finished runner-up in last year’s LPGA Match Play.
“It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth last year, not getting the W given how well I played all week,” she said. “So it makes it extra special this week.”
After sharing the first-round lead, Coughlin had led by five after the second round before Korda cut the gap on Saturday.
But Korda said her game just wasn’t sharp enough on Sunday.
“I just didn’t play good golf today,” the American said. “I was hitting it pretty poorly off the tee, and I was just finding myself in really tough positions going into the greens and then hitting it in places where I shouldn’t be around the greens.
“This golf course is brutal, especially if you’re on the wrong side of the green.”
Maguire, whose five birdies included one at the par-five 18th, said she enjoyed the challenge and liked what it showed about her game.
“Any time you can shoot three rounds under par at Shadow Creek, you’re pretty happy,” she said. “I’ve always said it’s one of my favourite venues of the year.
“I felt like my game had been a lot better lately than some of the scores I shot, and it was nice to see that sort of come to fruition this week on really the hardest course I played all year.”
In addition, Anna Foster was tied for 62nd on 16 over par, while Lauren Walsh finished tied for 71st on 20 over par.
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Spaun warms up for Masters with Texas Open victory, Maguire finishes tied for second
Updated at 10.27
JJ SPAUN BAGGED a sensational eagle on the penultimate hole to warm up for the Masters with a dramatic one-shot victory at the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open on Sunday.
Spaun carded a five-under-par closing 67 at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course to finish the tournament with a 17-under aggregate 271.
That was enough to vault the 2025 US Open champion, who had started the final round tied for fourth, to the top of the leaderboard ahead of England’s Matt Wallace, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Michael Kim, who finished on 16 under.
The signature moment for Spaun came on the par-four 306-yard 17th, when his tee shot landed on the green and rolled to within 10 feet of the flag.
He duly made the putt for eagle to move to five under for the day, and then held his nerve to make a crucial up-and-down par on the par-five 18th.
The victory couldn’t have been better timed for Spaun, who won his first PGA Tour victory at San Antonio in 2022, but who has endured a rough start to 2026.
“This game is so crazy,” Spaun said afterwards. “I haven’t been feeling at the form that I wanted to be based on last season. Just trying to take each day as it comes and accepting what I have.
“Just means a lot to come back and win here at a place that’s been so good to me.”
Spaun had missed the cut in four of his seven outings so far this season, with his highest finish before this week a tie for 24th place at The Players Championship last month.
But now the 35-year-old will head to Augusta for next week’s Masters in fine fettle as he hunts a second major championship.
Spaun said adopting a more relaxed approach had been behind this week’s improved form.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself this year to start the year, and a lot of expectations,” he said.
“It’s the complete opposite of the mantra I had all year last year that really helped me, so I tried to get back to that.
“Went into the last few weeks, starting at The Players, just trying to be freed up and put less pressure on myself.”
Séamus Power was also in action at the Texas Open but failed to make the cut after rounds of 71 and 73.
Elsewhere, in the LPGA, Leona Maguire finished tied for second at the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas.
Lauren Coughlin carded an even-par 72 to complete a wire-to-wire victory, capturing her third LPGA title by five strokes.
Coughlin punctuated her week on the challenging Shadow Creek course in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her third birdie of the day at the 18th.
Her seven-under par total of 281 put her five clear of world number two Nelly Korda and Maguire.
Korda, who started the day two strokes adrift, closed with a three-over 75, her only birdie of the day coming at the final hole.
Maguire, meanwhile, moved up the leaderboard with a one-under 71 to join Korda on two-under.
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, who shared the first-round lead with Coughlin, posted a two-over 74 for a one-under total of 287.
The leading four were the only players to finish the week under par after a day of swirling, gusting winds and high scores.
“I just know I played really, really great all week,” said Coughlin, whose two prior titles came at the 2024 Canadian Women’s Open and Scottish Women’s Open.
Ranked 32nd in the world coming into the week, the American is projected to rise to 12th in the rankings after the victory in a star-studded event that featured all of the top 20-ranked players.
The tournament, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour, is part of the Saudi-backed Global series and featured a total purse of $4 million with a $600,000 winner’s prize.
More important to Coughlin, it gave her another chance to tackle Shadow Creek, where she finished runner-up in last year’s LPGA Match Play.
“It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth last year, not getting the W given how well I played all week,” she said. “So it makes it extra special this week.”
After sharing the first-round lead, Coughlin had led by five after the second round before Korda cut the gap on Saturday.
But Korda said her game just wasn’t sharp enough on Sunday.
“I just didn’t play good golf today,” the American said. “I was hitting it pretty poorly off the tee, and I was just finding myself in really tough positions going into the greens and then hitting it in places where I shouldn’t be around the greens.
“This golf course is brutal, especially if you’re on the wrong side of the green.”
Maguire, whose five birdies included one at the par-five 18th, said she enjoyed the challenge and liked what it showed about her game.
“Any time you can shoot three rounds under par at Shadow Creek, you’re pretty happy,” she said. “I’ve always said it’s one of my favourite venues of the year.
“I felt like my game had been a lot better lately than some of the scores I shot, and it was nice to see that sort of come to fruition this week on really the hardest course I played all year.”
In addition, Anna Foster was tied for 62nd on 16 over par, while Lauren Walsh finished tied for 71st on 20 over par.
– © AFP 2026
Additional reporting by Sinéad Farrell and Paul Fennessy
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