It’s impossible for any of the players at this week’s Valero Texas Open to forget who captured the trophy last year.
That’s because most players stay at the JW Marriott hotel that’s a short walk from the first tee at TPC San Antonio, and the defending champion’s face is emblazoned on the hotel’s room keys. This week, that honor belongs to Kevin Chappell.
“You get some sly comments from players about their room key,” Chappell told reporters Wednesday. “‘Oh, I’m tired of looking at you.’ And I’m saying, ‘Believe me, I’m tired of being in everyone’s room.'”
The position of defending champ is one Chappell relishes this week as he returns to the site of his maiden PGA Tour victory. A one-shot win over Brooks Koepka led to a euphoric celebration on the 72nd green, and it helped propel Chappell to his first career spot on the Presidents Cup team in October.
Chappell has missed the cut each of the last two weeks, including the Masters, but he also recorded top-10 finishes at the CareerBuilder Challenge, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Arnold Palmer Invitational. It’s reason enough for Chappell to feel optimistic heading back to a course where he was a runner-up in 2011 and finished T-4 in 2016.
“This year’s been a little bit of a strange year for me. I usually don’t find form until about here, usually a slow starter,” Chappell said. “But having three top-10s before this event, I’ve kind of found some form. I’m looking to turn those top-10s into top-5s, and the top-5s into wins. That’s the challenge moving forward this year.”
Source: Internet
