The final invitation to Augusta was up for grabs at the Valero Texas Open, but three former Texas Longhorns came up short.
Battling cold temperatures, rain and heavy winds, Doug Ghim, Beau Hossler and Jhonattan Vegas failed to secure the victory needed to punch their ticket to the Masters.
With just one week before the first major of the PGA Tour season, the Valero Texas Open offered one last opportunity for players outside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and those without a PGA Tour win this year to qualify for the 90th edition of the Masters.
Ghim was the top-finishing former Longhorn, tying for 30th. Ghim entered Sunday with three consecutive rounds under par and sat tied for 26th heading into the final round.
Ghim’s winter hat on Sunday told the story of the difficult conditions. San Antonio in April rarely calls for winter gear, but cold temperatures, rain and heavy winds contributed to a challenging final round.
The four-year Longhorn carded an even-par 72 with two birdies and two bogeys, moving him down six spots on the leaderboard.
Sitting at No. 181 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Ghim will have to wait another year for a potential Masters appearance. In his Masters debut, Ghim earned the 2018 low amateur honors but has not qualified for the tournament since.
Beau Hossler was the second-lowest former Longhorn, tying for 49th with a four-day score of 4-under 284. After opening the tournament with rounds of 71-70-70, Hossler struggled Sunday in the difficult conditions.
“This is the worst hole ever!” Hossler said to himself on his 71st hole of the tournament.
After landing his ball pin-high on the green, the slope carried Hossler’s ball 90 feet away from the hole, resulting in an underwhelming par on a scoreable par five. Hossler shot a 1-over 73 on Sunday and failed to qualify for the Masters, currently sitting No. 158 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Jordan Spieth was the final Longhorn to make the cut. Coming into this event, Spieth collected three top-12 finishes in his last four starts.
The 13-time PGA Tour winner led the field with the most career PGA Tour wins coming into the tournament. The 2021 Valero Texas Open champion carded an even-par 288 (71-71-72-74). As the 2015 Masters champion, Spieth is automatically exempt into the tournament.
Vegas, the fourth former Longhorn in the field, missed the cut line by four strokes. Vegas carded a pair of 73s with three birdies across his two rounds.
Vegas sits No. 107 in the Official World Golf Ranking and will not play in this year’s Masters Tournament.
With the final opportunity now passed, Spieth and Scottie Scheffler will be the only former Longhorns competing at Augusta next week.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to better reflect Hossler’s quote and to correct the statistic in the 12th paragraph. The Texan regrets these errors.
