Weather: Mostly cloudy morning and sunny afternoon. High of 92. Wind SSE 5-12 mph, gusting to 18 mph.

First-Round Leaderboard

Pos.        Player                    R1

1              Sam Ryder             63 (-9)

2              Keith Mitchell       64 (-8)

3              Brian Harman       66 (-6)

T4            Carson Young       67 (-5)

T4            Jordan Spieth       67 (-5)

Leading Asian Scores

T12         Rico Hoey              69 (-3)

T19         Ryo Hisatsune      70 (-2)

T43         Si WooKim            71 (-1)

Sam Ryder (1^st/-9)

• Second career 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR; 0-for-1 converting to victory (T1/2023 Farmers Insurance Open/finished T4)
• Bogey-free 63 is his lowest score in 19 career rounds played at TPC San Antonio (previous: 66, R4/2023, R2/2019)
• Marks his lowest round of the season (previous: 64/R1/Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches/finished T48)
• Fifteenth straight par-or-better opening round on TOUR
• Sixth player to record a score of 63 or better at the Valero Texas Open since the event moved TPC San Antonio in 2010, first since Denny McCarthy in the final round last year
• Birdied six of his final seven holes (Nos. 12-14 and 16-18)
• Recorded 15 one-putts, a new career best on TOUR (previous: 13/R4/2020 WM Phoenix Open)
• Led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (5.353)
• In six career starts at the Valero Texas Open, has one top-10 finish (2023/T3)
• Made the cut in all nine starts this season, totaling four top-25 finishes, highlighted by a T14 at THE PLAYERS Championship

Keith Mitchell (2^nd/-8)

• Cards bogey-free 8-under 64 with six birdies and an eagle (par-5 No. 8); played Nos. 8-11 at 5-under (E-B-B-B), tying his career-best birdie/eagle streak of four (R4/2023 World Wide Technology Championship)
• Led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (5.464) and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (4.496)
• Lowest score in 13 career rounds in the Valero Texas Open (previous best: 69, three times, most recently R4/2024)
• Making his fourth career start at the Valero Texas Open (2024/T14, 2021/T17, 2018/T26)
• In eight starts this season, has three top-25 finishes, highlighted by a T18 at last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open

Miscellaneous Notes

• Brian Harman (3^rd/-6) records his lowest score in 25 career rounds at the Valero Texas Open (previous best: 68/R4/2024); sits inside the top 10 after 18 holes for the first time since 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge (T2/finished T24)
• 2021 Valero Texas Open champion Jordan Spieth (T4/-5) sits inside the top four after 18 holes for the first time since the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship (18-hole solo leader/finished T6); in eight career starts at the Valero Texas Open, has four top-10 finishes (2024/T10, 2021/Won, 2015/2^nd, 2014/10^th)
• Carson Young (T4/-5), in his ninth TOUR start this year, sits inside the top five after 18 holes for the first time since the 2023 Barracuda Championship (T5/finished 43^rd)
• In his seventh career TOUR start, amateur Ben James (T6/-4) opens with a 68 via six birdies and two bogeys; earned a sponsor exemption this week by virtue of winning the 2024 Valero Texas Collegiate; University of Virginia junior is ranked No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Corey Conners, two-time winner of the Valero Texas Open (2019, 2023), sits T43 following a 1-under 71
• Defending champion Akshay Bhatia (T103/+2) records one birdie against three bogeys for a 2-over 74.