Robert MacIntyre, Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood are the biggest names in the field at the Valero Texas Open this week.
The three European Ryder Cup teammates are all battling out to win the Valero Texas Open the week before the start of The Masters.
Robert MacIntyre currently leads the way at TPC San Antonio on 14-under-par, two clear of Ludvig Aberg.
Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood is sitting eight shots back of MacIntyre after a slow start to his third round on Saturday.
All three players will have genuine hopes of winning The Masters next week at Augusta National.
MacIntyre and Aberg have fed off each other all week in Texas, with the Scot and the Swede producing some brilliant golf.
Fleetwood has looked very good at times as well but he just hasn’t holed enough putts.
Still, the Englishman is being heavily backed to succeed at Augusta next week, just like Aberg and MacIntyre are.
However, all three players’ preparation for The Masters has taken a monumental hit this week in San Antonio.
Valero Texas Open issue for Robert MacIntyre, Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood
Rain stopped play at 11:51 am local time in San Antonio on Saturday.
Unfortunately, the players never got back out on the golf course, and play is set to resume at 7:45 am local time on Sunday.
All three Europeans still have two-thirds of their third round left to play.
The weather in San Antonio looks set to be much better today than it was on Saturday, but it’s still not forecast to be great.
There is a genuine chance that we could see a Monday finish at the Valero Texas Open.
And if that ends up being the case, it would be disastrous for the three biggest names in the game.
In fact, it will be terrible news for any player who made the cut at the Valero this week and is qualified for the Masters.
Terrible Masters prep for MacIntyre, Aberg and Fleetwood
Players like to arrive at the golf course ahead of a major on Monday at the very latest.
This allows them enough time to practice, do their recon work on the golf course and fulfil their media duties.
Arriving at Augusta National late Monday night or early Tuesday due to a late finish at the Valero Texas Open would be really problematic for MacIntyre, Aberg and Fleetwood.
Hopefully they manage to finish the tournament on Sunday but as things stand, their chances of doing that are hanging in the balance.
The only player who won’t mind the late arrival at Augusta National will be the eventual winner of the Valero Texas Open.
So at least two, and perhaps even all three of MacIntyre, Aberg and Fleetwood may well be fighting an uphill battle at The Masters next week.
The thing is, even if they do get the tournament finished on Sunday, MacIntyre and Aberg will have to play 30 holes in one day, while Fleetwood will have 29 holes remaining.
That will certainly not be ideal preparation for any of them.
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