Valero Texas Open 2013: Highlighting Top Performers in San Antonio

Scotland's Martin Laird rode an incredible, record-tying final round performance to a victory Sunday at the 2013 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.

But the relative unknown was flying under the radar coming into the day, sitting at five-under through the first three rounds. So, what happened?

Well, Laird found his rhythm early Sunday and went on to cash in on nine birdies to finish 14-under par for the tournament, winning by two strokes over Rory McIlroy, who had a dominant fourth round himself. 

Below we'll highlight the top performers from this past weekend in San Antonio.

Rory McIlroy, 12-under

McIlroy, a two-time major winner, came on strong in Sunday's final round at the Valero Texas Open, knocking in eight birdies to finish six-under par for the round and 12-under par for the tournament.

Although McIlroy's top-five finish doesn't do much for his legacy, his productive play on Sunday gives him a much-needed confidence boost heading into the year's first major tournament this week at Augusta National. The 23-year-old superstar has never finished better than 15th at the Masters and was off to a sluggish start this year before finishing second in San Antonio.

Considering McIlroy's best performance prior to this weekend was an eighth-place finish at the WGC-Cadillac Championship last month, it's safe to say he'll be feeling good about his chances heading into Augusta.

You better believe he'll be a contender this weekend in Georgia. 

Jim Furyk, 11-under

Jim Furyk, who hasn't won a major tournament since the 2003 U.S. Open, rallied on the back nine Sunday to finish T-3 at the Valero Texas Open. Furyk knocked in an eagle on hole No. 18 to pull two strokes closer on the leaderboard and give himself a bit of momentum heading into this week's Masters.

Furyk began this tournament by picking up three straight birdies on his first three holes but cooled off quickly and dramatically as he was up and down the rest of the way.

He has just one top-10 finish at Augusta National in his last nine tries so Sunday's finish on No. 18 could prove huge as Furyk gets set to go for his second career major win this spring.

Before this weekend's top-10 finish in San Antonio, Furyk had just one top 10 for the year; a seventh place finish at the Tampa Bay Championship last month.

K.J. Choi, 9-under

Considering he shot even in two of the four rounds in San Antonio, K.J. Choi's nine-under par finish for the tournament was awfully impressive.

Choi struggled in the opening round and then again on Saturday, shooting 72 for both days, setting the stage for a strong finish Sunday, which saw the 42-year-old South Korean pour in five birdies and only one bogey.

Like McIlroy, it was crucial that Choi finished strong this weekend heading into The Masters. Despite earning top-10 finishes in 2010 and 2011 at Augusta, Choi missed the cut a year ago. Plus, prior to Sunday's sixth place finish in Texas, Choi had posted just one top-10 finish in 2013; a ninth-place effort at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

We know Choi is capable of playing championship golf, it's a matter of the good things he did in San Antonio this weekend carrying over to Georgia Thursday. 

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