Valero Texas Open 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Inclement weather brought a halt to the first round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio on Thursday, but a considerable number of players managed to finish before darkness suspended play.

Brendan Steele got off to a scorching start and was eight under par through 13 holes before play halted. Charley Hoffman carded seven birdies and only one bogey to post a six-under 66, while Stuart Appleby and Peter Malnati posted five-under 67s:

Per PGA Tour Media, Thursday's opening round was delayed for more than three-and-a-half hours, which prevented many players from completing their days as scheduled. Round 1 will pick up Friday at 8 a.m. CT, with Round 2 beginning at approximately 9 a.m. CT.

Steele started on the back nine and birdied his first three holes—and rattled off three straight birdies after making the turn to go with two others at Nos. 14 and 18—both par fives.

Although he didn't manage to finish, Steele's early run wasn't a fluke. He won the event in 2011 and is therefore a force to be reckoned with moving forward.

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel weighed in on Steele's performance, suggesting he had probably wished for more daylight:

Hoffman birdied the par-four opening hole and added two more at Nos. 5 and 6. Three more birdies on the back nine preceded Hoffman's only dropped shot of the day at the par-four 17th.

The good news is that Hoffman bounced back to make his first par-five birdie at No. 18, where he drained an 11-foot putt to end his round on a high note.

Perhaps the most notable highlight of the day came off Malnati's club. He found the 17th hole more friendly than Hoffman did, as the PGA Tour's official Twitter account captured:

Since winning the Sanderson Farms Championship in November, Malnati has failed to make the cut in nine of 14 starts. He's on track to snap a missed-cut streak of seven in San Antonio.

Appleby had a boring scorecard that consisted of nothing but a birdie at the par-five second hole, a bogey at the par-four ninth and a bunch of pars through 13.

Then the 44-year-old Aussie turned it on late, finishing with a five-birdie flourish to vault up the leaderboard, per Golf Channel:

Steve Flesch, 48, showed he can still get it done on the big circuit with a solid round of 68. Jonathan Wall of the PGA Tour's official website provided context for how impressive Flesch's start was:

Jerry Kelly, 49, will be eligible for the Champions Tour in November but has enough game to still contend with the younger crowd. Kelly posted a three-under to match the likes of two-time Valero Texas Open winner Zach Johnson and others.

For all the deserved acclaim golf's youth movement has received, Thursday was a change of pace as numerous tenured veterans positioned themselves well to begin the week. Hoffman even falls into that category at 39 years old.

Golf Channel's Will Gray suggested Hoffman may have difficulty maintaining his first-round momentum, however:

"

Charley Hoffman in with an opening 66 at Valero. His scoring rank this season per round:

1st: 24th
2nd: 58th
3rd: 152nd
4th: 200th

— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) April 21, 2016"

But Justin Ray of Golf Channel illustrated how the event's friendly venue may aid Hoffman's efforts to buck the trend of a progressively inflating scoring average:

According to Weather.com's forecast, there's a 0 percent chance of precipitation in San Antonio on Friday. Rain shouldn't threaten again until Sunday's final round, but at least there's a realistic opportunity for the tournament to get back on schedule before then.

The average winning score for the Valero Texas Open in the past five years has been 10 under par overall, so birdies are often hard to come by in San Antonio.

However, scoring conditions should be ideal for Friday thanks to the rain. It wouldn't be a surprise to see players post a ton of red figures, particularly in the morning, before the fairways and greens begin to dry out.

Power hitters stand to benefit the most from the circumstances Mother Nature has brought on, because a softer course plays longer. That's not the greatest news for Appleby or Malnati—they rank 152nd and 172nd in strokes gained from tee to green, respectively.

Rookie Harold Varner III, who got to four under on his front nine before settling for a three-under 69, ranks 16th on tour with an average driving distance of 304.2 yards. If he can get his putter going, he has a great chance to position himself for a huge breakthrough entering the weekend.

Considering how hot Steele was running Thursday and the fact that he also drives it more than 300 yards on average, he may have a chance to separate himself from the rest of the field.

Post-Round Reaction

Hoffman dismissed any concerns about his run of poor finishing scores and projected optimism after his strong start.

"I've been close the last month or so, and I've got to put four good rounds together instead of three. You don't win golf tournaments with three good rounds," he said, per Golf Channel's Will Gray. "I've won before. I've come back from bad Sundays, and this happens to be a stretch where I haven't played well on Sunday, but I know I can play good."

Hinting at his strong track record at TPC San Antonio, Hoffman was pleased with his score overall, per Gray: "Six under par is always good on this golf course, or any golf course. I tend to play well here, and hopefully I can keep it going and have a chance on Sunday."

Flesch spoke to Wall about his unexpected trip to San Antonio:

"

Starting Tuesday, I didn't even know I was close enough to get in the tournament. I was making provisional plans to get ready for my television duties later on in the year. When they told me I was in, I started scrambling to find flights, where I was going to go. Luckily I've played the tournament before so I knew the golf course.

"

Note: Stats and tournament information courtesy of the PGA Tour's official website.