Just how familiar are you here? Keefer has plenty of edges at home course

A million times.

Johnny Keefer’s estimate was a bit high when asked how many times he’s played a round at either TPC San Antonio’s Canyons or Oaks course but exaggeration in this case might be prudent to understand just how comfortable the 25-year-old reigning Korn Ferry Tour player of the year feels heading into the Valero Texas Open.

Aside from all the rounds played while attending Lady Bird Johnson High School and Baylor University in college, this is the course and the event that converted a young Keefer from wanting to play professional lacrosse into being obsessed with golf. And now, he’s a week away from playing in his first Masters.

Oh, and then there’s the fact that Keefer is sleeping in own bed all week. And that’s his bed from those very same high school and college days.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I still live with my parents,” said Keefer, who finished tied third at the Texas Children’s Houston Open last week.

“My fiancé’s still in med school, she’s kind of traveling around and I’m traveling around. And right now, we haven’t settled on one spot that we’re going to move to,” he added, taking a beat on the reveal. “Right now, I’m sleeping in my own bed in my parents’ house. I really enjoy it, save up the money and we’ll see and go from there.”

Keefer says he chips in taking out the trash and getting groceries when he’s in town but
he’s been in California and Florida until last week.

“[They’re] being nice and letting me stay in the house for a little bit longer than most,” he said of his parents.

Keefer’s first Korn Ferry win came a year ago this month when he shot a 30-under 254 to win the Veritex Bank Championship by three strokes.

Low scores became a trademark for Keefer, who shattered the NV5 Invitational record with a 26-under 258 last summer and wound up breaking the season-long scoring average record (67.95) set by Luke Guthrie in 2012.

He made his major championship debut at the PGA Championship in May and survived the cut at Oakmont Country Club before finishing T-61 at the 2025 U.S. Open a month later.

While those feats would certainly make for the defining moment of most player’s years, it was a T-7 finish on the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic in November that moved Keefer to No. 47 in the Official World Golf Ranking and qualified him for the 2026 Masters.

“That was my best finish at the time, so it was kind of nice just to have the momentum I think is big,” he told reporters Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s opening round. “I said last year if I didn’t get in, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I just wanted to play well going into the Masters whether I was in or not. It’s nice because last week was big for momentum and hopefully I can carry that momentum into the Masters next week.”

Tee times, groupings and information on how to watch the first round of the Valero Texas Open.

With momentum building in the form of a new career-high finish on Tour and plenty of comfort surrounding him this week, Keefer could win for the first time on the PGA Tour.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I have too much more experience out here other than maybe just a few green reads, just some comfortability off the tee,” he said when asked about the advantages of heading into the next 36 holes. “There’s no faking it out here. Can’t really manage it too much compared to some other courses. You’ve just got to go out there and hit a bunch of fairways, hit a bunch of greens, give yourself a lot of chances just like any other week.”