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The Valero Texas Open has teed off at The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.
The Oaks Course is part of the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa.
The event through Sunday attracts some of the world's best golfers who compete for a $9.5 million purse. The winner receives $1.7 million.
The open is more than a century old and last year raised $24 million for more than 400 charities.
The open's executive director, Larson Segerdahl, said the tournament puts San Antonio on a global stage.
"We set all sorts of records last year with attendance, with revenue, TV ratings. This event is also broadcast internationally, domestically on NBC, but internationally to more than a billion homes worldwide and more than 24 languages across the globe."
Akshay Bhatia won last year's open. Past champions include legends Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, and Lee Trevino.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said his department has plenty of help to make sure public safety is secure at both the Texas Open and the Final Four.
"It's not just SAPD that is working this," he said. "We got other law enforcement agencies as well. And we don't leave any gaps. We've got all sorts of resources to call on, and [if] we need them, we do that."
More than 100,000 visitors are expected downtown for the Final Four, and thousands more for the Texas Open.
