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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

SAN ANTONIO -- LaCantera Golf Club, home of the Valero Texas Open, is a bit of an anomaly in Texas golf.

If you have ever had the displeasure of driving from one end of the state to the other, you know that the Lone Star State is not exactly hilly. But LaCantera is something different all together. From the moment you walk off the first tee, the front nine is a long, lazy and uneven spiral staircase that circles the clubhouse, descending and ascending randomly. When Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish saw the property, they had to be astonished at the canvas that was laid before them. They incorporated cascading streams and dramatic elevation changes into the resort design. And surely they never intended for it to be walked. No one could be that sadistic.

Tim Herron might not "fit the mold" for winners you'd expect to see at hilly LaCantera. (Martin/WireImage)

The first four holes wrap down, around and back up to the clubhouse. But the next three holes push you down to the depths of the property. The seventh green and eighth tee are at the bottom of the grounds near an old rock quarry that was turned into an amusement park by some industrious souls several years back. The park is literally adjacent to this end of the golf course -- and by adjacent, I mean directly on top of.

For those who stand on the tee at the short par-4 eighth, though, it is not the old wooden rollercoaster with its screaming riders and constant clickety clack of yesteryear that has their attention. That is just a nice diversion from one of the seminal facts about the property. From the eighth tee, you see in the distance -- way up in the distance -- the 11th tee, which is perched high on a rocky outcropping with a view of the lowlands and a hint of the San Antonio skyline miles away.

A player and a caddy must pace himself over this stretch. After the tee shot on the uphill, par-4 ninth, it is a slow, arduous climb every step of the way over the next two and a half holes. When you reach the 11th tee you feel like you should plant a flag to mark the ascent as successful.

On the surface, it would seem likely that those players in top physical shape would have the advantage here at LaCantera. But history tells a different story. The fact of the matter is that whether or not a player on TOUR is lean has little to do with his ability to walk the course. You need only look at the years from 1995 to 1999 when Duffy Waldorf won here twice and David Ogrin, Tim Herron and Hal Sutton filled in as winners between Duffy's wins. They filled in like an impenetrable offensive line.

Not only do men of a certain size seem to have an advantage here, but in the years when they are off enjoying the buffet, the old guys have used this tournament to resurrect their careers. Loren Roberts in 2002 was followed by Tommy Armour III, Bart Bryant and Robert Gamez. For Armour and Gamez, the win was their first in more than a decade. Gamez owns the record for most years between victories at 15 years and 6 months -- breaking that drought ended here at the Valero Texas Open. Two years later on these same hills, Tommy Armour III ended a drought of 13 years and 8 months.

Only the young and dashing Eric Axley breaks both of these molds the last decade or two. He of the bright colored pants and matinee idol abs held off some other young flat bellies to win here a year ago. But don't let that fool you. This tournament belongs to the aging and the rounding. Maybe that is why it is one of my favorites.