On April 17, 2011, the week after the Masters, Steele notched his first PGA Tour win at the Valero Texas Open at San Antonio. He holed a par-saving putt at the final hole to finish a stroke ahead of runners-up Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman. Steele was the third tour rookie to win in 2011, after Jhonattan Vegas (Bob Hope Classic) and Charl Schwartzel (Masters). In addition to a payday and a tour card until the end of 2013, Steele's victory earned invites to The Players Championship, Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, and the next year's Masters; the win moved from 115th to 19th in the FedEx Cup standings.