Valspar Championship: What to know for TOUR's final Florida stop
After a brief trip to Louisiana for a team event, the PGA TOUR returns to Florida for the Valspar Championship to mark the circuit's final stop in the Sunshine State this season.
The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort will host the 156-man field where Paul Casey will look to complete the rare three-peat. The Englishman went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 but had to wait a year to try for three in a row after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the 2020 edition.
When: April 29-May 2
Where: Palm Harbor, Florida
Purse: $6.9 million
Winner's prize: $1.242 million
How to watch
| Date | Channel | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Thurs. April 29 | Golf Channel | 2-6 p.m. |
| Fri. April 30 | Golf Channel | 2-6 p.m. |
| Sat. May 1 | Golf Channel | 1-3 p.m. |
| CBS | 3-6 p.m. | |
| Sun. May 2 | Golf Channel | 1-3 p.m. |
| CBS | 3-6 p.m. |
Previous result
Casey held off Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Kokrak in 2019. He shot 1-over in the final round but it was still enough to secure his third PGA TOUR title. The year prior was a bit of a different story as he stormed from behind with a final-round 65 to knock off Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods by one, which was the first time in years Tiger had truly contended for a title.
Recent winners
2020: Canceled
2019: Paul Casey (-8) over Jason Kokrak, Louis Oosthuizen
2018: Paul Casey (-10) over Patrick Reed, Tiger Woods
2017: Adam Hadwin (-14) over Patrick Cantlay
2016: Charl Schwartzel (-7) in a playoff over Bill Haas
2015: Jordan Spieth (-10) in a playoff over Patrick Reed, Sean O'Hair
2014: John Senden (-7) over Kevin Na
2013: Kevin Streelman (-10) over Boo Weekley
The field
There were a handful of events that suffered from the reshuffled 2020-21 schedule, but not the Valspar Championship. Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas - the top two players in the world - have made the trip to Tampa. Two-time runner-up Patrick Reed will also be competing to help make the Valspar field the tournament's strongest since 2015.
Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Sungjae Im, and Corey Conners are among the handful of other notables.
Featured groups (all times ET)
Group: Gary Woodland, Paul Casey, Jason Kokrak
Thursday - 7:50 a.m.
Friday - 12:49 p.m.
Group: Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson
Thursday - 8:01 a.m.
Friday - 1:11 p.m.
Group: Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Max Homa
Thursday - 1:00 p.m.
Friday - 7:50 a.m.
Group: Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann
Thursday - 1:11 p.m.
Friday - 8:01 a.m.
A full list of groups and tee times can be found here.
The course
Copperhead is a 7,340-yard, par-71 course and is easily one of the most difficult on the PGA TOUR calendar. Rarely does the winning score get below 10-under as the venue's tight fairways, an abundance of water hazards, and smaller-than-average greens make birdies tough to come by.
You'll hear plenty of references to "The Snake Pit" this week, which is Copperhead's three-hole stretch starting with the par-4 16th - the toughest hole on the property - and ending with another difficult par 4 at No. 18. These three holes play to an average of 0.57 over par and can create plenty of drama as the tournament's closing holes.
Betting corner
Dustin Johnson +1100
Justin Thomas +1100
Corey Conners +1700
Patrick Reed +1700
Paul Casey +1900
Tyrrell Hatton +2200
Viktor Hovland +2200
Sungjae Im +2500
Abraham Ancer +3000
Russell Henley +3000
Scottie Scheffler +3000
Jason Kokrak +3300
Joaquin Niemann +3300
Louis Oosthuizen +3300
Charley Hoffman +4400
Emiliano Grillo +4400
Justin Rose +4400
Ryan Palmer +4400
(Odds source: theScore Bet)