Valspar Championship: Power ranking the top 10 at Innisbrook
The PGA Tour is in the Sunshine State for the fourth week in a row as it heads to the Tampa Bay area for the Valspar Championship
When the 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule released, the Valspar Championship was one of the weeks many pointed to as one of the tournaments that would be affected most.
When the Players was in May, this had an advantageous spot the week before the Arnold Palmer Invitational and after the WGC-Mexico. Now it’s crammed in between the Players Championship and the WGC-Match Play. Two weeks prior was the API, which is an elevated status event.
It’s a tough break for a tournament that bestows one of the best tracks we’ll see all year. Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course has hosted since 2000.
The 7,340-yard par-71 offers a tough test of golf and challenges golfers with a variety of hole types and shot shapes required. Vijay Singh set the 72-hole scoring record at 18-under in 2004, but none have bested 15-under since (Gary Woodland, 2011). Anything in double figures under par will hold up well come Sunday.
The fairways are tight and some players will hold back off the tee this week. That makes approaches from 175 yards and out important, especially considering three par-3s sit between 200-225 yards.
Innisbrook’s greens are relatively small and sloping TifEagle Bermuda greens are hard to hit. That puts a premium on short game this week, especially to escape the Snake Pit.
The Snake Pit of holes 16-18 is one of the tougher closing stretches in golf. If you need a birdie here, good luck.
Some rain might fall in the practice rounds. Otherwise, the weather forecast looks like a dome football game, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s with sunshine and marginal winds. As always, though, wait until tee times are released until making your final lineup or betting decisions.
The field quality dipped from last year when Tiger Woods and several other superstars made the trip, but it appears the PGA Tour convinced some players to help prop up this event. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is playing for the first time since 2010 and premiere European players Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren are all debuting.
Those three and more are in this week’s top 10 at the Valspar Championship. Let’s dive in.