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2022 Valspar Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Innisbrook

By Mike Randleman

May 1, 2021; Palm Harbor, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the a paint can tee box marker on the 3rd hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2021; Palm Harbor, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the a paint can tee box marker on the 3rd hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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The PGA Tour plays more events in Florida each season than any other state. The march through the Sunshine State continues on this week at the Valspar Championship.

We’re at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, just over 20 miles northwest of Tampa.

This event debuted in 2000 and has been at this venue annually.

While the event has held firm at one location, its spot on the schedule has been amorphous. It’s been as late in the year as November for a few times in the 2000s, but has fallen somewhere late in Q1 or early Q2 in the calendar year for the last decade-plus.

Like it is for most PGA Tour events, that spot on the schedule is key in dictating field quality. As far as the Valspar Championship (which has gone by an array of names) goes, this year’s is pretty solid.

Five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings will be present, as will 18 of the top 50.

There are 144 players in the field with a standard 36-hole cut for top 65 and ties.

The Copperhead course is a tough, but fair test of golf that draws praise in player surveys as one of their favorites on the schedule. The Larry Packard design opened in 1970.

Packard is not among the likes of MacKenzie, Ross, etc., but he has a gem with the Copperhead course. Packard designed the three other courses on property, as well as over 350 over 50 years. Most were in the Chicago area and midwest.

Copperhead has noticeable elevation changes, particularly for a Florida course. There are doglegs all over the place, as well as plenty of bunkers, water, and other hazards to make driving accuracy a premium and driving distance a risky endeavor at times.

The winning score has slotted between 7- and 10-under in six of the last eight editions. A big outlier was last year when Sam Burns fired 17-under to finish one off the tournament record set by Vijay Singh in 2002.

Bermuda grass is in play from tee to green. The grainy but fairly pure putting surface is common in this region of the country.

The weather forecast for Palm Harbor looks much better than it did for Ponte Vedra Beach last week. With that said, rain’s still possible during the practice rounds and early in the weekend.

Temperatures will mainly be in the 60s-70s without a ton of wind. Conditions could be soft with Florida getting a lot of rain lately, so expect some good scores to be posted.

The Snake Pit may not be as lethal as normal.

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