The PGA Tour wraps up the Florida Swing this week in Palm Harbor at the Valspar Championship.
The field at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course seems like it should be more akin to that of the Mexico Open, but the Valspar sits on that same level as the Cognizant Classic in my mind.
Much like the rest of the Florida Swing, staying in the short grass is going to be paramount to success around Innisbrook and should help avoid players getting bitten in the Snake Pit.
With Rory McIlroy's playoff win at The Players Championship, the models are vibing right now, as we have back-to-back winners for the first time this season. This almost feels like a double win, since we aligned Rory winning with being number one in the pre-Players rankings.
Especially with the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass being such a crapshoot, we're very pleased coming out of there with a winner. So, let's go grab another one this week.
You'll note that Xander Schauffele did not make our list, as the world No. 3 has struggled since returning from a rib injury. You may also notice that we went with only eight players this week. We did have the regular nine but had to adjust when Akshay Bhatia withdrew.
Honorable Mentions: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Sam Burns, Stephan Jaeger, Matteo Manassero, Sepp Straka
8. Michael Kim
My pick for the breakout performer of the year thus far, Michael Kim got a bit of a humbling reality check with a missed cut at The Players.
Before that, though, Kim had been riding a five-week stretch during which his worst finish was T13. One worry to have here is exhaustion, as this will be seven tournament weeks in a row for the 31-year-old, the longest stretch of his career.
If he's able to stave off the physical effects of all of this golf he's been playing, Kim should have another strong week.
7. Aaron Rai
If you had to guess Aaron Rai's world ranking right now, would you say 24th? Almost definitely not.
While Rai's exposure to casual golf fans may be minimal, his skillset fits Innisbrook quite well. He is very accurate off the tee, can hit very good approach shots (watch his performance at Mexico again), and can ride a serviceable putter to solid finishes.
Plus, Rai won the Wyndham Championship last year, a course whose profile aligns with what is needed for the Valspar. Ride the two-gloved Brit this week.
6. Will Zalatoris
Look, we absolutely hated to see Will Zalatoris implode at the end of his third round at Sawgrass, which ended his chances to win The Players.
However, the player who was finishing in the top five in what felt like every major championship a couple years back is still in there.
Zalatoris is seemingly almost all the way back from his injury issues and is reaching consistent performance levels once again. If he can start making more of those short putts, he can add another trophy to his collection.
5. Ben Griffin
Ben Griffin's game fits the needs for Innisbrook to a T, as he's accurate off the tee, has a solid approach play, and is strong around the greens.
While the last couple of weeks have not gone great for the 28-year-old, he finished T17 at the Valspar last year, with the one weak point being off the tee.
Griffin's driving has been much stronger this season, and an improvement his strokes gained off the tee numbers should lead to a better finish this year.
4. Lucas Glover
Lucas Glover's third round at The Players gave me whiplash, and he was undoubtedly kicking himself after just missing the playoff.
Nonetheless, the 45-year-old major champ seems to be getting closer to his 2023 form that helped him win twice on the PGA Tour.
Pair that with a T11 finish last year, and Glover's form should continue into Copperhead this week.
3. Luke Clanton
The flavor of the month in terms of young studs, Luke Clanton is looking to build upon earning his PGA Tour card at the Cognizant Classic.
He threatened to win multiple times last season and has already taken a college tournament this year for Florida State.
The mix of a talented youngster on grass that he grew up playing and already having locked up a Tour card could spell danger for the rest of the field. The Luke Clanton hype is real, and we could see yet another amateur win this week.
2. Daniel Berger
Basically in the same boat as Zalatoris, Daniel Berger is just a little further along and closer to winning again in his return from injury journey.
And a strong Sunday at The Players should give him the right momentum to keep riding through the Valspar.
The most interesting part of Berger's season will be if he makes it back onto the Ryder Cup team (give me Akshay, Keegan, and DB on the team this year, and I'm happy). The talent is there; let's complete the comeback.
1. Corey Conners
Corey Conners has bounced back nicely after a sluggish few weeks following his season-opening T5 at The Sentry, with the turnaround of his putting being the catalyst.
An interesting trend is his play in consecutive weeks. The Valspar will be his third straight tournament week, so we can look to his past performance in three-week stretches with no break.
Conners' performance peaks when he reaches weeks three and four, so after a solo third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T6 at The Players, he feels primed for a win at Innisbrook.