2024 Valspar Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Innisbrook

Nick Taylor has made five of eight cuts at the Valspar Championship and is coming off his best performance at this event last year.

Rounds of 72-70-69-70 produced a T-10th finish at Innisbrook in 2023. The Canadian finished 11th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (4.235) and 18th in SG: Around-the-Green (2.12).

Taylor rose one spot to a career-high No. 24 in the Official World Golf Ranking after taking T-26th last week at the Players Championship. Taylor was tied for second after day two.

A big reason for his ascent is his win this year at the WM Phoenix Open. It was sweet redemption after taking second place at TPC Scottsdale the year prior.

Taylor owns three top-12 finishes in eight starts in 2024, including T-7th at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

The 35-year-old’s lone statistical weakness this season is off the tee. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be a huge detriment this week at the Copperhead course.

Taylor’s otherwise been sharp. The former Washington Husky ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in SG: Approach (.641), 11th in SG: Putting (.715), and 16th in SG: Total (.979).

Per the Seattle Times, Taylor credits his putting to the work put in with short game coach Gareth Raflewski to change to a claw grip.

 “That was the biggest change, and I really committed to it starting in January 2023,” Taylor said. “It was hard. It was a mental commitment because it was a big change from what I would have always done — conventional putting. “But the first event doing it, I had a really nice [tournament] and shot a third-day 62 and made a bunch of putts. That solidified the change, that it was permanent and working. From then on, it just built momentum.”