The Valspar Championship is held on the Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, where as many as 92 players from the elite field at THE PLAYERS Championship make their way down to Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.
Copperhead Course, home of the Snake Pit, plays host this week where Paul Casey defends. The Englishman safely navigated one of the most notorious closing stretches on tour as he closed with a 6-under 65 to win by one from Tiger Woods, who came up one putt short of forcing a playoff.
A quartet of Saffas are in action, with Branden Grace and Dylan Frittelli joining 2016 winner Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen in the field.
The PGA Tour’s power rankings list both of the latter duo in their top 15 players to watch. For Schwartzel, ranked highest at 15, they write: ‘First winner on the renovation (2016) has added a solo sixth and T49 since. Recent form has extended his new profile as an all-or-nothing talent. Seemingly equal odds to contend or MC.’
For Oosthuizen, there is slightly more to ‘go with’. Despite a slight drop in form over the past four events, he has fared well at Copperhead with finishes of T7 (2016) and T16 (2018). SA’s top-ranked player is second on tour in total driving and 25th in GIR.
