Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Valspar Championship, and as he searches for his first victory of this year, he is hoping he can duplicate his success at the Florida event. The No. 4 ranked golfer in the world has not won this season, though he has two top 10 finishes, and is the top pick by the Westgate LV SuperBook at 8/1.
Spieth is followed by Rory McIlroy at 14/1, Masters champion Sergio Garcia at 16/1, and Justin Rose at 18/1. Tiger Woods, who is playing this event and next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, is at 25/1.
Valspar takes place on Innisbrook’s Copperhead course, known for its challenging finish.
Tougher Field Than Usual
The field is usually light on top players, but several have decided to enter the event this year. Henrik Stenson, who is No. 14 in the Official World Golf Rankings, is competing, as is No. 17 Paul Casey. They are both listed at 20/1.
McIlroy has never played in the Valspar Championship and is trying to shake off a rough start to the 2018 PGA Tour season. He played well overseas at the Dubai Desert Classic and at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, finishing second and tied for third, respectively, at these European Tour events. But the No. 12 player in the world has struggled since coming across the pond. He missed the cut at Pebble Beach, tied for 20th at the Genesis Open, and tied for 59th at the Honda Classic.
“The last three tournaments haven’t been the best results, but what I’m doing with my game feels really good,” he said. “We’re just trying to translate that onto the golf course. I’ve had a few chances to win in the Middle East, and I’ll have three tournaments until Augusta. Hopefully I’ll get myself in contention to win.”
Long Hitters Make Best Long Shots
With four par 5s on the course, those who take advantage of those scoring opportunities should be near the top of the leaderboard. Two players that drive it far and make eagles are Tony Finau and Gary Woodland. Finau is at 25/1, while Woodland is at 40/1.
Finau is No. 1 on the PGA Tour in driving distance average at 323.7 yards. He is No. 2 in par-5 eagles with seven.
Woodland, who won this event in 2011, is ninth in driving average at 312.8 yards. He is tied for third in par-5 eagles with six.
Paternity Watch
Garcia is playing despite being on baby watch. His wife is pregnant with the couple’s first child. The Spaniard is hoping to squeeze in this event and the WGC-Match Play in Texas in two weeks before the birth.
The baby girl is due towards the end of the month so the chances he will be called away this week is fairly remote. It was a detail they planned for when making out his playing schedule.
“People have been asking me, ‘Are you going to take a month or two off? There is a possibility of maybe missing one of the tournaments that I have scheduled,” Garcia said. “If everything goes well, it shouldn’t change too much.”
