Don’t forget to check out Part One of our 2017 Valspar Championship
coverage for the Field and Course Overview.
The Tour heads back to Florida for 4 days of frustration in The Snake Pit. The Valspar Championship features one of the weaker fields of the year on one of the strongest courses of the entire PGA Tour calendar, as mentioned in yesterday’s article. Given the presence of only 15 of the Top 50 golfers, most of the field has a legitimate chance to be on the first page of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon. The Copperhead course plays slightly over 7,300 yards but this isn’t a bombers paradise. Accuracy on approach shots and touch around the green will be the most important factors this week.
The Clear Favorites
Justin Thomas and Henrik Stenson boast the best Vegas odds this weekend. Thomas has been slightly inconsistent after a really impressive start in Hawaii this year. He missed the cut by a stroke in both of his missed cuts so far this year. Thomas’s ability to go low in a round (he did shoot a 59 this year) will give him the chance to win in any tournament as long as he can put his first two rounds together. Stenson is also able to win any event he participates in as well. He’s one of the best all-around players in the world and should be able to score well on this difficult course.
The “B” Team
Gary Woodland has a chance at his first win since 2013 when he tees it up at the Valspar Championship this weekend. His game has evolved to the point where he can’t just be considered a bomber anymore. He has some of the best greens in regulation numbers of anyone in the field which has lead to success in the past. He’s finished as high as 8th place in this tournament in the past.
Jason Dufner is another player to keep an eye on this weekend. He has above average length off the tee with elite driving accuracy relative to the field this week. Dufner also comes in with 5 straight Top 25 finishes at this tournament.
Charles Howell III boasts some of the best course history in the field as well. He has finished no worse 14th since 2014 at this event. Howell is in the middle of another resurgence in his career. He peaked at #15 in the world rankings back in 2007 but had dropped all the way down to the 130s in the past year. Nine straight missed cuts can do a lot for the rankings. His ability to scramble will keep him in the tournament even if he doesn’t hit as many greens as he has been lately.
If you’re looking for a combination of greens in regulation and scrambling acumen, Matt Kuchar is a good choice this week as well. Kuchar is 17th and 12th in the field in those categories, respectively.
Dark Horse
Luke List is my dark horse pick this week. He isn’t exactly in the best form of his career given his recent missed cuts. However, his game seemed to turn around in Florida during the Honda Classic where he made the cut. He has the capability to score well when he hits fairways and greens. Look for List to turn it around this weekend at the Valspar.
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