Valspar Championship Preview 2018

Valspar Championship Preview 2018

Valspar Championship Preview
Dates: March 5-11, 2018
Where: Palm Harbor, Florida
Course: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (Copperhead)
Par/Yards: 36-35—par 71/7,340 yards
Field size: 144
2017 champion: Adam Hadwin
Purse: $6,500,000 ($1,170,000/winner)
FedExCup: 500 points (winner)
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Twitter: @ValsparChamp
Instagram: @valsparchamp

Glance at the Field

  • 12 of the top 30 in the FedExCup Standings
  • 20 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking
  • 10 past Valspar Championship winners
  • Eight past FedExCup champions
  • Six winners during the 2017-18 season

Players in the Field

Tiger Woods

  • No. 132 in FedExCup, No. 388 in OWGR
  • Making his first start at the Valspar Championship and fourth start of the 2017-18 season
  • 12/The Honda Classic
  • MC/Genesis Open
  • T23/Farmers Insurance Open
  • Has announced his intention to play next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard; would make Woods’ fourth start in a five-week stretch, which he has not done since doing so twice in 2013, including the FedExCup Playoffs.
  • The 79-time PGA TOUR winner is in search of his first victory since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and first top-10 since the Wyndham Championship in 2015
  • One of eight past FedExCup champions in the field (2007, 2009)

Jordan Spieth

  • No. 52 in FedExCup, No. 4 in OWGR)
  • Winner of the 2015 Valspar Championship; first of five wins in the 2014-15 season en route to the 2015 FedExCup
  • Finished T7 in 2013, securing Special Temporary Membership while in search of his PGA TOUR card
  • Has finished in the top 20 in each of his four previous appearances at the event
  • Youngest winner in the history of the tournament (21 years, 7 months, 19 days)
  • Making his seventh start of the 2017-18 season
  • One of eight past FedExCup champions in the field (2015

Rory McIlroy

  • No. 175 in FedExCup, No. 12 in OWGR
  • Making his Valspar Championship debut
  • Has made four starts this season and remains in search of his first top-10
  • One of eight past FedExCup champions in the field (2016)

Adam Hadwin

  • No. 35 in FedExCup, No. 44 in OWGR
  • Defending champion, having earned his first career victory at the 2017 Valspar Championship
  • Holds 54-hole scoring record (199/2017, tied with K.J. Choi/2002) and his final-round 71 was the high finish by a Valspar Championship winner
  • Making his 10th start of the season, coming off back-to-back top-10s (T9/WGC-Mexico Championship, T6/Genesis Open)
  • Playing the Valspar Championship for the fourth time in his career (Won/2017, MC/2016, 71/2015)

Justin Rose

  • No. 15 in FedExCup, No. 5 in OWGR
  • Making 10th start at Valspar Championship (best result: T5/2011)
  • In 2011, had two rounds of 65 or lower, the most such rounds by a player in one tournament at the event (65/R2, 65/R3)
  • Three previous starts this season (T37/WGC-Mexico Championship, T8/Farmers Insurance Open, Won/WGC-HSBC Champions)

Sergio Garcia

  • No. 122 in FedExCup, No. 11 in OWGR
  • Making his sixth start at the Valspar Championship and first since 2013 (T7, best finish at the event)
  • Has made two starts this season, highlighted by a T7 at last week’s WGC-Mexico Championship Henrik Stenson (No. 81 in FedExCup, No. 14 in OWGR)
  • Has finished in the top 15 in each of his three previous starts at the Valspar Championship (T7/2017, T11/2016, 4/2015)
  • Making his first domestic start of the season (T2/WGC-HSBC Champions)
  • One of eight past FedExCup champions in the field (2013)

Gary Woodland

  • No. 12 in FedExCup, No. 26 in OWGR
  • Winner in his Valspar Championship debut in 2011
  • Has made seven appearances at the event and has two top-10s (T8/2014, Won/2011)
  • 72-hole score of 15-under 269 in 2011 is the third lowest in Valspar Championship history
  • Won the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February and will be making his 11th start of the season

Steve Stricker

  • No. 169 in FedExCup, No. 133 in OWGR
  • Making his eighth start at the Valspar Championship and is in search of his fourth top-10
  • Has made two starts on the PGA TOUR this season (T26/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T31/Waste Management Phoenix Open)
  • Coming off his first PGA TOUR Champions victory at the Cologuard Classic in Tuscon, Arizona on Sunday
  • Three players have won on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions in the same year: Raymond Floyd (1992), Craig Stadler (2003) and Fred Funk (2007)

Notable Tournament Records/History

  • 18-hole scoring record: 61 (Padraig Harrington/R1/2012)
  • 72-hole scoring record: 18-under 266 (Vijay Singh/2004)
  • Youngest winner: Jordan Spieth, 2015 (21 years, 7 months, 19 days)
  • Most top-10s: 4 (K.J. Choi, Luke Donald, Charles Howell III; all in the field)

10 past Valspar Championship winners are in the field

  • Adam Hadwin (2017)
  • Charl Schwartzel (2016)
  • Jordan Spieth (2015)
  • Kevin Streelman (2013)
  • Luke Donald (2012)
  • Gary Woodland (2011)
  • Jim Furyk (2010)
  • Retief Goosen (2003, 2009)
  • Sean O’Hair (2008)
  • K.J. Choi (2002, 2006)

Valspar Championship Preview via PGA TOUR

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