Horses for Courses: 2021 Valspar Championship

The Paul Casey Invitational moves to late April/early May this year and away from mid-March.

A field of 156 is also new this time around.

Sunshine and blue skies for days out on the #Copperhead course!

📷 by @Innisbrook #LiveAmplified #stufftodointampabay #tourismstrong #hashtagflorida #VSPC pic.twitter.com/ynWKAK2R8i
— Valspar Championship (@ValsparChamp) April 14, 2021

Painting fairways and greens this week will be the key as the TOUR returns to Florida at Innisbrook Resort for the Valspar Championship. The Copperhead Course annually rates as one of the most popular on TOUR amongst the pros as Larry Packard’s 1971 design (Par-71, 7,340 yards) has stood the test of modern technology, fitness and power. With the 2020 event cancelled due to COVID-19, the 2021 spot on the calendar is brand-new at the end of April.

RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks

Set in the rolling hills just north of Tampa in Palm Harbor, the Copperhead Course also ranks annually in the top 10 of most difficult courses on TOUR. It has only ranked outside the top 10 once in the last seven years and it tests all fourteen clubs in the bag. Unlike most Florida tracks, pine trees frame the multiple doglegs and elevation changes are pronounced. Imagine Riviera in the panhandle state.

With a late April start, instead of early-mid March, the TifEagle greens (running up to 12 feet) and Celebration rough (three inches) will still be over-seeded but the fairways will not. Working the golf ball both ways off the tee will bring in 74 bunkers and there are water penalty areas on half of the holes. The biggest test will be the final three holes known as “The Snake Pit”. The closing three-hole stretch has been in the top three ON TOUR since 2003 in difficulty trailing only “The Green Mile” next week at Wells Fargo and the conclusion at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Village Golf Club. The winner has been even or 1-over on this stretch dating back to 2013.

There’s a reason why the tournament scoring record since the move to spring hasn’t exceeded 14-under: It’s fair and difficult. Players haven’t seen this kind of rough since Torrey Pines. The green complexes are complex and birdies aren’t easy to come by. Grinding GIR and making pars while taking advantage of the great shots is the formula here. Four Par-5 holes help but there are also five Par-3 holes to keep the concentration on point. The lowest rounds the last two editions are 65 and 66 so par is a very solid score this week.

Two-time defending champion Paul Casey looks to add his name to a VERY short list this week. Only Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in recent memory have won an event three consecutive times. The field of 156 will be chasing Padraig Harrington’s course record of 61 set in 2012 and the post-2015 renovation score of 14-under set by Adam Hadwin in 2017. A purse of $6.9 million will pay the winner $1.242 million plus 500 FedExCup points. Top 65 and ties will play the weekend.

Recent Event Winners Stats

Year	2020	2019	2018	2017
Winner	No Event	Paul Casey	Paul Casey	Adam Hadwin
Score	Covid- 19	8-under	10-under	14-under

MOV		1	1	1
Cut		1-over	3-over	Even
Age		41	40	29

Disantance – All Drives		16	22	33
Driving Accuarcy		9	T68	T27
GIR		T5	T30	T5
Ball-Striking		1	38	T15
Proximity		65	T22	5
Putting: Birdie or Better %		2	14	1
SG: Off-the-Tee		6	50	47
SG: Approach-the-Green		7	7	2
SG: Around-the-Green		9	3	25
SG: Putting		43	15	4
SG: Tee-to-Green		1	6	5
Scrambling		47	3	7
Bogey Avoidance		T31	T1	T3
Par-3 Scoring		T24	T5	1
Par-4 Scoring		T55	T12	8
Par-5 Scoring		1	T5	19

Recent Winners and Notables

2019: Paul Casey (-8, 276)

Closed with 1-over par 72 to win by a shot. … First winner to defend at this event. … First champion to post an over-par score in Round 4. … Led the field in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green. … Top 10 in every Strokes-Gained category minus putting. … First winner in four outside the top seven in Par-3 scoring. … Played the Par-5 holes 15-under, five shots better than anyone. … Third multiple winner at Valspar. … Played in the final group (-9) with Dustin Johnson (-8). … Co-led 36 hole leader (-6). … Trailed by four after opening with 70. … Picks up his third TOUR win at 41 years. … Third straight international winner. … Piping-hot form (T3 WGC, 2nd Pebble Beach and T2 Singapore) entering minus MC at THE PLAYERS the week before.

Notables:

Jason Kokrak (T2) was one of just four players to post all four rounds at par or better for the week. … Louis Oosthuizen (T2) picks up his second top 10 in three visits with 66-69 weekend. … Rookie Sungjae Im (T4) sat one of the 36-hole lead. … Bubba Watson (T4) played for just the second time since 2011. … Ryan Armour (T6) T10 in fairways and T3 approach. … Dustin Johnson (T6) shot 74 from the final group with 15 pars and three bogeys. … Austin Cook (T9) shared the 36-hole lead but closed 72-72. … Luke Donald (T9) owns five top 10s here, tied for the most. … Scott Stallings (T9) hit the podium, T3, on his debut here in 2011. … Denny McCarthy (T9) posted three rounds in the 60s in his first visit. … Tyler Duncan (MC) shared the co-low round of the week with Casey, Kokrak and Oosthuizen with 66. … Only five bogey-free rounds on the week and none on the weekend. … Cut was 1-over and the 36 hole lead was just 6-under. … Ranked third-hardest NON-MAJOR. … Followed THE PLAYERS Championship in 2019.

2018: Paul Casey (-10, 274)

Closed with 65 Sunday to win by a shot. … Secures second win on TOUR at age 40. … Joins Luke Donald as the only other Englishman to win. … Second consecutive international winner. … Only player 2018 or 2019 to hit 10-under par at the conclusion of play. … Only needed a career best 21 putts in Round 4. … Sat five shots off the 54-hole lead. … Finished when the leaders were on No. 12. … Sat just two back after 36 holes. … Was three back after 18 holes. … Wins in his fifth start here. … Next best was T37. … T12 previous week at WGC-Mexico Championship, his third T12 or better in four starts.

Notables:

Tiger Woods (T2; not entered) was the only player to post all four rounds under par. … Patrick Reed (T2) bogeyed the 72nd hole to miss the playoff by a shot. … Justin Rose (T5) sat one back after 54 holes. … Rory Sabbatini (T5) backed it up with T18 in 2019. … Branden Grace (T8) was T68 in both Fairways and GIR but was T1 Putts per GIR. … Jason Kokrak (T8) signed for a 67 and 68. … Adam Hadwin (T12) posted all four rounds par or better. … Canadian Corey Conners (T16), trying to follow in the footsteps of countryman Hadwin, slept on his first 54-hole lead and shot 77. … Brandt Snedeker (T31) was one back after 54 and posted 78. … Scott Stallings (T31) matched Casey for the low round of the week with 65. … Cut was 3-over, tying the record. … Played as the sixth most difficult track on TOUR.

2017: Adam Hadwin (-14, 270)

Posted even-par 71 to win by one. … First PGATOUR victory at age 29. … Wins in his third start here. … Only winner in the last four to lead the field in Par-3 scoring. … Joined Casey and Charl Schwartzel as recent winners to hit the top three in Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage. … Middle of three straight international winners (Schwartzel 2016, Casey 2018). … Posted 64 in Round 2 to lead by a shot after 36 holes. … Tied the 54-hole record by posting 14-under (led by four). … Sat six back after Round 1. … Cashed 71st in his first visit, MC in his second. … Hot entering as he cashed in five straight including a one shot defeat at The American Express.

Notables:

Jim Herman (T3) missed tying the course record as he opened with 62 and trailed by just one after 36. … Charl Schwartzel (6th) picked up the best result in defending before Casey’s victory. … Wesley Bryan (T7) cashed T4 at Honda and Riviera prior. … Henrik Stenson (T7) opened with 64 and closed with 67. … Russell Henley (T9) opened with 64 and closed with 67. … John Huh (T9) worst round was 70. … Top five players were double digits under-par. … Cut was Even. … Event followed WGC-Mexico Championships. … Easiest scoring conditions since 2012.

Key stat leaders

Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.
*Top 10 since 2015 or previous winner

Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green	Golfer
Rank

4	*Justin Thomas
6	Dustin Johnson
8	Viktor Hovland
9	Corey Conners
10	Keegan Bradley
11	*Russell Henley
14	Joaquin Niemann
14	*Bubba Watson
16	Charley Hoffman
18	Doug Ghim
21	*John Huh
23	Tyrrell Hatton
24	*Paul Casey
27	*Louis Oosthuizen
29	Ryan Palmer
29	Matthew NeSmth
32	Chris Kirk
34	Emiliano Grillo

Bogey Avoidance	Golfer
Rank

1	*Russell Henley
3	Emiliano Grillo
5	Abraham Ancer
10	Corey Conners
12	*Charles Howell III
14	*Justin Thomas
15	Joaquin Niemann
16	Andrew Putnam
18	Chris Kirk
18	*Sungjae im
20	Chase Seiffert
22	Roger Sloan
25	Charley Hoffman
27	James Hahn
29	Cameron Tringale
31	Patton Kizzire
34	Russell Knox
36	Zach Johnson

Par-3 Scoring	Golfer
Rank

1	*Justin Rose
4	Pat Perez
8	Cameron Percy
8	Charley Hoffman
8	*Justin Thomas
14	Tom Lewis
22	Tyrrell Hatton
22	Joaquin Niemann
22	Chris Kirk
22	Keegan Bradley
22	*John Huh
22	Scott Piercy
22	Kelly Kraft
22	*Sungjae Im
22	Sam Ryder
22	*Kevin Streelman
36	Bronson Burgoon
36	Wyndham Clark
36	Kyle Stanley
36	*Bubba Watson
36	*Jason Kokrak
36	Alex Noren
36	Cameron Tringale
36	KJ Choi
36	Max Homa
36	Doug Ghim