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Bubba Watson will compete in the Valspar Championship. (Ryan Young/PGA TOUR)
• COURSE: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), 7,340 yards, par 71. Not your typical Florida layout, the Copperhead winds through rolling, tree-lined terrain just north of Clearwater and is a favorite among many PGA TOUR players for its no-nonsense demands. Designer Larry Packard carved double doglegs on a pair of par-5s, putting a premium on positioning to reach the green in two, and the closing three holes make up the “Snake Pit” – two bruising par-4s sandwiched around the 215-yard 17th. Open in 1972, Innisbrook spent 24 years as site of the JC Penney team event pairing PGA TOUR and LPGA pros, then became a regular stop in 2000.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points.
• CHARITY: Copperhead Charities Inc., which has raised more than $36 million since the group’s inception in 1978. More than 100 Tampa Bay-area charities receive donations, including All Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Big Cat Rescue and the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation.
• FIELD WATCH: Henrik Stenson, felled by a stomach virus in Mexico, and triple 2016-17 winner Justin Thomas headline a field that features four of the top 15 players in the current world rankings and eight of the top 30. … No.12 Patrick Reed and No.15 Bubba Watson are the other top-15 players to commit. For Watson, it’s his first return to the Copperhead since 2011. … Lee McCoy, fourth last year as an amateur, is back on a sponsor exemption. The former Georgia standout grew up at Innisbrook and estimates he’s played the Copperhead more than 1,000 times. … Other exemptions went to Zach Wright, who won the Valspar Collegiate last year while at LSU, and former Texas standout Beau Hossler. … Brian Gay is set for his 17th Innisbrook start in the tournament’s 18-year history. He missed the 2015 edition with injury.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, Vijay Singh (2004).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Padraig Harrington (1st round, 2012).
• LAST YEAR: Charl Schwartzel notched his first win on U.S. soil since his 2011 Masters triumph, making up three shots over the final six holes to force a playoff before prevailing over Bill Haas. Schwartzel began the final day five shots off the pace and still trailed by three as he headed to the 13th tee. But the South African rolled home a 65-foot birdie from across the green, made two clutch par saves and struck again with a 25-foot birdie at No.17. A 4-under-par 67 was the day’s best, and Haas’ bogey on the first extra hole left Schwartzel on top. Despite the drought on U.S. soil, Schwartzel had won two of his previous five starts worldwide.
• STORYLINES: After lasting just 11 holes at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, Stenson hopes a return to Florida puts him back on track. Until flying to Mexico, he hadn’t finished outside the top 10 anywhere since the FedExCup Playoffs. In his first visit to Innisbrook, he was one shot out of a 2015 playoff won by Jordan Spieth. … Watson, a Florida native who recently moved back to Pensacola, ends a six-year hiatus from the event. He’s tasted success at Innisbrook before, placing third in 2010. … Luke Donald had four straight top-6 finishes from 2011-14, including his 2012 victory, but the past two years haven’t found him inside the top 20. … Not only has the tournament never had a back-to-back winner, just three of 16 defending champs have finished in the top 10 a year later. Jordan Spieth tied for 18th in his defense last year.
• SHORT CHIPS: Copperhead’s “Snake Pit” again stood fourth among last year’s toughest closing three-hole stretches, averaging .598 strokes above par. Quail Hollow’s “Green Mile” (Wells Fargo) held its spot at No.1, followed by Harbour Town (RBC Heritage). … Brian Stuard, winner at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last spring, and Spencer Levin are set for their 14th starts in 2016-17. Valspar marks the 15th week of the season.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 6:45 a.m.-3 p.m. ET (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes).
• RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com)
The PGSF rolls into Palm Harbor for the Valspar Championship , Copperhead is always a fun course to watch the pros attack
congratulations again to last weeks winner ktnole
Good Luck to everyone this week
