Valspar Championship 2025: Course and current form stats

• Copperhead: Tricky, tight and gently undulating

• Conners [22/1] to maintain his excellent start to 2025

• Big chance for Tommy [12/1] to break PGA Tour duck

Tournament and Course Notes

This week's Valspar Championship takes place approximately 25 miles north-west of Tampa city centre, with Innisbrook's Copperhead Course hosting the event for a 24th time

The Tour has journeyed 250 miles south-west from last week's venue in Ponte Vedra, to tee-up at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor which is situated close to Florida's western coast

Despite being a resort course, the Larry Packard-designed parkland layout is one of the most testing on the PGA Tour calendar. Opened in 1974, Copperhead was given a facelift 10 years ago when greens, tees and bunkers were re-built

Although putting surfaces were slightly enlarged during this upgrade, with the purpose of creating a greater variety of pin positions, they remain marginally below average size for PGA Tour events

A number of bunkers were repositioned, while the pros will be tested by a handful of subtle dog-legs on these reasonably tight and gently undulating tree-lined fairways. Water comes into play on six holes

Two years ago the rough was increased in height by three-quarters of an inch, and now stands at 3.75 inches. It was also extended closer to putting surfaces

Eighteen of Copperhead's 23 champions were no worse than three strokes off the pace at the half-way mark.

Betfair Exchange market for Valspar Championship

Six To Watch

Among the higher-ranked players teeing-up, the trio of Justin Thomas 12/113.00, Tommy Fleetwood 12/113.00 and Akshay Bhatia 25/126.00 could take your fancy.

With this week's field considerably weaker than those which competed at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass earlier this month, all three players stand out as likely contenders this coming weekend.

Despite being without a victory since May 2022, Thomas is currently the world No 10 and will view the Valspar Championship as a great opportunity to return to the winners' enclosure.

The same can almost be said of Fleetwood who is currently the world's highest-ranked pro yet to win on the PGA Tour.

All five of his starts this year have yielded top-25 finishes, and his consistency going back to the Paris Olympic Games in early August is remarkable.

Both Fleetwood and Thomas have previously stood on the Valspar podium, but never on the top step.

Meanwhile, two-time PGA Tour winner Bhatia continues his rise up the World Ranking and he currently stands at a career-high No 21. He arrives at Innisbrook having stood on the Sawgrass podium last week.

Betfair Sportsbook latest for Valspar Championship

For those checking out each-way options, then perhaps Adam Hadwin 80/181.00 and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 80/181.00 could fit the bill.

Hadwin, who tied-fifth last year, is also a former champion at Copperhead and so far this season has a highest finish of tied-ninth in Arizona.

Neergaard-Petersen, who spent much of last year on the Challenge Tour, has had back-to-back runner-up finishes heading into the Valspar event. At the start of last year the Dane wasn't even ranked inside the world's top 500 but is now No 77.

Finally, the in-form Corey Conners 22/123.00 could certainly be among the pacesetters once again.

The 33-year-old Canadian is a two-time champion on the PGA Tour and followed a recent podium at Bay Hill, by finishing tied-sixth at TPC Sawgrass. He currently stands eighth in this season's FedEx Cup table.

Latest Betting for next month's Masters Tournament

Stroke Averages

Lowest Six At Innisbrook (2018-24)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.09: Sam Burns (22)
69.40: Davis Riley (10)
69.56: Justin Thomas (16)
69.80: Taylor Moore (10)
70.00: Matt Wallace (10)
70.11: Adam Hadwin (18)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves

Check out the form stats ahead of this week's Singapore Classic