The 2021 Valspar Championship: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Toronto sports fans probably know the Tampa/St. Pete area well by this point considering the Raptors are playing in Tampa this NBA season and the Blue Jays have started the MLB season (home portion) in Dunedin, which is about eight miles south of the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course located in Palm Harbor.
The Copperhead is unusual for a Florida course because it’s quite hilly and tree-lined – the state is fairly flat overall. It’s one of the tougher tracks on Tour, led by holes 16-18 known as the “Snake Pit.” Overall, it’s a par 71 at around 7,340 yards.
The tournament only dates to 2000 and has had a handful of names – it had been held in March since 2007. The 2020 version was cancelled by the COVID pandemic, so the defending champion is Englishman Paul Casey. He won in 2019 at 8-under 276 by a shot over Jason Kokrak and Louis Oosthuizen. Casey’s 72 on Sunday was his worst round of the four but conditions were quite tough. Casey played Copperhead’s 16 par 5s in 15 under for the week.
Casey became the third player to win this tournament twice but first to go back-to-back. He also won in 2018 at 10 under 274 by a shot over Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods. The Valspar Championship has either been decided by one shot or gone to a playoff in 10 of the past 11 tournaments.
The 2021 Valspar Championship Golf Odds
Usually, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is favoured in tournaments he enters, but he’s a +1200 second favourite this week behind Thomas, who is No. 2 in the world. Thomas has played here three times with a best finish of T10 in 2015. Johnson made his debut here in 2019 and was in position to win after 54 holes but shot a 3-over 74 and finished T6.
Patrick Reed is +1800 with Canada’s Corey Conners at +2000, Viktor Hovland +2000, and Casey and Tyrell Hatton each +2500. Only 10 golfers since World War II have won an event three consecutive times and Casey looks to be No. 11. Reed was a co-runner-up in both 2018 and 2015. It’s the tournament debut for Hovland, while Hatton missed the cut last year. Phil Mickelson is playing here for the first time in 17 years and is a +12500 longer shot.
Canadian Adam Hadwin got his lone PGA Tour win here in 2017, shooting 14-under 270 and beating out Patrick Cantlay by a stroke. Hadwin is the lone Canadian winner and missed the cut in 2019 following rounds of 73-71. He is +10000. Conners was T16 in his lone appearance in 2018 but held the 54-hole lead. In his past five stroke-play tournaments this year, Conners hasn’t been worse than T14.
Mackenzie Hughes was T13 two years ago, Nick Taylor T24, Roger Sloan T60, and Ben Silverman, Adam Svensson and David Hearn missed the cut. Hughes is +12500 this week, Taylor +25000, Sloan +25000 and Hearn +35000. Michael Gligic makes his tournament debut and is +50000.
The Valspar Championship Golf Predictions
Take Thomas, Casey and Conners each for Top 10s but the winner is Reed. He comes off a T8 at the Masters.
