Valspar Championship

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)

Opened 1972: Designer: Larry Packard

7,340 yards, Par 71

Defending Champion: John Senden (-7)

Fed Ex Points: 500

Purse: $5,900,000; Winner’s share: $1,062.000

TV: Today and Friday: Golf Channel: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 CT;

Saturday-Sunday: Golf Channel: 1-3 PM ET/12-2 CT, NBC: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 CT

Weather: Today: 87 high, 0% rain, Wind: ESE 8 MPH; Friday: 85, 20% rain, wind: ESE 12 MPH; Saturday: 85 high, 20% rain, S 9 MPH; Sunday: 83 high, 20% rain, wind: WSW 7 MPH.

Key tee times:

8:15 AM ET/7:15 AM CT: Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth

8:25 AM ET/7:25  AM CT: Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Ernie Els

1 PM ET/Noon CT: Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar

1:10PM ET/ 12:10 PM CT: Jim Furyk, Gary Woodland, Luke Donald

Key holes:

No.3: 455 yards, Par 4

This was the second hardest hole on the course in 2014. It’s a dogleg right. Players have to hit a 230 yard drive to stay short of the water on the drive then hit a long iron into an undulating green with bunkers on the left front, back left and middle to back right.. This green was the toughest one to hit last year. Par looks like a pretty good score here, particularly on Sunday.

No.6: 465 yards, Par 4

The third hardest hole on the course last year. A dogleg right with a fairway that slopes from left to right. The right hander faces a downhill second shot lie, while the left-hander faces an uphill second shot lie. A long second shot goes to a heavily sloping green.

No.8: 235 yards, Par 3

The fourth toughest hole on the course last year. There are bunkers on the left and right and trees on the right. If you’re going to miss the green, you better go left because going right leaves a tough up and down. Tough tee shot, tough hole.

Crunch time holes: The Snakepit–holes 16-18

No.16: 460 yards, Par 4

The hardest hole on the course. Water stretches across the entire right side of the hole, so your tee shot needs to go right to left, or for the long hitter, he can challenge going over the water. John Senden, last year’s winner, hit it in the trees to the right, then drew a five iron around short of the green, and sank his 70 foot chip shot to take the lead which he secured with a birdie on 17 and a par on 18 to clinch the one shot victory over Kevin Na.

No.17: 235 yards, Par 3

A long tee shot to a very narrow green is required. There are bunkers and trees protecting both sides of the long, narrow green. Going over can be trouble with the rough over the green. A birdie here is an excellent score.

No.18: 445 yards, Par 4

A tough, uphill finishing hole. An accurate tee shot will leave an uphill second shot to an elevated hidden green. the green slopes back to front. If a player needs a birdie, he’ll need to hit it close on Sunday to what should be a front left pin location. If you’re right of that pin, it’s a difficult putt to sink because the green slopes to the right and leaves a challenging, longer, hard to read putt. Classic finishing hole.

Notes:

Rory will not be playing this week, and thus, will not be helicoptering his club into water and making some lame excuse why he did it. Trump won’t be there either to have a scuba diver fish the three iron out and give it to the entitled kid.

Dustin will also not be there to tell you how great he is after a round as he did last Sunday when he won at the WGC-Cadillac. I don’t know what his rehab therapists told  him, but they obviously told him to really believe in himself to the point of narcissism.

Contenders:

Justin Thomas:

Like this 21 year old from the University of Alabama by way of Louisville, Kentucky to do well this week. Justin has the complete game and seems very mentally tough. He’s getting closer to capturing his first PGA victory and this could be the week.

Kevin Na:

Na finished second here last year, one shot back of Senden. While I don’t love his slow play at all, it’s pretty irritating, he’s a good player, tough competitor and a good putter. He’s gritty. He would be a good 2016 Ryder Cup pick for Davis Love, who will need all the mental toughness he can get on the team.

With a 12-man committee to pick the Ryder Cup captain last fall, not sure why they picked Love, who couldn’t lead his team to victory on Sunday in 2012 at Medinah Country Club. The U.S. had a huge lead and couldn’t close the deal on Sunday. Some of the blame has to fall on Love’s shoulders. So they get this 12 man committee together and go back to Love. Would like to have seen them pick Hal Sutton, a guy who went toe-to-toe with Eldrick in Eldrick’s heyday in 2000. Sutton defeated Woods at the  Players Championship with a clutch six iron to 10 feet . His famous line from that shot was “Be the right club today.” Loved it. Loved the mental toughness he had and still has. Sutton also won the 1983 PGA. We need a tough minded competitor who can also relate to the young players. Sutton fills that bill. I’m sorry he didn’t get the chance. I think the captain should be able to make six captain’s picks with the six automatic qualifiers. We need guys like Na, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Harris English on the team. Guys who are hungry to win. Sutton would be perfect with those guys. Love will have to do better if it’s getting mentally tougher or figuring out strategically how to win it. Not totally confident in him.

Jordan Spieth:

Jordan played in the Ernie Els charity tournament on Monday which was played on behalf of autism. Ernie’s son is autistic and all the players showed up because everybody loves Ernie. Jordan spoke about his younger sister with special needs after the one day event. He didn’t say she was autistic, but he did say she has special needs and he had a passion for Ernie’s event. I think Jordan is on the verge of getting victory number two on tour. Doing it for his sister would be a powerful thing.

Kevin Streelman:

The winner here in 2013. Very solid player with a good mental makeup for the game. Duke graduate. Like that brain power. He’s a very good putter, and a nice ball striker.

Gary Woodland:

Won here in 2011. Goes deep with the driver, which always helps. Pretty good putter. Like the big hitters’ chances.

Winner:

This course requires some really good scrambling, and, of course, great  putting, which is always the case for the guy who wins on the tour.  Senden chipped in last year on 16 for birdie and sank an 18 foot birdie putt on 17, both on Sunday. Those two shots won the tournament for him. I say the man who scrambles and putts as well as any player in the world will get it done this week. Jordan gets it done for his younger sister.

Jordan Spieth