With The Players Championship in the rearview mirror, one eye inevitably turns to a particular golf tournament in Georgia. But before trekking down Magnolia Lane, players must first put the finishing touches on their Florida swing at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, which will host a full field for the 2026 Valspar Championship.
Despite not holding signature status on the PGA Tour, the Valspar Championship welcomes a strong field full of players looking to fine-tune their game in what could be the last event before the Masters. Major champions like Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick arrive after strong performances at the Players Championship, where they fell just short of eventual champion Cameron Young.
Justin Thomas also surprised everyone in just his second start in 2026. After posting back-to-back 79-second times in his season debut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the two-time major player finished T8 at TPC Sawgrass. Confident in his game, the American will hope to continue to do well on a golf course that has treated him more than kindly.
Thomas has yet to win at the Copperhead course, but Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland have. Both players will be on the field this week, looking for answers to various questions during the game. While Hovland has struggled with his driver, Spieth has struggled to get big numbers off the scorecard. It showed that if one of them can find a solution around this par 71, it will be a match that will be in contention for the title until the end of Sunday.
Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Akshay Bhatia will compete for the third consecutive week, as will Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgman. Both players performed well at TPC Sawgrass and had great moments over the weekend. Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Brooks Koepka, J.J. Spawn, Corey Connors and Sahis Segala are set to round out the action in what will be an exciting conclusion to the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing.
2026 Valspar Championship Schedule
date: March 19th to 22nd
position: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) — Palm Harbor, Florida
Par: 71 | Yardage: 7,352 | Architect: larry packard
wallet: $9.1 million
2026 Valspar Championship Field, Odds
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook
- Xander Schauffele (11-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (13-1)
- Viktor Hovland (17-1): The Norwegian entered this tournament a season ago without much confidence in his swing and left with the trophy…and he still isn’t all that confident in his swing. Hovland’s 2025 performance proved that he is one swing away from winning again, and it may not be that far away. Hovland has competed in six races around the world this year and has four top-15 finishes, including back-to-back races at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. His short game last week was a disaster with a Pete Dye design, but he has made up for what has been a disappointing driver so far this season.
- Akshay Bhatia (22-1)
- Jacob Bridgman (22-1): I’m not saying Bridgman is the favorite to win, but for someone who finished on the podium at this event last season, won at Riviera, and hasn’t finished outside the top 20 all year, this price seems like a long time. Oh yeah, Bridgeman also finished in the top five at the Players Championship. He drives the ball great and putts well on the West Coast, but it’s clear Bridgeman is more comfortable on the greens on the East Coast, which makes him even more dangerous this week.
- Patrick Cantlay (22-1)
- Jordan Spieth (25-1): Over the past three months, Spieth ranks seventh in total strokes gained in the field, despite not yet finishing inside the top 10 in a tournament. He continues to trend upward in his putting, his driver is starting to hold him back, and everything is just barely going well. That club was his strength before wrist surgery and he will need to start acting in a similar manner if he expects to add himself to that team. The 2015 champion has finished in the top 20 five times in eight starts.
- Ben Griffin (25-1)
- Brooks Koepka (25-1): He came. The five-time major champion finished T13 at the Players Championship thanks to finishing fourth in strokes gained on approach and ninth in strokes gained from tee to green. Koepka, who is very comfortable in Florida, will need to stay in good shape as he looks ahead to what his post-Masters schedule will look like (only qualifying for the Zurich Classic and Myrtle Beach Classic). A good start this week would be a huge step forward, and his game suggests that may just be in the cards.
- Justin Thomas (25-1): This golf course probably owes him a debt at this point. Thomas finished T3 in 2022 after being passed by Hovland at the finish line last season and leading for much of the tournament. He has a total of six top-20 finishes in eight outings, thanks to his ability to control the ball off the tee without having to take the driver out of his bag. If you play from short grass more often, you’ll be able to play well around here.
2026 Valspar Championship Picks
Who will win the 2026 Valspar Championship? Which long shot will shock the golf world? Visit SportsLine now to see the entire predicted leaderboard of models with 16 golf major wins heading into the weekend.
