The final tournament of the Florida Swing takes place at the Copperhead Course for the Valspar Championship, where Sam Burns returns to defend the title he won last year as he bids for his third successive victory in the event.
In 2022, Burns won in thrilling style with a 33-foot putt for birdie in the second playoff hole to edge out Davis Riley. The runner-up also returns to Innisbrook this year as he goes in search of his maiden PGA Tour win.
Before Burns’ run of wins in the tournament, players now with LIV Golf enjoyed most recent success in the event. After Charl Schwartzel won in 2016, Paul Casey claimed victory in 2018 and 2019, but now each player is with the Tour’s rival, they are ineligible for this year’s tournament. Another former winner in the field, though, is 2017 victor Adam Hadwin, who beat Patrick Cantlay by one shot six years ago.
A playoff saw Jordan Spieth win in 2015, and the American will be hopeful of a similar performance this week as he goes in search of his first win since last April in the RBC Heritage.
Other former winners include Kevin Streelman, who triumphed a decade ago when the tournament was called the Tampa Bay Championship and Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who won in 2012 when the tournament was named the Transitions Championship.
After successive designated events, it’s not surprising that many of the world’s top players opted out of this week’s tournament, but as well as the likes of Burns and Spieth, there are a handful of other high-profile players to look out for, including Justin Rose, who recently won his first title in four years at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, PGA Champion Justin Thomas, World No.22 Keegan Bradley and World No.27 Tommy Fleetwood.
Players are competing for a purse of $8.1 million, with the winner claiming $1.458m. To be in with a chance of earning some of the top prizes, players will need to navigate a series of narrow fairways with acute angles. That includes the notorious Snake Pit, which encompasses holes 16 through 18. Of those, the 16th, a par-4 dogleg right, is considered one of the hardest on the PGA Tour.
Below is the prize money breakdown and field for the 2023 Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course.
Valspar Championship Prize Money
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,458,000 |
| 2nd | $882,900 |
| 3rd | $558,900 |
| 4th | $396,900 |
| 5th | $332,100 |
| 6th | $293,625 |
| 7th | $273,375 |
| 8th | $253,125 |
| 9th | $236,925 |
| 10th | $220,725fk |
| 11th | $204,525 |
| 12th | $188,325 |
| 13th | … |
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