After PGA Tour’s latest Signature Event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was swiftly followed by its flagship tournament, The Players Championship, a semblance of normality returns next week with the Valspar Championship.
As ever, the tournament comes from the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, with the event marking the conclusion of the circuit’s Florida Swing.
The course is particularly known for its notorious Snake Pit comprising the 16th, 17th and 18th holes.
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A field of 133 will take on the challenge, including seven of the world’s top 20.
The highest-ranked player in the field is currently Robert MacIntyre. The Scot, who is ranked eighth in the world, has only made one appearance at the event, a T33 in 2024.
Robert MacIntyre is the highest-ranked player in the field
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The second member of the world’s top 10 in the field is Xander Schauffele, in 10th. At the halfway stage of The Players Championship, he appeared back to the form that brought him two Majors in 2024, sitting second on the leaderboard, two back of Ludvig Aberg.
US Open champion JJ Spaun is another big name in the field. Ben Griffin, who was one of the notable names to miss the cut at The Players Championship, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland and Arnold Palmer Championship winner Akshay Bhatia complete the list of players in the world’s top 20 competing.
Hovland returns as the defending champion, having defeated Thomas by one a year ago. Other former winners in the field include 2024 champion Peter Malnati, Adam Hadwin, who beat Patrick Cantlay to the title in 2017, and Jordan Spieth, who claimed victory in 2015.
Viktor Hovland will defend his title
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Other big names committed to the event include former Brooks Koepka, who continues his reintroduction to life on the PGA Tour following a four-year stint on LIV Golf.
Genesis Invitational champion Jacob Bridgeman plays too, as do Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick, Corey Conners and Keegan Bradley.
Players will be competing for a share of the $9.1m purse, while the winner will receive $1.638m.
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