PALM HARBOR, Fla. – A strong field? How about nine of the top 25 and 18 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking descending upon the Copperhead Course for this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook? Not bad.
Among those the gallery will see compete are Xander Schauffele (No. 7), Justin Thomas (No. 14) and defending Valspar champ Viktor Hovland (No. 18), who finished 11-under and edged Thomas by a stroke to take home his first tournament title since the 2023 FedEx Cup.
The field also includes 18-year-old Blades Brown, who failed to make the cut at Innisbrook last year after he was seven-over through two rounds. The son of former WNBA player Rhonda Blades Brown won the U.S. Amateur at 16 and turned pro instead of attending college. He will give Copperhead and its daunting rough another shot this week.
“I didn’t play as well as I wanted to last year,” he said via video conference call during the Valspar media day. “You really need to know exactly where your (game) is going if you want to play (Copperhead) very well. But I’m excited to get back this year.”
Practice rounds take place Tuesday and a pro-am is scheduled for Wednesday before the action gets underway in earnest Thursday morning. Gates open 7 a.m. Wednesday and each day of the tournament. Country music stars Lee Brice and Tyler Hubbard are scheduled to perform Saturday at 6:30.
Milestone event
This year’s Valspar marks 50 years of professional golf presented by Copperhead Charities, Inc. and the organization’s 25th PGA Tour event. Since 1977, the Copperheads, a group of local business leaders led by general chair, former Buc and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ronde Barber, have assisted charities throughout the bay area with professional golf as the platform. The organization has raised more than $50 million.
The format beginning in 1977 was mixed-team competition before it became a full-fledged Tour event in 2000. The champions that first year were Jerry Pate and Hollis Stacy. Pate is among past champs scheduled to attend this week’s tourney. Others include Nancy Lopez (1980), Tom Kite (1981), Jan Stephenson (1983) and Donna Andrews (1996).
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