Tag: 2021 Valspar Championship

The unforgettable story of Big Mike and Big Mike and the making of a viral-video sensation

This is the story of Big Mike and Big Mike and how 11 words and 12 seconds of heart-tugging video changed a life.

“Do you mind if I throw a camera in your face?”

With those 11 words, videographer Mike Wolfe changed the course of golfer Mike Visacki’s life. This is the story of Big Mike and Big Mike.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Wolfe, who works for PGA Tour Entertainment and cut his teeth at Golfweek many years ago, had captured the victory celebration of Aussies Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He photographed Smith’s mullet in all its glory (see below) and didn’t leave TPC Louisiana until 10 p.m. He logged three hours of sleep before heading to the airport to catch a 5:30 am flight to Tampa and straight to Southern Hills Plantation Club to shoot his first PGA Tour Monday Qualifier. Life on the fringes of the circus that is the PGA Tour, as essentially one of the carnies, can be anything but glamorous.

“I had no interest in being there at all,” Wolfe said.

But Wolfe projects a positive spirit in the workplace and once he got in the field, the juices began flowing. He helped two different players find their balls in the bushes near the sixth hole and as the storyline of a playoff emerged for the final spot in the field, Wolfe’s woes were forgotten.

Wolfe could be forgiven for having never heard of Mike Visacki, a 27-year-old mini-tour pro, until he canned a 20-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to earn his first start on the PGA Tour. Wolfe rushed in to film Visacki stick his face into his caddie’s left shoulder as hot tears rushed from his eyes as he realized a lifelong dream to play at the highest level. When he pulled away, Visacki blinked back tears. But it was too late. Here was this bearded mountain of a man – Big Mike to his friends – shedding tears of joy and they wouldn’t be the last ones.

Wolfe was behind the camera when a PGA Tour producer conducted a short interview. They had everything they needed to produce the type of feel-good story that would fill space between ad units early in the week before the tournament got underway. That’s when Wolfe asked those 11 fateful words that changed Visacki’s life.

Cameron Smith (left) and Marc Leishman, sporting a mullet wig he bought online, are photographed after their victory at the Zurich Classic in the TPC Louisiana locker room by Mike Wolfe.

Given a green light to stick a camera in his face, Wolfe zoomed in as Big Mike dialed his father, an immigrant from Yugoslavia who grew up in a home of mud and hay and sacrificed so his son could chase his dream, and instructed him to click speakerphone. The 12 seconds of raw emotion of Big Mike telling his father, “We did it,” would melt the heart of even the most ardent cynic. Even Wolfe admitted he got choked up.

“I’m not one to be emotional when I’m working, but if it had gone on another second my eyes would’ve been watering,” he said.

He likely would have lost it had Visacki’s next call to his mother gone through, but it went straight to voicemail. With the shoot over, Wolfe put down his video camera and said, “If it wasn’t for COVID, I’d give you a hug.” Both men smiled and went their separate ways.

As soon as Wolfe played back the tape on his camera, he realized what he had captured made the effort to be there worthwhile. Wolfe also had been behind the lens for the Tour’s previous biggest viral video of Amy Bockerstette, a Special Olympian with Down Syndrome, making a par at the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale as she repeatedly proclaimed, “I’ve got this.”

Visacki’s viral video resonated for the same reasons in that it wasn’t forced; it happened naturally, and it was a beautiful moment that tugged at the heartstrings. It was the best possible outcome for covering a Monday Qualifier, something that traditionally had been an afterthought. Still, who could have predicted that ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt would choose the video to close his show that night, or The Today Show, Fox News and others would make Big Mike so big that strangers recognized him at a local restaurant and told him they were touched by his story and to keep plugging away.

“I never imagined it would take off the way it did,” Wolfe said.

More than 12 million people viewed the video of Big Mike. Suddenly, his story made him an overnight sensation that warranted his own press conference the following day. When he walked in the room, Big Mike’s eyes lit up when he saw Wolfe.

“I smiled at him and said, ‘Sorry for making you famous,’ ” he recalled.

Big Mike let out a fresh round of tears when he was asked about his father, and the press ate up the details of a dreamer who put 170,000 miles on the odometer of his 2010 Honda Accord and won 37 times on the West Florida Tour alone. All he seemingly needed was a break.

Later that day, Wolfe was shooting drone footage at a hole where Big Mike was practicing and Visacki made sure to come over to the rope line and thank Wolfe.

“I was just doing my job,” Wolfe said.

But the more he’s thought about it, the more he’s come to realize that he was part of something special and that every once in a while his job allows him to reach an enormous audience and potentially impact lives.

“Being able to change somebody’s life in a positive way just by doing my job, how many people get the opportunity to do that?” Wolfe said.

Big Mike is bigger than ever. While he missed the 36-hole cut in Tampa, none other than Charles Schwab himself phoned to offer Big Mike a sponsor’s invite to this week’s PGA Tour event, the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. From toiling in obscurity to getting an extension on his 15 minutes of fame. Big Mike will never forget what Wolfe, an even bigger Mike, did to shed light on his pursuit of a dream.

Wolfe shot Big Mike’s post-round interview in Tampa and was packing his gear when Big Mike came around a fence to thank him. COVID be damned, this time Big Mike and Big Mike hugged it out. A chance encounter brought them together and neither of their lives would ever seem the same.

Justin Thomas believes he could be leading Valspar Championship if his putting was on point

If Justin Thomas’ putter were behaving, it could be a different story this weekend at the Valspar Championship.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Justin Thomas just finished beating himself up once again for his putting woes before he walked to the practice area with his dad/coach, Mike, and caddie, Jimmy Johnson.

For about 30 minutes, he worked on his irons, his driver and, finally, his putting.

“If I’m putting well this week, I’m winning this tournament without question,” Justin said.

It’s about here you might expect to read the No. 2 golfer in the world melted down Saturday at the Valspar Championship. Maybe rushed a couple of gimmes or finished with a couple of double bogeys on two of the final three holes like the only golfer ahead of him in the world rankings, Dustin Johnson, did Saturday.

Valspar: Yardage book | Leaderboard | Photos | Tee times, TV info

But Thomas carded a 4-under 67 despite a bogey on No. 18 and is 6 under entering the final round, eight shots behind leaders Bradley Keegan and Sam Burns. Though frustrated at the score and giving away strokes on the green – he was 154th of 156 golfers in strokes gained putting Friday – he did admit the game was not a total disaster.

“I’m not pleased with the score the third day in a row. I’m playing way better than I’m scoring, which is frustrating,” he said. “But also a little reassuring that if I can just finally start making some putts I feel like I can play well.

“I know if I drive it well, I can go shoot 9-, 10-under out here. I know I can. I just got to get the putter rolling. I got to be able to make some putts.”

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Though still not up to his standards, it was better Saturday than Friday when Thomas was heard expressing his frustration on and around the green with some language as colorful as the Valspar paint signs that dot the Copperhead Course.

For a few holes Saturday, it appeared Thomas was following the blueprint that resulted in his first Players Championship in March. There he started with a pair of 71s before making his move on Saturday with a 64. This week, Thomas was tied for 41st entering Saturday and after playing Nos. 9-14 in 4-under – including an eagle on the par-5 No. 11 where his putter came through and he made a 14-footer – he was just outside the top 10.

But that bogey on No. 18 when he could not get up and down after his second shot found in a bunker, derailed that storyline.

“It’s never a good taste in your mouth when you bogey 18,” Thomas said.

So, off to the practice area they went, to get that taste out of Justin’s mouth. And his dad was the reassuring voice. Mike recorded a couple of Justin’s swings and the two would analyze them immediately after.

“He was hitting it nice,” Mike Thomas said. “He just wanted to confirm a couple of things. … He just wanted to see some putts go in the hole.

“All these guys are hard on themselves. That’s what makes them good.”

Thomas is playing for the first time since finishing 21st at the Masters. The two-week break was more mental than anything, something he says he builds into the calendar each year to decompress from a stressful week, break up the season at what is close to the midway point, and gear up for a stretch of three majors in two months.

“I probably wanted it more than I needed it,” he said. “I’m just not in the physical or mental state to be able to play a golf tournament after the grind the week of Augusta. Taking two weeks off was nice. I like to just get away.”

That getaway included a reunion of the Spring Break Crew – Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Smylie Kaufman – in Nashville. The four would post videos back in the day of their trips. That was  before they started settling down. Now, all but Thomas now are married.

“We got the band back together, if you will,” said Thomas, who lives on the same street as Fowler in Jupiter, Florida. “We don’t get to spend that quality time away from a golf tournament really ever. It’s like let’s go hang out and do whatever we want all day. We just want to relax and just be the high 20s, 30-year olds … just laugh, listen to music, just do stuff that we wish we could do but with our busy schedules we aren’t able to.”

And not worry about how to fix your putting … at least for a few days.

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Valspar Championship: Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley share the lead, but can either close the deal on Sunday?

Sam Burns is seeking his first PGA Tour title while Keegan Bradley hasn’t won in nearly three years. Max Homa lurks one back in Tampa.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Sam Burns threatened to run away with the Valspar Championship on Saturday, but two late bogeys in the Snake Pit left him, where he started – tied for the 54-hole lead with Keegan Bradley after they both shot 2-under par 69s at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.

But what looked to be at most a two-man race to the title has company after Max Homa, who caught Burns from behind in Los Angeles in February, buried a 33-foot birdie putt from the fringe at the last to shoot his second 66 of the week and trail by one.

“I just wanted to get as close as I could to the lead – they were playing so well – so getting that putt to go in at 18 and get one closer felt good,” said Homa, who busted out a fist pump in celebration, “and felt like I could let a little bit out and enjoy the moment.”

At the start of the day, Burns, who came home in 30 on Friday, picked up where he left off with a 4-under start through his first five holes, including an eagle at the par-5 first hole. Burns blasted a hybrid from 233 yards to 3 feet.

“That shot in there on (No.) 1 was kind of a bonus,” Burns said.

That gave him the solo lead and he added to it with a 35-foot birdie putt at 3 and an up-and-down from the sand at No. 5, converting from 12 feet for birdie. He was 16 under for the tournament and led Bradley by two shots and Homa and the rest of the field were deep in his rearview mirror. Burns, 24, seemingly could do no wrong, but that turned out to be his final circle on the scorecard. He made 10 pars in a row before failing to get up and down from left of the 16th green and going bunker to bunker at 18 and needing to can a 9-foot putt to salvage bogey and finish at 14-under 199.

Burns, who has four top-10 finishes this season, had a chance to win his first PGA Tour title at the Genesis Invitational in February, building a three-stroke lead with nine holes to go but made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch and settled for a third-place finish. Homa swooped in and claimed the title in Tinseltown in a playoff over Tony Finau. Asked what he learned from that setback, Burns said, “I think for me it’s just taking a little more time in those moments and really talk through the shot and really have a clear plan of what I’m trying to do.”

Sam Burns watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

Bradley continued to stick to his plan and played another fine round. In fact, he went so far as to say that it could’ve been his best round of the tournament, which included 64 on Thursday.

“I just didn’t hole the putts that I’ve been making the first two rounds,” he said.

Bradley kept within shouting range of Burns with birdies at the par 5s on the front, but fell three behind the lead with a bogey at 13. That’s when he delivered his shot of the day, pitching in from 35 feet from the rough for eagle. Bradley ended his round with a bogey, but he’s in position to end a nearly-three-year drought since his last win at the 2018 BMW Championship.

“I know I can do it, I know I’ve been up here and won some big tournaments in my career and I feel like if I go out tomorrow and stick to my process, I can have a chance coming down the end,” Bradley said.

Homa was in good spirits after his birdie putt at 18. He was as many as seven strokes back after a bogey at the third hole.

“I felt like that was the biggest part of today was playing really patient, not worrying too much about what everybody was doing, just trying to shoot the lowest score we could and I feel like it’s working,” Homa said.

Did it ever at the sixth hole. After a birdie at five to right the ship, he holed his approach from 137 yards with a 52-degree wedge for eagle. Still, it couldn’t compare to that finishing birdie and the fist pumps that followed.

“Six was cool but 18 was loud,” Homa said of the response from the crowd. “That was fun.”

Ted Potter Jr. shot the low round of the day, an 8-under 63, to lead a quartet of golfers at 10-under 201. Potter took just 20 putts, gaining nearly six strokes on the field with his shortstick and now leads in Strokes Gained: Putting for the tournament.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson struggled to 3-over 74 and dropped to a tie for 60th while No. 2 Justin Thomas shot 67 despite another poor putting performance and trails by eight strokes.

“If I’m putting well this week I’m winning this tournament without question,” he said.

He’ll have to putt out of his mind on Sunday to give Bradley and Burns, who tied the 54-hole tournament scoring record, a scare. But both have failed to close the two times that they held the 54-hole lead or co-lead on the PGA Tour, while Homa is lurking one back and said he’s beginning to feel at ease being in contention.

“It’s funny, it’s 10 or so years ago but I used to do this a decent amount in college and when I first turned pro I was comfortable in these positions,” he said. “So, I had a kind of a dry spell for awhile, but when I get back here now and I’ve kind of been in this position a few more times more recently, I feel like kind of like the old me’s back a little bit, mentally.”

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Scott Harrington DQ’ed; Jimmy Walker hit with penalty but survives cut at Valspar Championship

PGA Tour pros regret their errors as Harrington signed an incorrect scorecard while Walker missed his tee time.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Scott Harrington was disqualified from the Valspar Championship after the second round for signing an incorrect scorecard.

The DQ was a mere formality as Harrington, 40, had shot 1-over 72, which combined with his opening-round 4-over 75, would have been several shots too many in order to stick around and play on the week. Still, it continues to be confounding why signing an incorrect scorecard (Rule 6-6d) is still treated as if it’s the early 20th century when in today’s day and age every shot is measured by ShotLink and most likely recorded. It’s almost equally hard to explain why players continue to make scoring mistakes.

Jimmy Walker nearly joined Harrington as a DQ. He was penalized two strokes for being late to his 7:39 am tee time in Group 44 on Friday (Rule 5.3A).

Walker, whose last victory on the PGA Tour is the 2016 PGA Championship, was on the range when a rules official notified him that he had one minute to get to the first tee. He arrived too late.

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Had Walker arrived more than five minutes late, he would have been disqualified. Walker had to add two strokes to his score on the par-5 first hole, turning a 5 into a double-bogey 7. He rallied with five birdies in his final 13 holes to sign for 2-under 69 and made the cut on the number at 1-under 141 at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course.

On social media, he posted: “Pro tip….don’t be late for your tee time. Thirty years in tourney golf and that’s a first…”

The journey of ‘Big Mike’ Visacki comes full circle this week at Valspar Championship

Video of Mike Visacki went viral when he broke into tears telling his dad that he’d Monday qualified for the tournament he grew up attending

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Michael Visacki teed off at the 12th hole of the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort, not far from a banner with the image of Vijay Singh, the 2004 Valspar Championship winner, hanging from a street sign.

Seventeen years ago, Visacki’s father, Mike Sr., brought him to his first tournament and they followed Singh and Ernie Els. That day, a dream was born. “Just being a little kid thinking about one day I’ll be here,” Visacki said of his fondest memory of that day.

But there was another moment later that day away from the course that would be every bit as memorable. Before driving home, his father stopped to fill the tank at a gas station and, in a happy coincidence, Singh happened to be across the aisle pumping gas. Visacki Sr. still has the picture he snapped of his son standing beside Singh.

Before they parted ways, Singh, who came from nothing in Fiji to become a Masters champion and a World Golf Hall of Famer, offered young Mike three words of advice if he wanted to play on the PGA Tour like him someday. Visacki leaned in and listened as if Singh was about to tell him the secret to life.

“Practice, practice, practice,” Singh said.

Visacki, now 27, made his PGA Tour debut Thursday only 90 minutes north of his hometown after making a 20-foot birdie putt in a playoff of a Monday qualifier to earn a spot in the field at the Valspar Championship. In one of this week’s most heartwarming moments, “Big Mike,” as everyone calls him, broke down in tears as he phoned his father with the news.

“I don’t know who was worse – me or my wife,” Visacki Sr. said. “Happy tears. I waited for this moment all of my life.”

Video of a blubbering Visacki, his voice rising as he told his dad, “I made it,” went viral on social media and was replayed on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” NBC’s “The Today Show” and even Fox Business News.

Visacki is more than just the hometown kid making good. His story resonated because he never quit on his dream. He has been plying his trade in the obscurity of golf’s bush leagues, notching 37 wins on the West Florida Pro Tour while piling on more than 170,000 miles on his Honda Accord and living at home with his parents. Daniel Robinson, a fellow mini-tour player said, “We all think of him as No. 1 in the world without a world ranking.”

Mike Visacki, father of PGA golfer Mike Visacki, watches as his son plays his first round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, his fellow mini-tour competitors such as Dominic Formato were part of a boisterous crew that witnessed Visacki stripe his opening drive down the middle at the first hole and nearly hole a bunker shot for eagle at the par 5. He tapped in for a birdie at his first hole on the PGA Tour and his pals roared with approval.

“He makes us all believe in our own dreams a little more,” Formato said, “and just reminds you that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than it seems.”

Visacki couldn’t maintain his fairytale start, bogeying the next three holes in a row en route to shooting 3-over 74, leaving him 10 strokes behind leader Keegan Bradley and with work to do to make the 36-hole cut.

But nothing could spoil Visacki’s day. He waved his hat in appreciation as he received an ovation at the 12th green from fans at the Hooters Owl’s Nest, and as one volunteer pointed out, Visacki had the largest gallery outside of Phil Mickelson.

“It is sweet whether he makes the cut or not,” Visacki’s father said. “He made his place in the world. I knew he could do it. It was just a matter of time.”

Kaylor Steger, caddie for Mike Visacki, wears the name Big Mike on the back of his bib during the first round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Valspar Championship field by the rankings

The entire Valspar Championship field is broken down according to the Golfweek/Sagarins and the OWGR.

The PGA Tour is back in Florida this week at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, with a field highlighted by Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas. Many of the world’s top players will tee it up at Valspar this week with Viktor Hovland, Patrick Reed and defending champion Paul Casey also high on the list of big draws for the tournament.

The entire field is broken down below according to the Golfweek/Sagarins and the OWGR.

So far in the 2020-21 Tour season, the average ranking of the winner heading into the week in which he won a PGA Tour event has been 90.74 in the Golfweek/Sagarins and 97.26 in the OWGR.

Player GW/Sagarin OWGR
 Dustin Johnson 3 1
 Viktor Hovland 4 15
 Justin Thomas 7 2
 Joaquin Niemann 11 32
 Patrick Reed 13 7
 Abraham Ancer 14 31
 John Huh 16 310
 Corey Conners 18 38
 Louis Oosthuizen 19 33
 Russell Henley 23 52
 Cameron Tringale 24 89
 Paul Casey 25 20
 Chris Kirk 28 62
 Ryan Palmer 29 27
 Sungjae Im 31 19
 Zach Johnson 34 119
 Scottie Scheffler 35 21
 Kevin Streelman 42 61
 Mackenzie Hughes 43 53
 Jason Kokrak 44 35
 Charley Hoffman 45 71
 Emiliano Grillo 47 78
 Kevin Na 50 34
 Cameron Davis 52 127
 Patton Kizzire 55 177
 Talor Gooch 57 70
 Alex Noren 58 107
 Ian Poulter 60 63
 Lanto Griffin 61 60
 Keegan Bradley 62 135
 Adam Hadwin 67 98
 Sam Burns 69 94
 Doug Ghim 70 221
 Kevin Kisner 71 42
 Lucas Glover 74 121
 Max Homa 75 41
 Bubba Watson 77 58
 Justin Rose 78 39
 Denny McCarthy 81 155
 Charles Howell III 83 124
 James Hahn 85 149
 Erik van Rooyen 87 69
 Richy Werenski 97 115
 Rory Sabbatini 99 130
 Scott Piercy 100 205
 Gary Woodland 105 57
 Mark Hubbard 106 171
 Matthew NeSmith 112 142
 Adam Long 113 75
 Martin Laird 114 95
 Tom Hoge 117 106
 Adam Schenk 118 247
 J.T. Poston 119 83
 Jhonattan Vegas 121 184
 Phil Mickelson 123 113
 Doc Redman 124 160
 Scott Stallings 125 292
 Roger Sloan 126 337
 Wyndham Clark 127 147
 Charl Schwartzel 128 191
 Pat Perez 131 249
 Luke List 132 173
 Cameron Percy 134 286
 Peter Uihlein 136 242
 Wesley Bryan 137 377
 Tyler Duncan 139 182
 Branden Grace 141 88
 Kyle Stanley 142 206
 Rasmus Hojgaard 145 97
 Kevin Chappell 147 556
 Chez Reavie 152 103
 Troy Merritt 154 190
 Henrik Norlander 155 117
 Nick Taylor 158 139
 Camilo Villegas 161 262
 Andrew Putnam 162 140
 Kyoung-Hoon Lee 167 137
 Jason Dufner 168 396
 Tom Lewis 170 112
 Danny Willett 172 87
 Chase Seiffert 174 199
 Brian Stuard 177 203
 Ryan Moore 180 207
 Patrick Rodgers 184 217
 Bo Hoag 185 232
 Chesson Hadley 187 277
 Austin Cook 188 220
 Brandt Snedeker 192 136
 Ryan Armour 195 243
 Vincent Whaley 197 445
 Joseph Bramlett 199 278
 Sam Horsfield 202 79
 Andrew Landry 210 132
 Danny Lee 212 187
 Bronson Burgoon 215 354
 Peter Malnati 216 161
 Russell Knox 217 228
 Keith Mitchell 218 237
 Rafa Cabrera Bello 223 123
 Kris Ventura 225 255
 Hank Lebioda 230 414
 Byeong Hun An 238 110
 Jim Herman 241 129
 Sam Ryder 247 192
 Tim Wilkinson 256 489
 Brandon Hagy 278 175
 Scott Harrington 280 343
 Kramer Hickok 281 330
 Vaughn Taylor 288 236
 D.J. Trahan 290 529
 Ryan Brehm 300 476
 Aaron Baddeley 302 457
 Satoshi Kodaira 316 471
 Robby Shelton 319 219
 Rob Oppenheim 328 412
 Kelly Kraft 334 624
 Scott Brown 336 283
 J.B. Holmes 342 395
 Brian Gay 347 215
 Jamie Lovemark 353 446
 Beau Hossler 355 368
 Graeme McDowell 356 126
 J.J. Spaun 364 567
 Rafael Campos 365 266
 Xinjun Zhang 369 307
 Michael Gligic 370 410
 Hudson Swafford 391 176
 Sung Kang 392 153
 Kiradech Aphibarnrat 394 388
 Henrik Stenson 398 116
 David Hearn 400 478
 Jimmy Walker 412 551
 K.J. Choi 416 547
 William McGirt 418 1851
 Grayson Murray 452 348
 Kevin Tway 455 444
 Sebastian Cappelen 459 515
 Ted Potter, Jr. 474 404
 Sean O’Hair 491 801
 Luke Donald 495 614
 Bo Van Pelt 509 675
 Nelson Ledesma 539 542
 Michael Kim 555 1397
 John Augenstein 559 1160
 Nick Watney 574 463
 Hunter Mahan 590 1821
 Kevin Stadler 607 1851
 Martin Trainer 623 970
 D.A. Points 653 1851
 Brad Adamonis N/R 1851
 Jonas Blixt N/R 815
 Daniel Chopra N/R 1851
 Jordan Hahn N/R N/R
 Chase Koepka N/R 880
 Rod Perry N/R 1851
 Michael Visacki N/R N/R

 

Paul Casey goes for rare three-peat at Valspar Championship

Paul Casey has just 3 PGA Tour titles to his credit but he’s won the last two editions at Innisbrook Resort and is going for a three-peat.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Pat Riley trademarked the term three-peat in 1988 while the Los Angeles Lakers were going for a third consecutive NBA championship.

He may score some royalties this week as Englishman Paul Casey bids to win the Valspar Championship and become the first on the PGA Tour to win the same event in three consecutive editions since Steve Stricker claimed the John Deere Championship from 2009-2011.

“It would just be extremely cool, flat out. I think even more so with the gap, as well, with the one-year sort of hiatus,” said Casey, noting that last year’s edition was the first tournament to be canceled following the Players Championship being called after one round in March. “Yeah, it would just be very cool.”

In 2018, Casey delivered a scintillating 6-under 65 in the final round and waited for more than an hour to see if Patrick Reed or Tiger Woods could catch him. That victory ended a nine-year spell between PGA Tour victories for Casey. A year later, he played in the final group and needed to two putt a slick downhill 18-foot putt on the final hole to become the first back-to-back champion of the Valspar Championship.

“I could have putted off the green and I didn’t, that was the most satisfying feeling, halfway through knowing that ball was the perfect weight,” he said.

Asked which victory meant more to him, Casey smiled and said, “Your last win is always your best one because it’s the freshest.”

Paul Casey plays his shot from the sixth tee during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament at Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead Course. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort is the site of two of his three PGA Tour victories in 250 career starts. (He also counts 15 European Tour titles to his credit.) What makes this venue such a happy hunting ground for Casey? It’s a ball striker’s paradise, which is right up Casey’s alley.

“This golf course is kind of a 175- to 200-plus golf course,” he explained. “That’s where the premium is, and that’s what I do well.”

This season, Casey ranks first in average proximity to the hole on approach shots outside 200 yards at nearly 42 feet, which is a good 12 feet better than the Tour average. Moreover, Casey has ranked in the top 15 of Strokes Gained: Approach for seven consecutive years and is on track to make it eight, ranking No. 14 this season.

“When he’s on, it’s really impressive,” said World No. 2 Justin Thomas. “I mean, the sound his ball makes when it comes off his irons, compresses it, it’s a short, compact move … it’s fun to watch.”

For Casey to pull off the rare three-peat – over the last 40 years there have only been eight instances of a player winning a PGA Tour event three or more times in a row. In addition to Stricker being the most recent to do so, Tiger Woods turned the trick a remarkable six times and Stuart Appleby once – he’ll have to contend against the top-two players in the Official World Golf Ranking, Dustin Johnson (No. 1) and Thomas, as well as 18 of the top 50.

“I feel like the pressure is not on me,” Casey said. “We’ve got Justin Thomas and guys like that playing this week, and the focus is going to be on them, so I feel like I’m kind of in a sweet spot and raring to go.”

Casey, who has recorded four top-10s in 12 starts during the 2020-21 season and won the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic at the end of January, recalled winning the Pac-12 Championship three consecutive years from 1998-2000 and having captured back-to-back titles at the English Amateur.

“I wasn’t really that nervous,” Casey said of the amateur event. “There was a level of expectation, but it was overwhelmed by actually I felt like there was no pressure because nobody is expecting me to do it, which is a little bit the same case this week.”

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