It’s been a frustrating stretch for the pro, who finished tied for third at the Mexico Open.
Justin Lower’s opening round of the Valspar Championship was one to forget with the star finishing the day with a 77 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.
It’s been a frustrating stretch for Lower, who finished tied for third at the Mexico Open but has since missed two of the last three cuts, including last week at the Players Championship.
And his discontent grew on his final hole of the opening round as he tried to blast out of a greenside bunker and caught the fringe.
As Lower was exiting the bunker, he stepped on his sand wedge, snapping it in two.
With what would certainly be an uphill day on Friday, as the cutline is expected to fall somewhere near par, Lower withdrew prior to the second round of play, with no explanation given on his exit.
Justin Lower WD prior to the second round of the Valspar Championship.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 22, 2024
Robert MacIntyre doesn’t want the Americans to forget what happened in Marco Simone.
The 27-year-old rookie from Scotland is making his first appearance at this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, but he has made his name known around the world for his performance on the DP World Tour and in the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Bobby Mac went 2-0-1 in Rome, helping the Europeans dispatch the Americans. And at the Valspar Championship, he’s not letting the Americans or fans in attendance forget.
At the Valspar, caddies get to pick what they want on their bibs. Instead of player names, they can put pretty much anything. MacIntyre and his caddie didn’t want anyone to forget the final score in Rome.
In addition to finishing a career-best T-3 at the Puerto Rico Open two weeks ago and cashing his largest paycheck ($212,000), the PGA Tour rookie earned his way into last week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, near his adopted hometown, as the last man in the field thanks to the kindness and generosity of Tiger Woods.
“I was probably one of the happiest guys in the country that Tiger decided not to play,” Stanger said.
The 27-year-old Stanger, who could be the Tour’s new “Mr. Congeniality,” moved to Jacksonville a few years ago with one distinct purpose: to test his game at one of the best courses day in, day out.
“I think it’s a big reason I’m on the PGA Tour now,” said Stanger, who graduated from Virginia in 2017 and turned pro shortly thereafter.
Stanger finished T-35 last week at TPC Sawgrass, which is also the site of where he proposed late last year to his girlfriend, Isabel, who he met walking into Grace Community Church in Mandarin, a neighborhood located in the southernmost portion of Jacksonville on the eastern banks of the St. Johns River.
“Is there a more beautiful spot? I don’t think there is a more beautiful spot in Jacksonville than that back range,” he said of the home of the Tour’s flagship event.
Stanger had some golf friends, including fellow Tour rookie Adrien Dumont De Chassart, pals Phillip Knowles and Dawson Armstrong, form a wall so no one else would practice where Stanger planned his big moment with a photographer standing by to capture the moment. When Isabel and Stanger’s mom arrived at the course, Stanger explained their dinner plans were delayed and to come back to the range, where he was waiting on one knee.
“Fortunately, she said yes,” Stanger said, adding that they are finalizing plans for a September wedding.
Isabel and some of their mutual friends were rocking T-shirts that said, “Stanger Thangs,” and designed in the cover art of the popular Netflix science fiction drama series “Stranger Things.” There is expected to be an even bigger following of Stanger supporters this week at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, which is not far from where Stanger was born raised in Tampa. He fondly recalls receiving his first golf trophy at age six, and winning the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association Tournament of Champions when he was eight years old. (He still spends a lot of time at Avila Golf & Country Club in North Tampa, where he first took up the game.)
This is the tournament he grew up attending as a kid, and he still has a handful of autographed golf balls from Tour pros at his parents’ house. From age 8 through 16, he worked various jobs as a tournament volunteer during the Valspar Championship. He remembers being stationed at the range, sorting golf balls, when Rocco Mediate took an interest in him and invited him and other youth range volunteers to watch him hit balls for over an hour and play different types of shots upon request. Another year he served as a standard-bearer for veteran Jerry Kelly.
“He seemed like he genuinely wanted to get to know me as I was walking the course as he’s playing in a big tournament. It cultivated my love of the game and desire to one day play in the tournament,” Stanger said. “I remember thinking to myself, if I ever get a chance to be out here, I want to be like that to the standard bearer, I want to be like that to the guys who work the range and do all those things.”
Thank you @jimmy_stanger for giving this gift back to me and passing it on:)! Looking forward to teeing it up with you…or maybe I’ll come carry your sign! https://t.co/6RvqVPQq4r
That dream of playing in a Tour event at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course came true in 2017 and 2018 as a sponsor invite.
“But my game wasn’t ready to compete out here,” he said.
Stanger once shot an opening-round 80 at PGA Tour Q-School, the highest score in the field, and then bounced back and shot 62 the next round, the low score in the field. He spent six years developing his game on the Korn Ferry Tour. After winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 Compliance Solutions Championship and graduating to the big leagues, Stanger is playing in his hometown event for the first time as a card-carrying member of the Tour.
He said he has been allocated the standard 12 tickets per day, “but I’m going to need at least 50.” Friends and family want to see him continue his strong play – 15 of his last 16 rounds have been at par or better. He enters this week in a three-way tie for third in the Aon Swing 5, with Valspar being one of three qualifying events remaining to earn points to earn a spot in the next Signature event, the RBC Heritage, with its limited field, elevated FedEx Cup points and a guaranteed paycheck. Could Stanger, who was in contention in Puerto Rico late on Sunday, make a run at his maiden Tour title this week at the place that helped cultivate his dream? Stranger things have happened.
Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2024 Valspar Championship.
The PGA Tour on the Gulf Coast for its final stop of the 2024 Florida Swing.
This week’s action is at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor for the Valspar Championship.
Taylor Moore is the defending champion, but he’ll have to defend his title against Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman, who both finished T-2 last week at the Players. Also in the field are Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas and numerous others.
Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2024 Valspar Championship:
At the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, golfers will need to navigate the Snake Pit, the final three holes on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
“You are entering the Snake Pit,” the plaque on the giant copper snake statue on the 16th hole says. “The Moccasin, the Rattler and the Copperhead are among the most difficult finishing holes on the PGA Tour.”
Here’s a breakdown of the closing stretch:
The par-4, 475-yard 16th hole was the ninth most difficult hole in 2023 with an average score of 4.373, +.373 strokes over par
The 215-yard, par-3 17th was the 332nd most difficult hole in 2023, with an average score of 3.074 (+.074)
The par-4, 445-yard 18th hole was the 187th most difficult hole in 2023, 4.146 (+.146)
Last year’s champion Taylor Moore went bogey-free over that stretch, recording nine straight pars on those holes before making birdie on No. 16 during Sunday’s final round. He then parred Nos. 17 and 18 to secure a one-shot victory.
The golf course as a whole was the seventh most difficult venue on the PGA Tour last season, with an average score of .935 strokes over par. The par-71 layout will measure 7,340 yards once again in 2024.
The final stop of the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing won’t be short on starpower.
Even on the heels of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a signature event, and the Players Championship, the Tour’s flagship event, plenty of stars are making the trek to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, is again the host for the 2024 Valspar Championship. And the Copperhead will challenge plenty of the Tour’s best next week.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 champion, highlights the field, along with fellow Ryder Cuppers Justin Thomas and European captain Luke Donald, another past winner.
Also teeing it up outside of Tampa is Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala and Keegan Bradley.
Tom Kim withdrew from illness eight holes into the Players Championship and then withdrew from the Valspar on Saturday night. On Sunday, Patrick Cantlay was a WD for the Valspar.
Here’s a look at the full field for the 2024 Valspar Championship:
Fleetwood is gaining on Cameron Tringale, the all-time leader among the PGA Tour’s winless with $16,981,931.
Just call Tommy Fleetwood the $15-million winless man.
For the second straight week, Fleetwood teed off in one of the final groups with a chance to secure his first PGA Tour title, but once again it wasn’t to be. Don’t feel too badly for Fleetwood, who finished T-3 with Jordan Spieth at the Valspar Championship on Sunday and cashed a check for $477,900.
That moved his all-time PGA Tour earnings across the $15-million mark and nary a win in 112 career starts – $15,186,842, to be exact, for Fleetwood’s accountant and those scoring at home.
Fleetwood, of course, has won six times on the DP World Tour and ranks 10th all time on its Order of Merit with another €24,153,564.80. Fleetwood is gaining ground on Cameron Tringale, who jumped to LIV Golf last season but remains the all-time leader among the winless on the PGA Tour with winnings of $16,981,931.
Fleetwood carded a final-round 1-under-70, just his second score in the 70s in eight career rounds at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, for his second top-10 finish on Tour this season (T-4 at the CJ Cup in South Carolina) and fourth finish of T-4 or higher in his last nine Tour starts. He snapped a streak of 46 Tour starts without a top-three finish, dating to a third at the 2020 Honda Classic.
Fleetwood shared the lead with Spieth and Adam Schenk at 9 under until he made bogey at the par-5 14th hole and couldn’t manage another birdie.
“I love the standard of golf over here,” Fleetwood said of playing the PGA Tour. “I’ve had my chances before and it’s not happened for me, but I think I’ve got a lot of events left in me and I don’t plan on winning once I would like to win multiple, multiple times. When my day comes that will be great.”
The Grant Thornton Invitational is set to debut Dec. 8-10 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
PALM HARBOR, Fla. – It wasn’t all that long ago that Cole Hammer played in mixed-team events like the Palmer Cup and the AJGA’s Wyndham Cup. At the University of Texas, the men’s and women’s teams often practiced alongside each other at their home course, so the idea of one day playing with a fellow Longhorn at the new PGA Tour and LPGA co-sanctioned Grant Thornton Invitational appeals strongly to the 23-year-old.
“I think this has been a long time coming,” said Hammer, who ended his career at Texas last spring with a national title and teed it up this week at the Valspar Championship.
Earlier in the week, Brad Faxon was telling Hammer about the time he partnered with Karrie Webb at Innisbrook for the JCPenney Classic. They were grouped with Tiger Woods and Kelli Kuehne that year.
The Grant Thornton event will be the first mixed-team co-sanctioned event between the two tours since John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic in 1999. The roll call of winners from that event is a who’s who, particularly among the women.
The JCPenney dates back to 1978 and was hosted at Innisbrook, site of the Valspar, from 1990 to 1999. The history of mixed events between the tours actually dates back to 1960 with the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome. Dave Ragan won it twice with the great Mickey Wright.
[pickup_prop id=”32044″]
The Grant Thornton is set to debut Dec. 8-10 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, as part of the Challenge Season. The 32-player field will be comprised of 16 PGA Tour and 16 LPGA players competing for a $4 million purse. The three-day event will be televised by NBC and Golf Channel for a total of nine hours of live coverage.
So far only two teams have been announced and all four players are Grant Thornton ambassadors. Nelly Korda will partner with Tony Finau while her sister Jessica pairs with Rickie Fowler. Cameron Champ and Mel Reid are also sponsored by the audit, tax and advisory firm.
Justin Thomas, who typically plays in the PNC Championship the following week with his father Mike, said he’s not yet sure of his summer schedule let alone what he’ll play in December, but felt the LPGA would get more of the exposure it deserves, and that players will develop some cool friendships along the way.
“I mean, I’m very close with Jess, and I’m not as close with Nelly as I am Jess, so my two partners that I had potentially in my mind are taken already,” he said, laughing.
Stewart Cink played in the old JCPenney for six years alongside three-time LPGA winner Emilee Klein, who carried four fairway metals in the bag.
“I’m always fascinated by what other people do in their sport,” said Cink. “In a way, it’s a different sport than ours, because they play a whole different set of courses and by different dynamics in the game.”
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, never played in any mixed tournaments as an amateur except with his mom at their home club.
“She got a lot of shots,” he said, smiling.
Fitzpatrick said he won’t be competing in the Grant Thornton because he likes to shut it down that time of year, especially with the FedEx Cup now wrapping up in August.
“It’s in a poor part of the season,” he said. “I would rather it be a PGA Tour/LPGA tour event, get FedEx points for it, make it important.”
The event takes place on the same course two weeks after the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, leaving international players an especially difficult decision as their already short offseason becomes even shorter.
Nelly Korda is congratulated by playing partner Denny McCarthy after sinking a putt during the first round of the 2022 QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Andrew West/The News Press)
The Grant Thornton takes the place of the QBE Shootout, a team event that last year featured two women for the first time as Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda participated. Korda tied for fifth with her partner, Denny McCarthy. Lexi and partner Maverick McNealy tied for 10th.
McNealy said he’d play again if given the chance. Qualifications for the event and format haven’t yet been announced.
“Golfers love team events,” said McNealy. “It’s something we don’t get very often, something we haven’t gotten much since college. So I think it would be fantastic and a lot of fun, a great change of pace.
“A great way to showcase all of the best players in the world at the same time.”
Everything you need to know for the final round of the Valspar Championship.
The Florida Swing is on to its final stop this week, as Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course in Palm Harbor plays host to the 2023 Valspar Championship. The Copperhead is a par-71 layout measuring 7,340 yards.
Adam Schenk, playing in his 10th straight events, holds a one-shot lead at 8 under par heading to the final round. Jordan Spieth, who won the Valspar Championship in 2015, and Tommy Fleetwood are one shot back. Schenk birdied the final hole to take the solo lead heading to Sunday in search of his first PGA Tour win.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Valspar Championship. All times Eastern.
You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.
Sunday, March 19
TV
Golf Channel: 1-2 p.m. NBC: 2-6 p.m.
Radio
SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.
STREAM
ESPN+: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Peacock: 1-6 p.m.
[afflinkbutton text=”Book your trip to Innisbrook Resort today” link=”https://www.golfbreaks.com/en-us/vacations/tampa/innisbrook-resort-golf-club/copperhead-course/?cid=999740052&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=golfweek&utm_campaign=pgat_tournament_courses_q3_22_gw”]
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.
Sunday is going to be fun. Nine players are within three shots of the lead after the third round of the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.
However, everyone is chasing Adam Schenk, who’s playing in his 10th straight event and 17th of the season, second most on Tour. Then there’s Jordan Spieth, who won the Valspar Championship in 2015, and Tommy Fleetwood, who remains in search of his first Tour victory, who are a shot back.
If you missed any of the action Saturday, no worries, we have you covered. Here’s everything you need to know from the third round of the 2023 Valspar Championship.
