The 36-year-old journeyman won the 2024 Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, after a 4-under 67 in the final round on Sunday to claim his second PGA Tour victory at 12 under and his first win since 2015.
For his efforts, Malnati will take home the top prize of $1,512,000. Cameron Young finished runner-up for the seventh time in his young career on Tour and earned $915,600.
With $8 million up for grabs, check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2024 Valspar Championship.
The win is the second of Malnati’s PGA Tour career and first since 2015.
March Madness crowned another Cinderella on Sunday, only not on the basketball court but rather at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course Palm Harbor, Florida.
Peter Malnati, who hadn’t won in nine years, drilled his tee shot at the 17th hole to 6 feet and rolled in the putt to assume a one-stroke lead. With a finishing par, he closed with a final-round 4-under 67 to finish at 12-under 272 and win the Valspar Championship by two strokes over Cameron Young.
All the emotions poured out of Malnati, who held his four-year-old son Hatcher, and with watery eyes and a wide smile, said, “You wonder if you’re ever going to do it again.”
He had seen that winning moment on the PGA Tour so many times before where the family rushes on to the green and the victor gets a hug and kiss and lifts his child.
“That’s something that I’ve seen other families have and that has been my dream,” Malnati said. “If I had never had the moment I had today, I would have been completely fine. But, man, was that special.”
Indeed, it was. Malnati, a 36-year-old pro in his 10th year on Tour, had one career victory to his credit at the 2015 Sanderson Championship. He had to battle during the fall to maintain full exempt status this season by finishing 120th on the season-long points list. He’s ranked No. 184 in the world, the second-highest world ranking for the winner of the Valspar in tournament history and he drew the angst of his fellow pros who felt he was unworthy when he was awarded a sponsor invite into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. Moreover, winning at the Copperhead Course, where he had missed the cut in six of his seven starts at the Valspar Championship, with a career-best of T-60, seemed a pipe dream. To make matters worse, he entered this week coming off a final-round 81 at the Players Championship.
“I just kind of had to chalk that up as just one of those days you get in golf …I was off on all facets of the game,” he said. “When I got here and got to work on Tuesday I was really pleased, everything felt kind of as it had most of the week at Sawgrass, not how it did on Sunday. So I just haven’t missed a beat.”
Peter Malnati accepts the Valspar Championship trophy after the final round of the Valspar Championship at Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club on March 24, 2024 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
His first-round 66 was a career-best at the Copperhead Course and just his second in the 60s in 17 career rounds at Innisbrook Resort. But despite his choppy record, it never diminished his appreciation of the course.
“I love this kind of course because I think it really distinguishes good ball striking from mediocre ball striking,” he said.
He followed with an even-par 71 during difficult weather on Friday and shot 68 on Saturday to trail 54-hole leader Keith Mitchell by two strokes. Malnati reveled in the opportunity to be in the trophy hunt.
“It’s why I play and practice, to come out here on the PGA Tour and have a chance to win golf tournaments. This is my 10th season. I can’t think of very many times where I’ve actually teed off on Sunday realistically thinking of winning the tournament,” Malnati said.
The former Missouri Tiger is a career grinder, who works as hard as anyone on his putting routine and has added the responsibility of serving as a player director on the Tour policy board during a critical time in the Tour’s future. It’s been a lot to balance but through it all family always comes first for Malnati. Take his explanation on Saturday for why he plays with a yellow golf ball, which he began using at the 3M Open in July.
“The reason I switched to it is because my, at the time, 3-year old, who is now 4, liked them. And so, he’s kind of over it now, but it still makes me think of him, and that’s worth a smile or two, which is worth a lot out there for me,” he said.
Alicia Malnati and Peter Malnati pose with the Valspar Championship trophy at Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club on March 24, 2024 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
On Sunday all of Malnati’s discipline and hard work paid off. He overcame a slow start, missing a 5-foot par putt at No. 4 and nearly cold-topping a fairway wood at the fifth, which didn’t cost him. He sank a 14-foot birdie putt at the sixth and made his move with three straight birdies to start the second nine. That included making a 15-foot putt at No. 12 that he was convinced he’d missed.
“The minute I hit it I thought I had left it short,” he said. “I wasn’t watching the ball roll because I knew it was going to stop this far short and I was going to tap it in. And then I heard the crowd go nuts.”
He added: “I always hear people say, like, sometimes when you win, some things have to happen and go right.”
Six different players held or shared the lead during the final round and 10 players were within three shots of the lead on the back nine, but ultimately several players took themselves out of the running with an assortment of mistakes and the tournament turned into a two-man race between Young, the Tour’s Rookie of the Year two years ago who was seeking his first PGA Tour win, and Malnati, winless for the last 3,058 days.
Young hooked his tee shot into trouble at 18 and by the time he assessed the situation, Malnati had pulled ahead at 12 under with birdie after his clutch 5-iron from 208 yards at 17. Young managed to find the green but left his 51-foot birdie effort nine feet short and missed for par.
“I just over read it a hair,” said Young, who recorded his seventh runner-up finish, the most of any player without a win in the last 40 years.
For Malnati, he earned his first berth in the Masters, a spot in the PGA Championship, all of the remaining Signature events this season and the Sentry in January.
“He played incredible. He deserved to win,” said Mackenzie Hughes, who finished T-3 with rookie Chandler Phillips, who notched his best finish on Tour. “He played better than I did. He was in control of his golf ball.”
Young’s closing bogey gave Malnati a two-shot cushion. He had always dreamed of his wife and kids running on the green to celebrate his victory and now the moment he waited for was upon him.
“I don’t think I saw ’em until after I hit the first putt, but I definitely saw ’em before I tapped in, and I was, man, I had lost it before I had hit my last shot of the tournament, for sure,” he said, “but luckily it was like literally 2 inches from the hole. But, yeah, that moment’s pretty amazing.”
Sunday’s final round at the Valspar saw a pair of pros do the unthinkable, both good and bad.
Within 30 minutes during the final round at the 2024 Valspar Championship a pair of PGA Tour players hit the best and worst shots you’ll see from professionals.
First up was Robby Shelton.
Coming off his best season as a professional in 2023, the 28-year-old has been slow to start in 2024 and entered the week off a pair of missed cuts. He played his way to the weekend at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, and on Sunday hit a shot he won’t soon forget. Shelton made an albatross on the par-5 14th hole after he sunk his approach from 258 yards out in the fairway.
This thing was a laser-guided missile destined to find the hole.
And then there was Peter Malnati, who has made headlines in recent weeks for his thoughts on the future of the PGA Tour and his touching reason for why he uses a yellow golf ball. In contention for his second win on Tour and first since 2015, Malnati found the fairway and pulled a hybrid from the bag for his second shot on the par-5 5th hole. With 291 yards to the cup, Malnati hit one of the uglier non-shanks you’ll see from a pro. You can’t quite call it a top because the ball somehow still went 172 yards, but he sure didn’t catch it clean.
Even the broadcasters were confused about what they had just seen.
The purse at the Valspar is $8.4 million with $1.512 million going to the winner.
With 18 holes left to play at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, Keith Mitchell holds a two-shot lead over Seamus Power, Mackenzie Hughes and Peter Malnati at 10 under.
Mitchell has one win in his Tour career, the 2019 Cognizant Classic — formally known as the Honda Classic.
The purse at the Valspar is $8.4 million with $1.512 million going to the winner. The winner will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2024 Valspar Championship. All times listed are ET.
Streelman shot a 64 and leads by one over Kevin Roy and by two over the trio of Adam Svensson, Carl Yuan and Peter Malnati.
Among the notables after day one: Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele are tied for 13th, defending champion Taylor Moore and Jorden Spieth are tied for 28th and Brian Harman is tied for 48th.
The purse at the Valspar is $8.4 million with $1.512 million going to the winner. The winner will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
The first round was suspended due to darkness at 7:46 p.m. ET with two players – Paul Barjon and Kevin Dougherty – on their final holes.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round of the 2024 Valspar Championship. All times listed are ET.
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:
The purse at the Valspar is $8.4 million with $1.512 million going to the winner.
It’s time for the final stop on the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing.
Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course is the site of this week’s PGA Tour event, the 2024 Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida. Taylor Moore is the defending champion, returning to the place he got his first Tour win. Also in the field are Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman, who finished T-2 at the Players, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and numerous others making this week’s field one of the best in tournament history.
The purse at the Valspar is $8.4 million with $1.512 million going to the winner. The winner will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2024 Valspar Championship. All times listed are ET.
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:
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.
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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.
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