Tag: Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth’s wild round, Tommy Fleetwood in form but both chasing Adam Schenk after third round of 2023 Valspar Championship

Catch up on Saturday’s action here.

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.

Valspar: Full leaderboard | Photo gallery | Sunday tee times

[pickup_prop id=”32569″]

Photos: In honor of March Madness, here are some of your favorite PGA Tour pros during their college days including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth

Let’s take a walk down memory lane when the game’s biggest names were still living in dorm rooms.

The 2023 edition of March Madness is underway, and one of the largest upsets of all-time happened Friday night when No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson beat No. 1 seed Purdue, 63-58. It’s only the second time a 16 seed has beaten a No. 1.

In honor of March Madness, we’ve decided to put together a gallery of some of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour when they were in college.

Justin Thomas at Alabama, Jordan Spieth at Texas, Jon Rahm at Arizona State and Max Homa at Cal are all included, plus several more.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane when the game’s biggest names were still living in dorm rooms.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

Valspar Championship: Jordan Spieth’s putter wakes up, Tommy Fleetwood chasing breakthrough win and more from Day 1

Everything you need to know from the first round of the Valspar Championship.

It was a busy day at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course for the first round of the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Jordan Spieth got off to a hot start thanks to his putter — we’ll cover that in a minute — while Ryan Brehm used an ace at the par-3 17th to vault to the top of the leaderboard at 5 under. Stephan Jaeger and Adam Schenk sit with Brehm after matching 66s.

Maverick McNealy, who is still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour, opened with a 4-under 67. This is McNealy’s first trip to Innisbrook, but he’s been impressed with the golf course so far.

“I’ve heard from so many players that this is just a fantastic golf course,” he said after his round. “I’m a West Coast guy, I’ve played, usually play a heavy West Coast Swing and Florida’s usually a little different but everyone kept saying, this doesn’t feel like a Florida golf course. I got out here and I saw pictures. It kind of looks like the golf course I grew up at, Sharon Heights and Stanford back in the Bay Area.”

We’ll see if those hometown feels carry him to success the rest of the way.

Sam Burns, who’s looking to win outside Tampa for the third year in a row, opened with a 2-under 69, as did Justin Thomas. Thomas finished one shot out of the playoff last season and 13th in 2021.

“I think for me it’s just trying to put together a solid week and a lot of winning is out of my control,” Burns said after signing his card. “So I just try to go out there and play the best that I can and add it up at the end.”

If you missed the action Thursday, no worries, we have you covered. Here’s everything you need to know from the first round of the Valspar Championship.

Valspar: Full leaderboard | Photo gallery | Merchandise

Valspar Championship: Jordan Spieth’s best putting performance since May 2021 resulted in a bogey-free 67

When Jordan Spieth’s putter warms up, watch out.

When Jordan Spieth’s putter warms up, watch out.

On Thursday, the 29-year-old three-time major champion poured in 147 feet, nine inches of putts to spark a 4-under 67 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.

“I felt like I made a few really nice par saves from that 4- to 8-foot range that kept that round alive,” Spieth said. “Bogey-free around this track is not something you’re going to do every day. So very pleased with it.”

It wasn’t just the clutch par putts that were falling during the first round for Spieth. He gained more than four strokes to the field on the greens, reeling off three birdies in a row starting at No. 14, his fifth hole of the day, and adding another at the sixth after flaring his drive to the right and into the trees.

“When I struck the tee ball, it’s just a crap shoot,” he said. “I stole another on No. 6, with a pretty good break.”

Spieth had a decent lie and a swing and sliced a gap wedge, managing to hit his second shot to 32 feet and sinking the putt.

“Does he ever do anything conventionally?” asked PGA Tour Live commentator Will MacKenzie.

That wasn’t even the longest putt of the day for Spieth, who drained a 58-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th. Spieth ended the day a stroke off the lead shared by the trio of Ryan Brehm, who shot 66 with an ace at the par-3 17th, Stephen Jaeger and Adam Schenk, who joined them with the low score in the afternoon wave.

“I’m not comfortable out there at all, but I don’t think anybody really is,” Brehm said. “Maybe Sam Burns.”

Burns, 26, has been in a class all by himself the last two years at this event. He’s seeking a three-peat this week at the Valspar Championship and opened with 2-under 69, which actually was slightly above his tournament scoring average of 68.33 heading into this week.

“Winning is out of my control,” said Burns, who was pleased with his iron play in the first round. “I just try to go out there and play the best that I can and add it up at the end.”

Spieth is playing at a course that brings back fond memories for him too. A decade ago, a T-7 at this event was a launching pad to special temporary membership on the PGA Tour.

“That was huge,” he said. “That opened up all the opportunities for the rest of the year that kind of was a springboard for getting all the way to the Tour Championship and then the Presidents Cup and just really, really great memories that I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for the finish to this event.”

Spieth also won at Innisbrook in a playoff in 2015. But he hasn’t played the Valspar Championship since 2018. Two years ago, he pulled out of the field ahead of the tournament due to COVID-19 and last year he had a conflict with his brother’s wedding being held the same weekend. Spieth is happy to be back and even more so after signing for a clean card where his putter was more friend than foe.

“With only hitting like five-ish fairways, you do that around this place and shoot under par, it’s pretty solid. I was able to sneak a couple extras with the putter today,” he said. “I need to tighten it up a little bit, we’ve got some wind coming tomorrow. Really good start, needed to get off to a good start with the weather (expected to worsen) Friday through the weekend.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

2023 Valspar Championship odds, course history and picks to win

Fleetwood flashed some form at TPC Sawgrass last week and grabbed a top 20 at the Valspar in ’22.

The last stop of the Florida Swing is here, as the PGA Tour is in Palm Harbor, just outside Tampa, for this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas headline the field while Sam Burns is looking to win his third straight Valspar title.

Spieth, a past champion of this event (2015), is coming off back-to-back solid outings after missing the weekend in LA — T-4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T-19 at the Players.

With many of the world’s best on the sidelines this week thanks to the Valspar’s location on the schedule, Sunday may be a life-changing moment for someone in the field.

Golf course

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) | Par 71 | 7,340 yards

Course comparisons (according to Data Golf): 1. The Concession Golf Club, 2. Sea Island GC, 3. TPC Twin Cities

Valspar Championship
“The Snake Pit” statue at the 16th tee box warns golfers of the notorious final three holes at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. Photo by Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

Course history

Betting preview

Top 50 bubble watch: PGA Tour players currently in and out of next year’s designed events

Here’s a way-too-early look at the top 50 in the FedEx Cup Standings.

For PGA Tour players, being inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup Standings now comes with more than a spot in the field at the BMW Championship.

The board recently ratified a new approach for the 2024 schedule that will see reduced fields in new designated events, as well as the removal of the 36-hole cut. Fields in designated events will contain between 70 and 78 players and be largely comprised of the top 50 players who qualify for the BMW Championship during the previous season’s FedEx Cup playoffs, adding some extra intrigue to the season-long race that was desperately needed.

While it may seem like it’s too early in the season to be following the top-50 movement, the Players Championship was the 20th tournament of the PGA Tour’s 2022-23 schedule, as well as the fifth designated event. With major season looming, here’s a look at some players who are currently in and out of next year’s designated events.

Bubble watch

Check out the last 10 in and first 10 as the points stand after the 2023 Players Championship, where Nos. 40 and 60 are separated by just 101 points.

Player Current FedEx Cup ranking Previous FedEx Cup ranking FedEx Cup points
Xander Schauffele 40 43 441
Keith Mitchell 41 41 435
Denny McCarthy 42 49 432
Joel Dahmen 43 38 426
Patrick Rodgers 44 39 418
Matthew NeSmith 45 40 418
Nico Echavarria 46 44 388
Adam Hadwin 47 59 388
Robby Shelton 48 45 382
J.J. Spaun 49 46 380
Alex Smalley 50 47 380
Maverick McNealy 51 48 380
David Lingmerth 52 66 378
Wyndham Clark 53 56 365
K.H. Lee 54 50 355
Garrick Higgo 55 53 354
Tyson Alexander 56 51 349
Sam Ryder 57 55 347
Taylor Moore 58 58 347
S.H. Kim 59 52 346
Hideki Matsuyama 60 90 342

Biggest movers

Tyrrell Hatton was the big mover of the day on Sunday after an impressive 7-under 65 at TPC Sawgrass to finish solo second at 12 under and claim $2,725,000. Not only that, he flew 43 spots up the FedEx Cup points list to sit No. 26.

Hideki Matsuyama moved 30 spots up to No. 60 after his fifth-place showing at the Tour’s flagship event.

Notables inside the top 50

The usual suspects this season of Jon Rahm, Max Homa and Players champion Scottie Scheffler are all Nos. 1-3 in the standings, with Keegan Bradley in fourth and Seamus Power in fifth.

Taylor Montgomery, in his first full season on the PGA Tour, is currently 17th thanks to his eight top 25 finishes (four in the top 10) over his 14 events so far this season.

Jason Day (20) and Rickie Fowler (22) are both inside the top 25, while fellow fan favorites Xander Schauffele (40) and Joel Dahmen (43) are just inside the line.

Robby Shelton finished 167th last season after missing 21 cuts over 32 tournament starts, but currently finds himself at No. 48.

Notables outside the top 50

Around 100 points separate Nos. 50 to 72.

David Lingmerth moved up 14 spots to No. 52 after his T-6 showing at the Players, while Maverick McNealy (51) and K.H. Lee (54) have both played their way out.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are Nos. 65 and 66, respectively, but each has yet to play more than seven events this season.

Other notable players currently outside the top 50 (ranking in parentheses):

  • Sam Burns (68)
  • Cameron Young (79)
  • Will Zalatoris (85)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick (92)
  • Shane Lowry (96)
  • Tommy Fleetwood (97)
  • Billy Horschel (115)

As stated before, it’s still relatively early in the season, but certainly not as early as you may think. There’s still plenty of time for players to make their moves up the standings, and we’ll be here to keep you updated on the top 50 storylines for the rest of the season.

[pickup_prop id=”32174″]

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

Two-time champion Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas highlight field for the 2023 Valspar Championship

The Florida Swing continues in Tampa, March 16-19.

After a stretch of four designated events in five weeks, the PGA Tour heads to Tampa, Florida, for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.

Sam Burns is the back-to-back defending champion. Other big names in the field include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Webb Simpson and Tommy Fleetwood.

The Copperhead Course is a par-71 track and measures 7,340 yards.

Due to its place on the Tour schedule, it’s easy to see why many of the world’s best players are taking a week off.

Following the Valspar is the final playing of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas.

Find the full field for Tampa below:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

Jordan Spieth’s errant Players Championship tee shot ricocheted off a fan and miraculously landed back in the fairway

WOW.

Jordan Spieth was so lucky on Friday.

The golfer teed up on No. 9 at the Players Championship when his shot went very, very right. It was headed toward the water, was definitely going to be trouble and — if it plopped — it might have even gotten him cut.

Instead, the ball hit a fan who was watching … and ricocheted on to the fairway. The fan appeared to be OK, and what’s wild about all this — SPIETH MADE EAGLE ON THE HOLE.

If you’re thinking, that’s SO Spieth, I’m right there with you. Wild stuff. Check out the video and some reaction to it:

Watch: Jordan Spieth’s tee ball was heading for the water. It bounced off a fan and into the fairway and he made eagle

A knee may have been the difference in Jordan Spieth making the cut.

Make no mistake about it, Jordan Spieth’s second round at the 2023 Players Championship was a whirlwind.

It started with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes early Friday morning at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Then came a bogey. A double. Another bogey. Another double.

Standing on the ninth tee, his final hole of the day, Spieth was 2 over for the tournament and 5 over in the second round. He likely needed birdie to guarantee a weekend tee time. He smacked his tee shot, which curved to the right, on the par 5, and it was heading toward the water.

Good thing for Spieth, a fan’s knee was in the way. Instead of likely bouncing into the lake right of the ninth, it bounced back into the fairway.

Spieth proceeded to hit his approach shot short right of the green, and in typical Spieth fashion chipped in for eagle. He’s at even-par 144 and will make the weekend.

“I got an extremely lucky break on 9 or I wouldn’t be playing the weekend,” Spieth said. “Trying to get that guy’s information and see literally whatever he wants this weekend because everything from here on out is because it hit him.”

Kudos to the fan, too, who gave the glove Spieth handed him after the mishap to a kid.

[pickup_prop id=”32344″]

[lawrence-related id=778329248]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

What some of your favorite players will be wearing at The Players Championship

Get an early look at what players like Jon Rahm, Max Homa and Jordan Spieth will be wearing at TPC Sawgrass.

The Players Championship is one of the most anticipated events of the season, and many of your favorite golfers will be wearing the latest and greatest options from their sponsors.

Some player’s clothing is easy enough to remember – we get it, Tiger, you like red on Sundays – but if you’ve ever wondered about the best way to dress like the pros, we’ve got a few new examples in mind.

Check out the list below to get an early glimpse at what Tour favorites like Jon Rahm, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and more are scheduled to wear at the 2023 Players Championship.

[affiliatewidget_wineclub title=”Join the Golfweek Wine Club” description=”Get exclusive access to rare, limited-availability wines that are hand-picked by top sommeliers, then shipped directly to your doorstep.” url=”https://wineclub.golfweek.com/” button_text=”JOIN TODAY!”]