The PGA Tour moves to Florida this week for the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Golf Course and we pick 4 players to take on the bookies.
Copperhead plays to a par 71 and is one of the toughest courses on tour. Wayward tee shots are punished by trouble that lurks off the fairways and the numerous doglegs means the distance off the tee is not that critical as it is at other courses. More important is being able to manouvre the ball off the tee. The weather can play a role if the wind gets up.
Justin Thomas heads the betting at 8/1 at the time of writing with Dustin Johnson 10/1, 16/1 Patrick Reed and 20/1 Corey Connors. Two times defending champion, Paul Casey 22/1 alongside Viktor Havland and you can get 25/1 and better the balance.
PAST WINNERS
2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019 – Paul Casey -8
2018 – Paul Casey -10
2017 – Adam Hadwin -14
2016 – Charl Schwartzel -7*
Playoff *
BETTING – Click here to bet
Justin Thomas 8/1
Dustin Johnson 10/1
Patrick Reed 16/1
Corey Conners 20/1
Paul Casey 22/1
Viktor Hovland 22/1
25/1 and better the balance, prices correct at the time of posting but are subject to change
SELECTIONS:
Corey Conners each way at 20/1
Conners has been in excellent form and has had 4 Top 10’s in his last 6 starts and he went very well in Augusta two starts back finishing 8th. His only appearance here saw him finish 16th in 2018 and he is certainly a good ball striker who can improve on his debut performance.
Jason Kokrak each way at 33/1
Kokrak has been playing reasonable golf of late having been on a really good run a few weeks back in which time he had 3 Top 10’s in a row. If there is a course which could see him get right back to his best it is this one where he has finished 2nd in 2019 and 8th in 2018. Like Conners he is well suited to this course and I expect him to go close this week.
Denny McCarthy each way at 90/1
He is a roughie that jumped out at me. McCarthy has shown some decent form in the last few weeks with a Top 5 as well as a solid Top 15 finish. What really catches the eye though is his Top 10 finish here though on debut in 2019. He ticks a lot of boxes and at 90/1 we can’t do any damage.
Louis Oosthuizen each way at 25/1
Back towards the top of the betting boards and I like the South African this week. He and his partner, Charles Schwartzel teamed up and finished runner-up in the team event on the PGA Tour last week, but Louis has been showing some signs of life lately and had a Top 30 at The Masters. He clearly likes the course with a runner-up finish in 2019 and prior to that he finished 16th and 7th.
Click here to bet on all Valspar Championship 2021 Markets
