Golf
Valspar Championship Preview: Glover to get a grip on victory at Copperhead
The 2025 Valspar Championship promises to be an exciting and competitive event, drawing top golfers from around the world to the challenging Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
As one of the PGA Tour’s most anticipated events during the spring season, the tournament offers players the chance to fine-tune their game ahead of the Masters, making it an important stop on the Tour calendar.
Taking place from March 20-23, 2025, the Valspar Championship has established itself as a major fixture in Florida’s PGA Tour swing, offering both a thrilling atmosphere and a unique test for the players.
The Copperhead Course, known for its tough layout and scenic beauty, will once again provide the backdrop for what promises to be a riveting four days of competition. The course’s signature holes, particularly the famous “Snake Pit” stretch (holes 16, 17, and 18), are renowned for being among the toughest in the PGA Tour, where many tournaments have been won or lost in dramatic fashion.
Our PGA Tour predictions have continued to perform over the last few weeks, with Michael Kim finishing solo fourth at Bay Hill, after being tipped at 200/1 after Day One. Tony Finau was set for a strong finish in the event, but an out-of-character eight-over par round of 80 ruined any chances of a place. We’re hoping this week we can continue the trend and aim for another top five place.
Will Zalatoris – 35/1
Our first pick to perform at Copperhead this week is Will Zalatoris. Having recently returned from an injury which saw him out of action for the best part of nine months in 2023, and continued issues with his hip, Zalatoris fired a bogey-free 66 in his second round at The Players Championship.
The American has shown consistent form in the months approaching the Valspar, finishing in the top 30 in five of the six events he’s played in this year. His best result came in the American Express, where he finished T12 at 17-under par after four rounds.
There are no question marks over the 28-year old’s talent, but his exclusion from the Tour via injury prices him at longer odds of 35/1. He’s shown on many occasions that he has the ability to compete at the very top in signature events. His ball-striking and play from tee-to-green in particular has allowed him to charge up leaderboards, gaining strokes on the field.
Marking his 2025 season with a win here in Florida would certainly put him in good stead heading into the first Major of the year.
Lucas Glover – 40/1
Our alternative pick this week for the Valspar Championship is Lucas Glover. Four consecutive rounds under-par at The Players Championship, including a 66 in Round One, suggest Glover is in hot form in Florida.
The 45-year-old finished two shots off the lead at Sawgrass, firing an impressive 10-under par total. While he’s missed a couple of cuts in recent events, his best finish of the year so far after T2 at The Players was at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where an impressive 18-under par clinched a top three place, behind the likes of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
Glover also has good performances under his belt at Copperhead, following up a T36 in 2023 with an 11th place finish in 2024, narrowly missing out on the top ten.
We think this year, the 2009 U.S. Open champion is capable of going ten places better and claiming his seventh PGA Tour victory, and at 40/1 we can see great value in this pick.
