PGA Tour Brunch | 2026 Valspar
PGA Tour Brunch Opening Round Coverage of the Valspar | Copperhead
By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk
PALM HARBOR - Xander Schauffele, a 10-time TOUR winner, is making his seventh start on TOUR this season, having posted two Top-10 finishes (T7/The Genesis Invitational, 3rd/The PLAYERS Championship)
Schauffele is making his fourth appearance at the Valspar Championship, with all three finishes at T12 or better (T12/2022, T5/2024, T12/2025). He owns No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest ranked player in the field this weekend.
Viktor Hovland, our defending champion, will make his fourth appearance at the Valspar Championship and has one Top-10 finish (T3/2021) in addition to his victory last season. Hovland posted a final-round (67) in 2025 to edge Justin Thomas by one stroke.
The last three winners of the Valspar Championship all shot (67) in the final round (Taylor Moore/2023, Peter Malnati/2024, Viktor Hovland/2025). A native Norwegian, Hovland has made five starts on TOUR this season, highlighted by three Top-25 finishes (T10/WM Phoenix Open, T13/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T13/THE PLAYERS Championship). He owns seven TOUR titles in 137 career starts. The 2025 Valspar Championship title was his first since claiming the 2023 TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup.
Valspar | Tournament Facts
COURSE: Innesbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) - Palm Harbor, FL
YARDS/PAR: 7,352 yards/Par 71
ARCHITECT: Larry Packard
PRIZE Money - Purse: $8,700,000; Winner: $1,566,000
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Viktor Hovland
TOURNAMENT SITE: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
OVERVIEW: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @ValsparChamp
How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)
Valspar Leaderboard: (link)
Valspar | The Basics
The Tee Times at Copperhead will run from 7:30am (ET) to 2:00pm (ET) today.
Weather: Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 74 degrees. Winds at 14 mph. Only a 3% chance of rain.
Tournament Hub: (link) and Official Site (link)
FedEx Cup Info: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will post at 7:00am (EDT) Friday.
Tee Times, Field & Updates:
Tee Times: (link
Field: (link)
Updates:
Keith Mitchell WD / Doug Ghim IN
Robert MacIntyre WD / Andrew Putnam IN
Monday
Sudarshan Yellamaraju WD / Kris Ventura IN
Field expanded from 133 players to 135 to round out threesomes:
Seamus Power IN
Matt Kuchar IN
William Mouw WD / Justin Lower IN
Tuesday
Max Greyserman WD / Joel Dahmen IN
Media Coverage at the Valspar Championship
Thursday, March 19, 2026 - All Times Eastern Daylight
7:30am -6:00pm PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ - Streaming
12 Noon-6:00pm - PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM Radio or Online
2:00pm-6:00pm, Golf Channel
How to Watch: (link)
What They’re Saying
Power Rankings Going into Copperhead (PGATourCom)
How to Watch Round 1 & 2 (PGATourCom)
CBS Sports Golf HQ (CBS Sports)
Golf Gambling & Fantasy News
Expert Picks for Valspar (PGATourCom)
Sleeper Picks for Valspar (PGATourCom)
On This Day in Golf History
March 19, 1978 - Jack Nicklaus won the Tournament Players Championship for the third time, or as he put it, (he) “was the only one to survive.” Nicklaus shot a final round 75 at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach to defeat Lou Graham by one shot despite wind-swept conditions. (Courtesy of Randy Walker), Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putt
Mic’d Up Last Weekend …
This Week
PGA TOUR Brunch is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk. Subscriptions to PGA Tour Brunch are the perfect gift for your friends or family members who love pro golf. This e-newsletter is not affiliated with the PGA Tour organization.