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The final tournament of the Florida Swing is here.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Valspar Championship:
Tournament Basics
Valspar Championship
March 16-19
Innisbrook Resort | Palm Harbor, Florida
Par 71 | 7,340 yards
Purse: $8.1 million/$1.458 million
FedExCup points for winner: 500
Betting favorite, via BetMGM: Justin Thomas (+1,000)
Sam Burns ready for historic three-peat?
Sam Burns has a rare opportunity on Tour this week.
Burns, after winning at Innisbrook in 2021 and 2022, can pull off the three-peat with a win this week at the Valspar Championship.
Burns flew ahead and took the 2021 tournament by three shots over Keegan Bradley in what was his first career win. He then won three times last season, and beat Davis Riley in a playoff to win the Valspar Championship.
“I would say it definitely changed my career as a professional golfer,” Burns said Wednesday of his inaugural win. “It gave me a lot more opportunities into certain events that I was not in that year. I wasn’t in all the majors, so getting in all the majors, and then I think it gave me a lot of confidence moving forward to know that when I was in that situation in the future, I could kind of lean on this week and was able to grow a lot because of it.”
Nobody has won a tournament three consecutive years on Tour for more than a decade. Steve Stricker was the last to pull that off when he won the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011. Burns is now the 14th player in position to match Stricker since his streak at TPC Deere Run. Since 1995, a golfer has only accomplished a three-peat or better 10 times — and eight of those belong to Tiger Woods.
Burns finished T35 last week at The Players Championship, which came after a pair of missed cuts following his T6 finish at the WM Phoenix Open in February. The 26-year-old is ranked No. 15 in the Official World Golf Rankings this week.
Scottie Scheffler’s Masters Dinner menu is here
Scottie Scheffler is taking the week off after his victory at TPC Sawgrass, but he officially announced his menu for the annual champions dinner at the Masters on Wednesday.
The reigning Masters winner will serve Texas Ribeye Steak or Blackened Redfish after cheeseburger sliders and firecracker shrimp appetizers at Augusta National next month.
Though the focus will be on Scheffler, who returned to No. 1 in the OWGR after Sunday’s win, the dinner will mark one of the few times Tour golfers will be in the same room as LIV Golf members like Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson, among others.
“I haven’t totally decided what I will say,” Scheffler said Wednesday, via Golfweek. “I’m aware I have to say a few words, but, for the most part, it’s kind of a group thing. I’m not quite sure what the vibe will be like, but I think we are all there to play in the tournament and celebrate the Masters and celebrate all being past champions.
“I think the dinner will be really special for all us to be able to gather again and I am sure we will put all that other stuff aside and have a good time together. Just because guys joined another tour doesn’t mean I’m not friends with them anymore and think differently of them as people. They are still my friends and we are all just gonna hang out and have a good time.”