Power rankings: Valspar Championship
The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing enters the Snake Pit this week as Innisbrook Resort hosts the Valspar Championship.
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John Senden is defending champion at the Tampa-area event, with Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Jordan Spieth among the headlining names this week.
Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is not as difficult as Trump Doral’s Blue Monster bomber’s paradise from last week, but ballstriking is a must to get the job done.
Here are our top five picks for the week.
1. Luke Donald — Luke Donald won here in 2012 around the peak of his powers and has been T-4 here in the last two years. Looked good in a T-7 effort at Honda, but was simply outmatched by Doral’s length.
2. Jim Furyk — I can see the comments now about Jim Furyk and closing tournaments, so save them. The 2010 champion was part of the four-man playoff in 2012 and was T-7 in 2013. He’s a horse for this course.
3. Jordan Spieth — Spieth looked very good in stretches at Doral but slipped to a T-17 finish. He was in the top 10 in two West Coast starts and was T-7 here two years ago.
4. Adam Scott — How can you not like Adam Scott most any week he plays? This week, with his tee-to-green game, he’s a green light. If he can repeat his first positive week in the switch to a short putter, he’s a huge threat to win.
5. Matt Kuchar — Gotta like Kooch this week. He was T-23 at Doral, which was too long for his game. However, Innisbrook is the right length. In three of his last four Tampa starts, Kuchar has finished in the top 15.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
