The PGA Pros head to Palm Harbor Florida this week for the 2014 Valspar Championship. Although it may seem that Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club may be a picnic compared to Doral last week, a look at how this track played last year reveals that it should be yet another tough test for the Best Golf has to offer. <\/p>\n
2014 Valspar Championship<\/strong> Defending Champion<\/strong>: Kevin Streelman ($990,000)<\/p>\n Innisbrook was the most difficult non-Major par 71 course the Pros played in 2013.<\/p>\n 10 of the top 30 players in the world golf rankings will tee it up this week – the Snake Pits (holes 16-18) offer up quite a challenge. Ball striking will be at a premium this week – accuracy off the tee and greens in regulation will be the key to success. As always a hot putter will certainly help although a scorching flat stick may not be as crucial as it has been in previous weeks.<\/p>\n So who should we keep an eye on this week – let’s break it down.<\/p>\n Jason Dufner 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Had a chance to win last week but had a poor Sunday and still finished a career best at Doral \u2013 T9. His ball striking was very good \u2013 T2 in fairways hit but his putter certainly wasn\u2019t there. Duf has played this track well \u2013 five straight top 30s but has a T10 as his best result \u2013 back in 2012. If Dufner\u2019s putter heats up there is little doubt that he should challenge.<\/p>\n Jordan Spieth 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Copperhead was the igniter for what was a terrific rookie season last year \u2013 he finished T7 and he finished T34 last week at Doral despite having just one of the nine under par rounds on Sunday. Spieth has all the skills to make some noise \u2013 my bet is that he betters his 2013 result this week.<\/p>\n Harris English 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n English has shown his ability of moving the ball around off the tee \u2013 something that is absolutely crucial on this track. He is top 10 on TOUR in GIR, par 3 and 4 scoring average and he did have a T7 in this event last year. English is the hottest guy on TOUR right now with 11 starts and 11 cuts made with a terrific six top 10s. Enough said!<\/p>\n Justin Rose 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n The defending champion enters with some health concerns but has made 15 straight cuts. He hasn\u2019t missed a cut in seven tries on this track and along with the wins had a T10 in 2012 and a T5 in 2010.<\/p>\n Matt Kuchar 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Kuchar looked good the first two rounds last week before cooling off and eventually finishing T13. Nothing about his game is exactly wowing us right now but he has been solid as per usual. He could and should break through at any time \u2013 my guess is that it is sooner than later.<\/p>\n Luke Donald 20\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Won this event in 2012 and also had a T6 in 2010 and a T4 in 2013 \u2013 a terrific history here. He enters in some solid form as well \u2013 a T25 at Doral last week followed a T8 at the Honda. If there is ever a track that Luke can gain a little mojo it\u2019s this one. Simpson has made the cut here four of five times and hasn`t finished worse than T17 in any of his last four. He finished T47 last week at Doral after a brutal start was followed by a pair of good 70s.<\/p>\n Graham Delaet 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n I have been pumping his tires for a long time now \u2013 he has to break through some time! His ball striking isn\u2019t in question \u2013 his ability to finish out a weekend is!<\/p>\n Jim Furyk 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Furyk rivals Luke Donald for the player with the best track history here. He has a win, a T13, a T2 and a T7 in his last four starts at Copperhead but his present form scares me off just a little bit ahead of this week. It\u2019s been a while since Furyk really made some noise.<\/p>\n Bill Haas 30\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Finished T6 at the Cadillac \u2013 his flat stick allowed him to lead the field in stroked gained putting. He has steadily improved the last little while – a T23 and T17 were followed by that T6 last week. Haas finished T16 in this event last year.<\/p>\n Gary Woodland 35\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Woodland will always have an affinity for Copperhead \u2013 it is where he got his first win back in 2011. He also missed the cut here in 2013 and had a T29 two years ago. He finished a respectable T16 last week at Doral in a tournament he led the field in total driving.<\/p>\n Kevin Streelman 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has made 15 straight cuts and enters this week as the defending champion. He also finished T10 here in 2012. Streelman is coming off a T25 last week at Doral and seems to be in decent shape for his defense.<\/p>\n Chesson Hadley 70\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Rookie on TOUR won in Puerto Rico last week and has been playing very well of late \u2013 three top 25s in his last five starts. The competition is a ton steeper this week but Hadley is Hot right now.<\/p>\n George McNeill 80\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has quietly been playing very well \u2013 three top 20s on TOUR and he has fared well on this track in the past. He`s 80\/1 for a reason but an intriguing one at that.<\/p>\n Jerry Kelly 100\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Finished T9 last week in Puerto Rico which represented his third top 15 in five starts. Kelly has also enjoyed his time at Copperhead \u2013 three of his last four starts here have resulted in top 25s.<\/p>\n The Pick this week is Matt Kuchar at 18\/1<\/strong>. He held the lead at Doral after 36 holes and looked more like the consistent plugger we love. He`s been outside the top 20 just once in six starts here and is trending upward ahead of this week.<\/p>\n My sleeper is Kevin Streelman at 50\/1<\/strong>. The defending champ isn`t getting any love at all and just may be the best value on the board.<\/p>\n
\nLocation: Palm Harbour, Florida, United States
\nCourse: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club
\nDate: Mar 13-16, 2014
\nTotal Purse: US $ 5,700,000
\nWinner’s Share: US $ 1,026,000 (18% of total purse)
\n Golf Odds from Bovada<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nThe Favorites:<\/h3>\n
The Contenders:<\/h3>\n
\n[soliloquy id=”82219″]
\nWebb Simpson 22\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Sleepers (50\/1 or higher):<\/h3>\n
The Pick:<\/h3>\n
VIEW OUR TOP CAPPERS PICKS FOR ALL SPORTS – EVERY SINGLE DAY 24\/7 \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n