Valspar Championship 2026: DFS and Betting Preview
- FTO
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
March 17, 2026
Another week down, another late collapse, and another thrilling finish at the Players Championship!
The 2026 Valspar Championship returns to the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida from March 19–22, 2026, serving as the final stop of the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing.
Known for its demanding layout and one of the most difficult closing stretches on tour—the infamous “Snake Pit” (holes 16–18)—the Valspar is regularly one of the toughest non-major events of the season.
Below is a full preview covering the course, tournament history, weather outlook, and best betting and DraftKings DFS picks for the week.
Event Overview
Event: Valspar Championship
Dates: March 19–22, 2026
Course: Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Par: 71
Yardage: ~7,340–7,352 yards
Field: ~130 PGA Tour players
Purse: approx. $9M range
FedExCup Points: 500 to winner
The Valspar has gained popularity with players because the course design rewards complete golfers rather than just power, often producing strong leaderboards and tight finishes.
Course Breakdown: Copperhead at Innisbrook
The Copperhead Course is widely considered one of the most unique courses on the Florida Swing. Unlike many Florida venues, it features rolling terrain, elevation changes, and tree-lined fairways.
Key Course Stats
Par: 71
Length: ~7,350 yards
Greens: Poa Trivialis
Fairway width: ~20 yards average
Bunkers: 74
Water hazards: 9 holes
Course Characteristics
1. Tree-lined layout Many tee shots require positional accuracy rather than driver distance.
2. Difficult Par 3s The course features five par-3 holes averaging over 200 yards, making them key scoring separators.
3. Demanding Par 4s Nine par-4 holes average about 441 yards, requiring long-iron approaches.
4. The Snake Pit (16–18) One of the toughest finishing stretches in golf. This closing stretch frequently determines the champion:
16: Par 4 dogleg left with water
17: Brutal long par 3
18: Narrow par 4 finishing hole
What Type of Golfer Wins Here?
Copperhead historically rewards elite ball-strikers and accurate drivers.
Key Stats to Target - Strokes Gained: Approach; Good Drives Gained; Par 3 Scoring; Bogey Avoidance; Scrambling
Distance is helpful but not required, which is why many precision players thrive here.
Comparable Courses
Harbour Town (RBC Heritage)
Colonial (Charles Schwab)
TPC Sawgrass
PGA National
Looking Back
The tournament began in 2000 and has been played annually at Copperhead since 2007.
It has produced numerous dramatic finishes and often crowns elite ball-strikers.
Tournament Records
72-hole record: 266 – Vijay Singh
18-hole record: 61 – Padraig Harrington
Recent Winners
Year | Winner | Score |
2025 | Viktor Hovland | -11 |
2024 | Peter Malnati | -12 |
2023 | Taylor Moore | -10 |
2022 | Sam Burns | -17 |
2021 | Sam Burns | -17 |
Trend: Winners here are often elite iron players or strong putters on difficult greens.
The Purse
Mid tier $9,100,000
For One-and-Done Pools, every golfer should be in consideration. Not because of the purse, which is nothing special, but because of how weak the field is this week.
Weather Forecast
Typical March conditions in Tampa Bay include temperatures in the mid-70s to low-80s with moderate winds. Light breezes (5–10 mph) are common, though early-round gusts occasionally approach 20 mph.
Weather Impact on Betting/DFS
Slight winds increase importance of ball-striking and approach play
Afternoon tee times can see slightly higher winds
Soft greens early in the week may favor elite iron players
Our Favorite Golfers This Week (DraftKings pricing and odds)
As we mentioned above, the filed is weaker than usual this week. We still have multiple golfers for each tier AND a new DFS section below.
Top Picks T15 or better
Jacob Bridgeman ($9,600 DFS; +2250 to win)
Believe it or not Bridgeman is the season leader in strokes gained overall this season. Last year he finished 3rd at this event. Weaker field and his hot hand makes for a great play both T15 and DFS.
Sahith Theegala ($8,800 DFS; +3700 to win)
So far this season Theegala has made every cut with 3 top 10’s. This week he should showcase his talent again with another T15 and possible outright win.
Xander Schauffele ($10,900 DFS; +1050 to win)
Xander is off to a hot start this year and at this event he has a T5 and 2 T12’s. His style of play fits this course well and he should be in the mix on Sunday.
Viktor Hovland ($10,400 DFS; +1850 to win)
Winner of this event last year it sparked a turning point from a brief slump of his early career. Given the field, his style of play, and his outright ability to be a top golfer in the world he should be competing for a win this week.
Fade - Outside of top 15
Akshay Bhatia ($10,000 DFS; +1950 to win)
Without question Bhatia has made a big splash to start this year and has risen to #22 on the OWGR. In the past his game has not matched up to this event making 1 of 3 cuts with his best finish T17. We expect him to continue to do big things this year but not this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,800 DFS; +1450 to win)
Fitzpatrick has cemented himself among the top 25 golfers in the world consistently. He’s made every cut this year but has been a bit of a hit or miss finishing. 2 T10’s including last weeks 2nd at the players but also 3 T24-T63. After his heartbreak last week and dealing with the media questioning the gallery comments we expect a dud this week as he is probably gearing himself up and looking ahead of the schedule to the Masters.
Justin Thomas ($9,500 DFS; +2250 to win)
Going from an awful season debut to T8 at The Players was unexpected. We can only expect so much from him coming off his injury and we believe playing in this is more about reps than going for the win. Similar to Fitzpatrick he is looking to be in full form by the Masters. He does have good success at this event but never has he played coming off the injury and surgery he had.
Patrick Cantlay ($9,400 DFS; +2150 to win)
Again, not to beat a dead horse but his last 3 events are T37, cut, and T32. He’s played this event twice and has a 2nd place finish… in 2017 which was his last. Could he compete? Yes. Do we think he will? Absolutely not.
Dark Horse - outright winner to top 15
Ryo Hisatsune ($8,600 DFS; +4200 to win)
Do you think Hisatsune has found his game and its a coinsidence its a presidents cup year? We don’t. We are about the 25% mark of the PGA Tour season and he has 3 Top 10 finishes… for reference last year was his best ever and he had 4! Pair that with 2 times playing this event with a T33 and last years T4 and he is a prime dark horse candidate.
Wyndham Clark ($8,000 DFS; +5400 to win)
It’s been a struggle of late for Clark but we know he has the game. In a weaker field a player that is better than what he has shown recently smells blood in the water. It isn’t a go to the bank T15 but we believe he will be on the cusp on Sunday and could sneak in and compete to win.
Tony Finau ($7,200 DFS; +11000 to win)
Finau was off to a hot start reaching as low as -5 at The Players in round 1 before the weather got him. His 69 1st round helped him make the cut but he fell off. However, T28, 18TH, and T11 this year give us hope the loveable Tony the Tiger is fighting back to top 30 golfer relevance. He does not have the best record here. 1 out of 5 cuts made and the 1 he made he finished 5th. However, with him in unchartered territory as a professional golfer battling through a slump, if he is accurate enough off the tee watch out. His DFS and outright are in play because when his game clicks there isn’t a more effortless swing on tour.
Max Homa ($8,000 DFS; +6800 to win)
Homa is and always will be a head scratcher. If you’re in a one and done pool that has a make the cut suicide payout and you’re alive, you’re safe with him. Between the ears isn’t an issue for him, he actually invites it with his back and forth on YouTube with “rate my swing”, and his trash talk… but he has 1 hole or a string of 2-4 holes a tournament that have prevented his growth. It is going to click, and if his short game strokes gained is on point this week… expect him to be in talks on Sunday.
DFS Favorite Picks
We are breaking out a new segment this week and moving forward leaning harder into DFS. We will give a breakdown in pricing tiers and how we believe they should be used. If a player is way overpriced, that will be mentioned too.
$10k+
Xander Schauffele $10,900 and Viktor Hovland $10,400
Both of these players have longer discussions in our Top Tier picks. It's not likely that you will fit both of these golfers in your lineup this week. Personally, we will have limited exposure to all-around.
$9k
Jacob Bridgeman $9,600
Our longer discussion is above, but given his play so far this year, Bridgeman could easily be priced above $10k. He has every quality to lead a lineup that cashes this week.
Jordan Spieth $9,300
Given the field we are willing to accept the price tag. He’s 6 for 8 cuts made here with a 1st, 3rd, and 7th. If you believe in him which we would he’s worth a selection.
Brooks Koepka $9,100
Quietly performing again back on the PGA Tour from LIV. His last 2 events are T13 at the Players and T9 and the Cognizant. He’s on our radar for the Masters now back to full healthy and is a low end 9k play that could win and help your lineup win.
$8k
Sahith Theegala $8,800
Theegala is one of our one-and-done picks this week.For under $9k, he is a massive bargain based on what he has accomplished this year so far.
Ryo Hisatsune $8,600
Another longer discussion is above, but this is also another crazy value under $9k. Incredible start to the year and progressing into a top international golfer on tour.
$7k
Ricky Castillo $7,900
An unknown golfer that has made every cut this year and has 2 top 10 finishes in weaker fields. Worthy of a DFS consideration.
Tony Finau $7,200
Hard not to put him in a lineup looking for a DFS win given his talent. He will be overlooked and can be a low $7k tier play with $8k upside.
Tom Kim $7,100
Why not ride the TGL hole in one high? At low end $7k he can catch lightening in a bottle easy.
$6k
Garrick Higgo $6,800
In a weak field, there is not much to pick from down here. Higgo is chasing a Masters appearence and is looking at this as event as one of his best chances to play Augusta.
Adam Hadwin $6,700
Hadwin is previous winner of this event with two other top-10’s. For under $7k, why not chase the event history?
Our One-and-Done Picks
Collin – Sahith Theegala
Frank – Jacob Bridgeman
That’s it for this week. Check back next week for our Houston Open preview and follow us on our new X accounts @FTO_picks and @FTO_Fun
*This preview does not represent our final betting picks for this event. For our full set of picks, check out our Game Picks section!
**Odds accurate at time of posting.
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