2026 Valspar Championship preview: Expert picks and predictions for final event of PGA Tour's Florida Swing

With the Players Championship in the rearview mirror, one eye inevitably wanders to a certain golf tournament in Georgia. Before trekking down Magnolia Lane, however, players must first put the finishing touches on the Florida Swing with the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook welcoming a full field to the 2026 Valspar Championship.

Even despite not holding signature status on the PGA Tour, the Valspar Championship welcomes a strong field full of players hoping to fine tune their games in what could be their final event before the Masters. Major champions like Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick arrive following strong runs at the Players Championship that saw them fall just short of eventual champion Cameron Young.

Justin Thomas surprised folks as well in what was only his second start of 2026. After back-to-back 79s at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his season debut, the two-time major finished T8 at TPC Sawgrass. Invoking plenty of confidence in his game, the American will hope to keep a good thing going at a golf course that has been more than kind to him in the past.

While Thomas has yet to win at the Copperhead Course, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland have. Both players are in the field this week searching for answers to various questions in their games. While Hovland has struggled with the driver, Spieth has struggled to keep the big number off the scorecard. If either finds the solution around this par 71, they have shown the game to contend for the title late into Sunday.

Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Akshay Bhatia will tee it up for the third straight week, as will Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgeman. Both players fared well at TPC Sawgrass and had their moments over the weekend. Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Brooks Koepka, J.J. Spaun, Corey Conners and Sahith Theegala will round out the action in what is sure to be an exciting conclusion to the PGA Tour's Florida Swing.

2026 Valspar Championship schedule

Dates: March 19-22
Location: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) -- Palm Harbor, Florida
Par: 71 | Yardage: 7,352 | Architect: Larry Packard
Purse: $9,100,000

2026 Valspar Championship field, odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Xander Schauffele (11-1)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (13-1)
• Viktor Hovland (17-1): The Norwegian came into this tournament a season ago without much confidence in his swing and walked away with a trophy…and still not a ton of confidence in his swing. Hovland's 2025 performance proved he is just one swing thought away from winning again, and he may not be too far off. In six starts worldwide this year, Hovland has four top-15 finishes, including two straight at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. His short game was bonkers last week at the Pete Dye design, making up for what has been a disappointing driver so far this season.
• Akshay Bhatia (22-1)
• Jacob Bridgeman (22-1): Not saying Bridgeman should be the favorite, but doesn't this price seem long for a player who finished on the podium at this tournament last season, won at Riviera and has not finished outside the top 20 all year. Oh yeah, Bridgeman also finished inside the top five at the Players Championship. He is driving the ball great, and although he putted well on the West Coast, it is clear Bridgeman has more comfort on the greens on the East Coast which makes him even more dangerous this week.
• Patrick Cantlay (22-1)
• Jordan Spieth (25-1): Over the last three months, Spieth is seventh in total strokes gained in this field despite having not finished inside the top 10 at a tournament yet. He is doing everything marginally well with the putting continuing to trend upwards and the driver starting to hold him back. That club was a strength during his pre-wrist surgery days, and it will need to start acting in a similar manner if he expects to play himself into the mix. The 2015 champion has five top 20s in eight appearances.
• Ben Griffin (25-1)
• Brooks Koepka (25-1): Here he comes. The five-time major champion finished T13 at the Players Championship thanks to finishing fourth in strokes gained approach and ninth in strokes gained tee to green. Ultra comfortable in Florida, Koepka will need to keep a good thing going when looking ahead at what his post-Masters schedule could look like (only qualified to play Zurich Classic and Myrtle Beach Classic). Another good start this week would go a long way, and his game suggests just that may be in the cards.
• Justin Thomas (25-1): This golf course probably owes him one at this point. Thomas got passed by Hovland at the finish line last season and finished T3 in 2022 after leading for much of the tournament. In total, he has six top-20 finishes in eight trips as he has been able to maneuver his ball off the tee without having to pull the driver from his bag. As long as he is playing from the short grass more times than not, he can play well around here.

2026 Valspar Championship picks

	Akshay Bhatia
Winner (22-1): A winner just a couple starts ago, Bhatia did not skip a beat at the Players Championship. The lengthy left hander finished T13 at TPC Sawgrass on the shoulders of a mammoth iron performance that put him second in terms of strokes gained on approach. Everything is clicking for the 24-year-old at the moment, and he seemed to figure out the nuances of this golf courses in 2025 when he finished T17.
	Matt McCarty
Contender (60-1): After a hot start to the season, McCarty has cooled in recent weeks as his iron play has been checkered. The one constant has been his putter as he continues to move through those green complexes with ease. The left hander finished T16 in his tournament debut last season without a strong ball-striking performance, so if he was able to figure out something in his swing during his weekend off, he should be in good shape.
	Bud Cauley
Sleeper (75-1): It was this time last season when Cauley found lightning in a bottle across the Players Championship and Valspar Championship. The Alabama product may not have produced the same fireworks at TPC Sawgrass, but his T32 finish was a well-rounded performance and followed a quiet top-20 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He ranks top 20 in this field in strokes gained tee to green over the last three months thanks to his iron play and short-game prowess.

Who will win the 2026 Valspar Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors heading into the weekend, and find out.