The PGA Tour makes its annual stop this week at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida for the 2015 staging of the Valspar Championship March 12-15. The race to the title is expected to be intense with seven of the world’s top 15 golfers competing in this event.
Who will emerge victorious and grab the $1.062-million top prize? Read on below as we breakdown the favorites, long shots and high-value sleepers for this tournament. If you’re looking for more sports action, check out the latest odds update for March Madness as well as our 2015 Davis Cup preview.
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2015 Valspar Championship Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida
When: March 12-15, 2015
Favorites –Henrik Stenson and Jordan Spieth
This is going to be so much fun. Last year, only one player inside the top 10 teed off in the Valspar Championship. Things are way different this time around with five of the world’s top 10 golfers taking on the challenge of Innisbrook Golf Resort. Two of those players are Henrik Stenson and Jordan Spieth and they are the odds-on favorites to bag the title this coming weekend.
[sc:Golf240banner ]Stenson, the world’s second-ranked golfer, will be making his tournament debut at the Valspar this week. His credentials are pretty impressive, having won the FedEx Cup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai back in 2013. Stenson has already won four PGA Tour titles in his career and he will be a good bet to add one more this coming weekend.
Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, has appeared in this tournament before, finishing tied for 20th last year with an even-par total of 284. He will look to improve on that finish this year and based on his form thus far this season, the thought of that happening isn’t far-fetched.
He already has three top-10s this year, finishing tied for seventh in both the Phoenix Open and the Pebble Beach Invitational as well as a fourth-place finish at the Northern Trust Open. Expect Spieth to continue his strong run at Innisbrook this week.
High-Value Sleepers – Patrick Reed and Paul Casey
Patrick Reed’s golf game is slowly rounding into form following a seventh-place finish at the Honda Classic last week. Reed shot a three-under-par total of 277 to end up three strokes shy of eventual champion Padraig Harrington and record a top-10 finish for the first time in four events.
Reed has already won on the PGA Tour this season, bagging the crown at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last January. Look for Reed to be in the hunt this coming weekend and stake a claim to his second tour title of the year.
One guy who’s overdue for a win this season is Paul Casey. The Englishman has been on fire recently, finishing tied for second in the Northern Trust Open before grabbing a third-place finish at the Honda Classic last February.
Key to his resurgence this season has been his improved scoring. He is eighth in the PGA Tour in scoring this season, averaging 69.718 strokes per round. Because of his strong play, he is now back inside the top 50 of the world golf rankings with Casey now ranked 45th. With the form that he is in right now, Casey will be a definite threat for the title this week.
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Long Shots –Padraig Harrington and John Senden
Remember Padraig Harrington? The three-time major champion emerged from the ashes with a stunning win at the Honda Classic last week. Harrington outlasted Daniel Berger in a two-man playoff Monday to record his first PGA Tour victory since winning the PGA Championship back in 2008.
It was a fantastic comeback win for the Irishman, who slumped to 371st in the world golf rankings and lost his PGA Tour card last year. Thankfully he had a sponsor’s exemption at the Honda Classic last week and he certainly took full advantage of that.
He will now look to sustain the momentum of that win with another solid showing at the Valspar Championship. He finished in a tie for 65th in this tournament last year with a seven-over-par total of 291.
The one who made waves in this tournament last season was John Senden. The 42-year-old buried a memorable 70-foot chip for birdie on the 16th hole en route to a one-stroke victory over Kevin Na in the Valspar Championship last year. It was his first PGA Tour victory in more than seven years.
Senden has had a rough start to the year, however, finishing in the top 25 just once in four events. Given his familiarity and experience with the golf course, though, Senden is expected to be in the running come the back nine on Sunday.
