Valspar Championship Odds, Picks & Predictions 2023
Scottie Scheffler blitzed the field at The Players Championship for his sixth win in just over a year in spell-binding fashion. The PGA Tour concludes its Florida swing at the always entertaining Valspar Championship, minus Scheffler. However, it still has a solid field led by Justin Thomas and past winner Jordan Spieth.
Sam Burns is the two-time defending champion, having won last year in a playoff over Davis Riley. He’s attempting to become the first player since Steve Stricker from 2009-11 (John Deere Classic) to win the same event three straight years. The final three holes are affectionately dubbed ‘the snake pit’ with a very challenging end to the round at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.
2023 Valspar Championship Odds
Justin Thomas, who finished T-3rd here a year ago, is the betting favorite at +1100. Jordan Spieth won this event back in 2015, and he has the second shortest odds. Two-time defending champion Sam Burns and reigning US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick round out the top-four.
Odds as of March 13th at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Sam Burns Dominates Copperhead Course
It certainly is low hanging fruit to tout Sam Burns, but why shouldn’t it be? The man has won back-to-back Valspar Championships, and he has a T-6th and T-11th showings in his last five tourneys. Understandably, his ‘strokes gained’ stats the last eight rounds at this venue are exceptional.
Sam Burns’ Strokes Gained Stats Last Eight Rounds At Valspar
At +1600, there’s still a decent amount of value for Burns, compared to the top two players on the board in Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Though his play has been inconsistent this season, he is coming off a top-35 at the Players Championship, and he’s never finished outside the top-30 at this track in four attempts.
Past Five Valspar Championship Winners
The 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19.
- Adam Hadwin (+2800): This course is kind to its past champs, and Adam Hadwin is one, having taken the title in 2017 and was T-7th a year ago. He comes off his fifth top-20 on the season, as he tied for 13th at TPC Sawgrass. He gained 9.5 shots on the field tee-to-green, and is fourth in that category in the last twelve spins around Innisbrook.
- Justin Suh (+3500): Former #1 ranked amateur Justin Suh has really found his footing as a professional. His last three starts he’s placed in the top-25 each time, including a T-5th at the Honda Classic and T-6th at the Players Championship. During that span, he’s tops in total strokes gained and second in SG: tee-to-green.
- Akshay Bhatia (+9000): 21-year-old phenom Akshay Bhatia comes off an impressive performance, placing runner-up at the Puerto Rico Open, his fourth made cut in four starts on the season. For the campaign, he’s tenth in strokes gained: approach, and he’s fourth in total strokes gained the last twelve rounds. He’s an intriguing option in the top 10/20 markets this week.
