The PGA Tour heads to the eastern Gulf Coast in sunny Tampa Bay, Florida during the last weekend of April at the Valspar Championship. Australian golfing tandem Mark Leishman and Cameron Smith (-20) are coming off a playoff-sealing victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a foursome (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball) format. The tour returns to individual players at the 2021 Valspar Championship, which challenges its golfers with long Par 5s and deceptive Par 3s differing dramatically from the big and soft-sloped greens at TPC Louisiana last weekend.
Here are some of my favorite golfers that contain good value to help cash your lineups during the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort this weekend.
Check out the PGA Eagle contest this week at FanDuel for your chance to win $10,000! 
Previous Winners
- 2020: Cancelled – COVID-19
- 2019: Paul Casey (-8)
- 2018: Paul Casey (-10)
- 2017: Adam Hadwin (-14)
- 2016: Charl Schwartzel (-7)
- 2015: Jordan Spieth (-10)
Course Preview
The Valspar Championship held at Tampa Bay’s Innisbrook Copperhead course features pine trees along the fairways with elevated terrain found on each hole. Numerous water hazards and busy sand trap bunkers surround the greens, placing an emphasis on driving accuracy percentage. Nine of the 18 holes are either a Par 3 or Par 5, creating a lot of opportunities for golfers to get eagles and birdies based on short-yardage Par 3s.
Golfers with elite GIR percentages are typically good with their medium and short-range irons, making the lengthy Par 5s conquerable at the Innisbrook Copperhead Course. There are also several dogleg fairways that require accurate, angled approaches to avoid going over par and missing the cut at The 2021 Valspar Championship.
Relevant Betting Stats
- Greens in Regulation (GIR)
- Driving Accuracy Percentage
- Birdie Average
- Tee to Green Percentage
Recommended Plays
Charley Hoffman ($10,100)
The 44-year old Californian has been performing well in 2021, earning four top 10 finishes including a -16 outing to finish second at the Valero Texas Open. Hoffman ranks in the top-40 for birdies and eagles, including a 68.44 GIR% that will bode well during the challenging fairways at the Valspar Championship. He is a great value addition to your six-player roster, as he can be salaried just above $10,000 and ranks highly in numerous statistical categories that play to the strengths of Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course this weekend.
Louis Oosthuizen ($11,200)
Louis Oosthuizen fell just short of winning the playoff at The Zurich Class at TPC Louisiana this past weekend but played an exceptional game along with fellow South African Charl Schwartzel throughout the foursomes tournament. The 38-year old gets a shot at redemption at The Valspar Championship this weekend, as he has a great driving accuracy percentage (65%) and ranks among the top-20 PGA Tour golfers for greens hit in regulation (66%) and an added bonus of solid sand save percentage (56.5%) play throughout the 2021 season. Oosthuizen is worth the higher salary and can produce big numbers in your lineups at Innisbrook based on his ability to dominate off the tee and surrounding greens.
Charl Schwartzel ($8,900)
Schwartzel is a tremendous value at a greatly reduced salary compared to his South African foursomes partner that saw them place second (-20) after losing the playoff at The Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The negative draw towards rostering Schwartzel is his inability to control his drives, ranking 143rd with a 57.58 driving accuracy percentage but driving them with great power at an average of 302.5 yards per hole this season. The 36-year old from Johannesburg has totaled nine eagles during the 2021 PGA Tour and also can dig himself out of a bad shot, averaging a 54.44% sand save percentage in 49 out of 90 bunker placements. With a sub $9,000 salary, Schwartzel is a must-add value in your lineups at The Valspar Championship.
Paul Casey ($11,400)
The 43-year old native of England is salaried highly based on winning the Valspar Championship in its last two years in 2018 and 2019. Casey missed the cut at RBC Heritage in his most recent outing but placed T26 (+1) in The Masters at Augusta National earlier this month. Prior to these performances, Casey logged four top-10 finishes, including two -14 performances in back-to-back outings at The American Express and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournaments. He ranks solid across most statistical categories, including a 67.78 GIR% and 155 birdies through 40 rounds. Birdies are the key currency to winning PGA DFS and chasing these points via rostering Casey is justified, despite the higher salary.
Jason Kokrak ($10,600)
Jason Kokrak had a disappointing finish at The Masters, his last outing, earning a T49 finish (+7) but his three previous finishes all ranked in the top-10. The 35-year old Canadian averages 4.35 birdies per round during the 2021 PGA Tour season, which ranks 21st among all golfers on the Tour. Kokrak also has an incredible driving distance average (305.7/hole) and is able to control the accuracy of these drives fairly well at 62.2 DAP%. He has had plenty of rest and time to sharpen his short game, which limited him tremendously on the challenging greens at Augusta National. He’s consistent in making the cut and has the potential to produce another top-ten finish at The 2021 Valspar Championship, where he crushed the competition and finished T2 (-7) in its last event held in March 2019. Make sure to fire up Kokrak when constructing your lineups for the weekend.
Sepp Straka ($8,500)
Sepp Straka is a low-salary option to target in your lineups during the 2021 Valspar Championship. The 27-year old Austrian does not have any career victories in five years as a professional but has logged two top-10 finishes this season. Straka boasts a 66.75 GIR% on top of great eagle and birdie averages. He is one of the better golfers on tour when it comes to scoring average, ranking 58th with a 70.825 across 20 tournaments this season. Straka last finished T46 (+3) at Valspar Championship in 2019. However, Straka has not missed a cut in his last five outings and is a safe salary-saving option in your lineups at the Innisbrook Copperhead Course in Tampa Bay heading into Thursday.
Find the best prop bets for the 2021 Valspar Championship over at BettingPros
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