Valspar Championship 2015: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More
A week after Doral tamed the field at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, the world's best golfers descended on Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, to see if they could ply their trade a little better at the Copperhead course.
Reigning champion John Senden is joined by third-ranked Henrik Stenson, fourth-ranked Adam Scott and sixth-ranked Jim Furyk in a solid overall field that should provide a weekend full of action. The par-71 course has gotten increasingly harder over the years, as Senden only needed to go seven under to take the event a year ago.
With the spring weather cooperating, it'll be interesting to see how the field fares. The following is a complete breakdown of the day-by-day standings from Palm Harbor. Be sure to check back following each round for an updated outlook.
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Leaderboard
Day 4 Recap
Jordan Spieth's ascent may officially be upon us. The 21-year-old American drained a 30-foot putt for birdie on the third playoff hole to take the 2015 Valspar Championship on Sunday, defeating Patrick Reed and Sean O'Hair.
Beginning the day one shot back of Ryan Moore, Spieth shot a two-under 69 to force a playoff. He was three strokes back with six holes to play, but carded back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 and then watched on as the field came back to him. On the day overall he had four birdies against two bogeys, though the birdie that did not count on the scorecard proved to be the most important.
“This is huge momentum for me,” Spieth said, per John Strege of Golf Digest. “It will jump me closer in the world ranking, which is obviously the number one goal long term. Most of all, it’s big momentum, positive momentum for us going into the major championships.”
The win is Spieth's second on the PGA Tour, but it's his third in the past five months. He was victorious at the Emirates Australian Open and Hero World Challenge in back-to-back weeks at the end of last year. Heading into the Masters, this should be a massive boost for his momentum. Spieth last year tied for second after being the 54-hole leader.
His playoff triumph overwhelmed efforts by Reed and O'Hair, who each had brilliant Sundays to put themselves in contention. Reed carded a bogey-free 66, recording four birdies on the back nine to force the playoff, including one on No. 18. O'Hair's lone blemish came on No. 6, and he likewise carded four birdies on the back nine en route to finishing with a 67.
“A crazy back nine,” Spieth said, per Strege.
Spieth is the fourth player in history to have multiple wins before his 22nd birthday, per the PGA. He joins a list that includes Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Robert Gamez. Garcia and Gamez have a combined 11 PGA Tour wins between them overall, while Woods is Woods. So to say there are a number of ways this could go for Spieth is an understatement.
That said, if the last few months are any indication, we're looking at a promising ascent here. Spieth moves up to a career-best No. 6 in the World Golf Rankings with the win and is arguably the biggest challenger to Rory McIlroy's throne heading into the Masters. Hopefully Augusta proves to be the first look at what could be golf's next great rivalry.
Day 3 Recap
Round 3 of the Valspar Championship provided Ryan Moore another opportunity to do what he's done all weekend: play consistent golf and put himself in a spot to win on Sunday.
On a day when a lot of players struggled with consistency, Moore played a blemish-free round with four birdies and no bogeys to take the outright lead at nine under par. It was also his third consecutive round in the 60s, making him the only player in this event to pull that off.
As good as Moore was, he doesn't have any breathing room because Jordan Spieth continues to play well on this course. He followed a 67 on Friday with a three-under 68 to sit at eight under par. The 21-year-old's lone mistake was a bogey on the third hole.
Spieth had four birdies on the day, including a terrific approach shot on No. 11 that set up a birdie putt, via PGA Tour:
One thing that has made Spieth so effective early in his career, as that highlight illustrates, is his ability to finish on the green. As Golf Central noted on Twitter, the young American star rarely gives away shots with his putter:
As far as what a victory for Spieth could mean, Justin Ray of the Golf Channel notes he would join Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia in an exclusive club:
One person who isn't happy heading into Sunday is Brendon de Jonge, who entered the third round in sole possession of first place at six under par. He cratered on Saturday with a four-over 75 that dropped him into a tie for 14th at two under par.
The front nine was particularly brutal for De Jonge. The 34-year-old shot a four-over 40 with five bogeys on a six-hole stretch from No. 4 through 9. His one saving grace was a chip-in birdie on the fifth hole, via PGA Tour:
Prior to today, De Jonge had been on a roll with six consecutive PGA Tour rounds under par. He's still got a chance to finish well on Sunday, but his hopes of contending have gone down the drain.
Still, there's plenty of competition at the top of the leaderboard to provide a spark on Sunday. Moore and Spieth are in the final pairing, but Derek Ernst is only two shots behind, and four other players are within four shots.
Given the number of players who struggled on Saturday, this tournament is far from over. There's been a different leader after each round, so Moore can't get comfortable with 18 holes still remaining.
Day 2 Recap
The second round at Innisbrook Resort was a strong one for Jordan Spieth, who moved up 36 spots into a tie for second place with his four-under 67. He could have gone even lower with seven total birdies, but bogeys on Nos. 7, 13 and 16 prevented him from getting completely over the hump.
Still, it's hard to complain where Spieth stands heading into the weekend. This was going to be a big season for the 21-year-old's development after breaking out in 2014. He's lived up to the hype thus far, with four top-10 finishes and one victory in eight events.
As good as Spieth's day was, Brendon de Jonge enters Saturday with a one-stroke lead after firing his second consecutive round under 70. He left a couple of shots on the course, including a bogey on the par-five 14th hole.
After his round was over, De Jonge told reporters that he got lucky on some of his shots, per Mick Elliott of PGATour.com:
"I made a 50-footer over there on No. 7 and No. 9 was playing straight downwind, so you could get pretty aggressive there.
Very much so (luck played a role). I made a soft bogey on No. 6 after driving it perfectly. Terrible tee shot on 7. Got lucky to have a shot. Made a long putt.
"
Consistency has been one of De Jonge's greatest strengths, especially in recent weeks. He hasn't shot higher than a 71 in his last three PGA Tour events but is still seeking his first win in 2015.
In a different story from the Valspar Championship's second round, Charley Hoffman, John Senden and Woody Austin had to stop play on the third hole because there was an intruder on the course. Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press provided photographic evidence:
It's moments like that where having a player on tour like Happy Gilmore would really come in handy.
One storyline from way down the leaderboard was Adam Scott missing the cut after finishing the first two rounds at four over par. Per the PGA Tour's official Twitter, Scott held the longest active streak of consecutive cuts made:
Even without Scott, the weekend in Florida is shaping up to be very interesting. There are 13 players within three shots of De Jonge atop the leaderboard. Spieth made the big leap on Friday, but 14 players shot under 70 to show that there are plenty of low scores to be found.
De Jonge's consistency in recent tournaments would seem to give him an advantage, though, he's yet to turn them into a victory.
Day 1 Recap
In his more than 20 years as a professional, Brian Davis has never won a PGA Tour event. If he's able to build on his stellar start Thursday, the Englishman might just be able to break that streak.
Davis carded a six-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over Sean O'Hair and Ricky Barnes after the first round of the Valspar Championship. The 40-year-old carded eight birdies against two bogeys, blazing out to a hot start before tapering off down the stretch.
Starting off on the back nine, Davis made the turn at five under after birdieing four of his first six holes. He got as high as seven under after birdies on No. 5 and No. 6 but followed those up with his first two bogeys of the day on Nos. 7 and 8. Looking to close the day right, Davis was able to move back to six under by birdieing the par-four ninth.
Following closely behind are Barnes and O'Hair, the latter overcoming three bogeys with his eight red numbers and the former turning in a consistently solid round. Barnes only had one bogey against his six birdies, a frustrating four on the par-four 17th to drop him out of a potential tie with Davis. He hit 83.3 percent of his greens in regulation and putted the ball beautifully for most of the round.
Same goes for O'Hair, whose putter was doing a ton of extra work all day. He was able to stay in the hunt despite some questionable drives thanks to a brilliant round of putting, which probably saved him a few strokes by the end of the day.
"I was able to hit it close and make some putts," O'Hair said, per Rodney Page of the Tampa Bay Times. "All in all, a pretty solid round. Feels good to have one of those for a change.''
The day offered different outcomes for the two best players in the field, as Stenson steadily climbed the leaderboard while Scott struggled to get going. Stenson sits in a tie for fourth place at four under, having played a bogey-free round that might have been better with stronger work off the tee.
He was below average in greens in regulation percentage and seemed particularly miffed at his iron play but was able to put it together once he started using the short stick.
The typically consistent Scott ended his day with a miserable back nine that featured five bogeys, including four straight from No. 5 to No. 8. He made the turn at two under before going 38 on the front nine (he started on the back), closing his day with a clutch birdie on No. 9 to get back to even.
"Fell asleep out there for about 30 minutes," Scott told reporters.
Other notables in the field include Jason Dufner (-1), Jordan Spieth (-1) and Furyk (-2).
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
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