As you know from watching The Weather Channel this past week — wait, that was Golf Channel — the Players Championship was contested in ark-building conditions. That won’t likely be the case at the Tour’s next stop. On the game’s best go to the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club, on Florida’s southwest coast, where the forecast calls for light winds, sunshine, and temperatures in the 70s.
While conditions should be docile, the course itself won’t. Tree-lined and water-laden with elevation changes that mark it as an outlier in Florida golf, the Copperhead Course routinely rates among the most demanding venues on the Tour rota, particularly from tee to green.
Justin Thomas is the current odds-on favorite, and Erick Lindgren is once again on hand to help us sort through the betting options. You know the drill. We give Lindgren a $1,000 budget (just play money), and he gives us his top-5 plays for the tournament, which kicks off this Thursday.
(Looking to play any of these bets yourself? We teamed with BetMGM and the online sports book is offering a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1,000.)
Viktor Hovland to win, +1000 (wager: $300)
After a slog at Sawgrass that didn’t end until Monday, Lindgren expects fatigue to be a factor for many in the field. Less so for the 24-year-old Hovland, who has been in the hunt the past two weeks.
Gary Woodland to win, +6,600 (wager: $100)
Woodland won here in 2011. But what Lindgren likes even more is his recent performance, which includes a close brush at Bay Hill and two top-5s in the Florida swing.
Bubba Watson, top 5, +900 (wager: $200)
The enigmatic Watson can be tough to handicap. But Lindgren was impressed by his showing at Sawgrass, where his second-round 68 was even better than the headline-making score turned in by Justin Thomas. “Bubba is starting to trend and he likes tree-lined courses,” Lindgren says. Copperhead fits that bill.
Keegan Bradley, top 10, +400 (wager: $300)
A great long-iron player on a course with stout approaches and five par-3s, Bradley is looking good to Lindgren, even more because his putting has been heating up. He finished second here last year and is fresh off a strong finish at the Players. “Let’s ride the lightning,” Lindgren says.
Danny Lee, first-round leader, +12,500 (wager: $100)
Lee has been flashing some good form lately, only to be derailed by a few bad holes. So says Lindgren, who sees the long odds and low risk here as too good to pass up.
