The PGA continues with its Florida swing, this time with the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course. Last week’s weather conditions were atrocious for The Players Championship with wind, rain, and storms causing delays, but this week should … not be that. If a player missed the cut last week, I’m not holding it against them. Tee times did matter and there were some players on the wrong side of the wave.
That being said, I’m sticking with my underdogs because not only has it been working as of late, but you get more value either at plus money or less juice. Here are two matchups I like for the Valspar.
Viktor Hovland (-105) vs. Justin Thomas
Hovland is bound to win one soon, right? Each week Hovland is putting himself in prime position to win another title and instead finds ways to not close out. Since missing the cut at the Phoenix Open in mid-February, Hovland has finished T4 in The Genesis, runner-up in the Arnold Palmer, and T9 last week in The Players. Hovland was one of my horses to win last week and yet again came the disappointment. Instead of backing him to win outright … because I like cashing tickets … I’m backing Hovland to continue his hot streak against one of the best in Justin Thomas.
Thomas was one of two players to have a bogey-free second round at The Players amid all the chaos (the other being Bubba Watson) but couldn’t get anything going after that. In the last two rounds, Thomas found the water on four separate holes and hit a couple of doubles. I’m a big believer in momentum, and Thomas fizzled a little too much for liking. If you bogey because you missed a putt, OK, I may ignore it. But if you dunked a few times, well, that makes me concerned.
Louis Oosthuizen (-105) vs. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele missed the cut at The Players and, as mentioned, I’m not holding that against him. However, he has never played Valspar. That, I am…
Source : yahoo
