Who Will Tame the Snake Pit? 2025 Valspar Championship up for Grabs
The PGA Tour concludes its Florida swing this week with the 2025 Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida. Known for its tight fairways, tree-lined doglegs, and tricky greens, Copperhead is certainly a demanding test on the PGA Tour schedule. The course places emphasis on accuracy and shot-making rather than just raw power, making it a favorite amongst the best ball-strikers. With a fairly strong field set to compete for $8.7 million, fans will get to see the players navigate the infamous “Snake Pit,” a treacherous three-hole stretch that often determines the tournament’s outcome. We can expect a grueling but exciting test for some of the world’s best in one of golf’s best, non-signature tournaments.
Tournament Details
Location: Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, FL
Dates: March 20th - 23rd, 2025
Defending Champion: Peter Malnati
Purse: $8.7 million
FedEx Cup Points: 500
Event Type: Regular PGA Tour Event
Course Week Breakdown
The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook is a 7,352-yard par 71 course featuring narrow fairways, elevation changes, and small, fast greens. It is also home to one of the toughest finishing stretches of the PGA Tour, the infamous “Snake Pit,” which consists of the par four 16th, the par three 17th, and the par four 18th. These three holes often determine the winner, as players must battle water hazards, deep bunkers, and swirling winds. The “Snake Pit” even features a large bronze snake statue which looms over players as they take it on.
The weather for the most part should be fairly tame all weekend. The temperatures will range from the 60s on Thursday and Friday to the mid-70s on Saturday and Sunday. There is a 47% chance of rain on Sunday, and the winds will range from 7 - 12 mph. Players who can navigate some of the swirling winds and excel in ball striking will have a great chance to contend.
Featured Players to Watch
Defending Champion: Peter Malnati - World Number 158
PGA Tour journeyman, Peter Malnati, pulled off one of the most unexpected victories on the PGA Tour last year capturing the 2024 Valspar Championship by shooting a 12 under par, his second career win on tour, his first since 2015. His steady iron play and elite putting helped him hold off a stacked leaderboard, proving that precision and patience are just as valuable as power at Innisbrook. Malnati may not be one of the biggest names in the field, but his ability to navigate the course’s tricky layout makes him a dark horse contender once again. Lightning can strike twice right? He’s played eight events so far in 2025 and has only made the cut three times, but maybe he’ll carry over some confidence from his win in 2024.
Powerhouse: Xander Schauffele - World Number Three
Xander Schauffele has been one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour for years, but after just coming back from a rib injury, he’s still trying to regain the dominant form that made him a top contender in every event. Schauffele’s ability to excel in nearly every part of the game, from tee to green, should make him a natural fit for any course he plays, including Copperhead’s tough layout, but he’ll need to knock off a lot of the competition rust that’s been plaguing him since his return. He’s played two events since returning from injury, and he finished tied for 40th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished 72nd at the Players Championship. The best way to knock off the tournament rust is to keep playing in tournaments and the Valspar Championship is another opportunity to do so, with the Major season looming.
Looking to Bounce Back: Viktor Hovland - World Number 19
The Native of Norway, Viktor Hovland was one of the hottest players in the world two years ago winning the FedEx Cup trophy, as well as the Hero World Challenge, the Memorial Tournament, and the BMW Championship. Since then, however, he’s struggled to find that same dominance, dealing with inconsistencies in his short game and his iron play, to the surprise of many golf enthusiasts. Hovland can still be one of the most talented players on tour, but he needs to find that magic and confidence again. The Valspar Championship is yet another opportunity for him to have a strong showing and get things back on track. The Norwegian star is too good to stay in a slump for this long and, if he can bring his A-game out, it will be a great chance for him to find “IT.”
Wild Card Winner: Sam Burns - World Number 32
If there’s one player who has dominated the Valspar Championship in recent years it’s Sam Burns. He is a two-time winner at Innisbrook, winning in 2021 and 2022. Despite missing the cut in 2024, the LSU Tiger has a pretty good track record at Copperhead with two wins, a sixth-place finish in 2023, a tie for 30th in 2019, and a tie for 12th in 2018. He did miss the cut at The Players Championship last week, but his ability to handle this course and his elite putting can easily erase that frustration this week. He loves this course and, even though he’s only had one top-10 finish in 2025, I like his chances to be the first three-time winner at the Valspar Championship.
