The Valspar Championship is delivering exactly the kind of weekend the Copperhead always promises: a leaderboard packed with ball-strikers, a couple of familiar names hovering, and the Snake Pit waiting at the end.
After 36 holes at Innisbrook, Sungjae Im sits two clear of the field after a Friday 65 that featured seven birdies and only a single dropped shot. The South Korean has long been one of the most consistent ball-strikers on Tour, and the Copperhead is exactly the kind of course that rewards his methodical, repeatable approach.
Spieth flashes brilliance, then fades
Jordan Spieth started the week as if 2015 had never ended. A Thursday 66 had him atop the early leaderboard and the broadcast was, predictably, ready to anoint him the comeback story of the spring. But Friday brought back the version of Spieth that has frustrated him for years.
Spieth was steady through fifteen holes before three-putting the par-3 15th, finding sand on 16, and missing a short par save on 17 that knocked him back to two-under for the tournament. He still made the cut comfortably and remains within touching distance, but the difference between his Thursday and his Friday will be the conversation he has with himself on the range tonight.
Fitzpatrick lurking again
Matt Fitzpatrick has now made the cut in seven straight starts and sits four off the lead heading into the weekend. Fresh off his runner-up finish at The Players, the Englishman is once again playing the kind of precise iron golf that always travels well at Innisbrook.
Fitzpatrick has been knocking on the door for months. Players Championship, Cognizant Classic, Phoenix Open — he keeps stacking top tens without quite getting over the line. A course like the Copperhead, where his wedge play and putting are perfectly suited to the firm Bermuda greens, might finally be the place he ends the drought.
Aberg, McIlroy, and a Masters tune-up vibe
A familiar pre-Masters atmosphere is starting to settle on the leaderboard. Ludvig Aberg, still searching for his form after his Sunday collapse at Sawgrass, is hovering at four-under and showing signs of progress. Rory McIlroy, who skipped this week to keep his back fresh ahead of Augusta, will be watching closely from home as the contenders sort themselves out.
Sahith Theegala, Tom Hoge, and Cameron Young also sit inside the top fifteen and will fancy a run on the weekend.
What to watch on the weekend
Two questions will define the Valspar’s final 36 holes. First, can Sungjae Im hold his nerve at a course where the Snake Pit always claims at least one big name on Sunday? His ball-striking suggests yes, but he has not always been clinical when leading on the back nine.
Second, can Fitzpatrick close the gap and finally turn another top-five into a trophy? If the wind kicks up off the Gulf, his accuracy advantage grows. If conditions stay calm, the bombers will get more chances.
Innisbrook tends to deliver a champion who earned it the hard way. There’s no reason to think this weekend will be any different.