Steve Palmer's Valspar Championship predictions & free golf betting tips plus bet £10 and get a £30 free bet with Kwiff

When to bet on the Valspar Championship

By 11.30am on Thursday

It's also worth noting that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when new customers bet £10 on golf 

Where can I watch the Valspar Championship

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 11.30am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Valspar Championship predictions

Sepp Straka
2.5pts each-way 55-1 bet365

Sungjae Im
2.5pts each-way 25-1 BoyleSports, Hills

Nick Taylor
2pts each-way 35-1 bet365

New customers can get a £30 free bet when they bet on the Valspar Championship with Kwiff

Steve Palmer's Valspar Championship preview

Xander Schauffele squandered a golden winning opportunity in the Players Championship on Sunday and the world number five is looking to bounce back from that disappointment in the Valspar Championship.

Schauffele was one over par for his final five holes at Sawgrass, a meek finish which allowed Scottie Scheffler to retain his dominance on the PGA Tour, and exasperated Xander will do well to pick himself up for Copperhead so soon after such a major setback.

Schauffele, who has been working on swing changes with new coach Chris Como, does not have a fantastic record in Florida for a player of his stature and looks a vulnerable favourite.

Two-time Valspar champion, Sam Burns, makes more appeal, but he has been destroying scorecards with some destructive shots this year. He has been generally impressive, but has been finishing tournaments poorly.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Sepp Straka 55-1

The market principals can be passed over this week for the much better value offers about Sepp Straka, who finally kick-started his 2024 campaign with 16th place in the Players Championship on Sunday.

It has taken a while for Straka to find top gear. He ended last year with a runner-up finish behind Scottie Scheffler in the Hero World Challenge, before fatherhood became a priority, with little baby Leo the centre of attention in the Straka household.

Sepp has been inconsistent on the golf course, but he was rock-solid at Sawgrass last week, carding rounds of 68, 70, 70, 70, finishing third for greens in regulation, going bogey-free in both rounds one and four.

Despite holing hardly anything, languishing 58th in the putting stats, Straka banked a healthy Sawgrass cheque – and he could be the man to beat this week with a little warming of his flat-stick at Copperhead.

Straka loves tackling tough Florida layouts. He won the 2022 Honda Classic, was ninth in the 2022 Players Championship and fifth in last year's Honda title defence. The Georgia-based Austrian loves hopping south over the border to the Sunshine State, where he was third in the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card.

Straka finished 46th in his only previous Valspar – that was in 2019 when he was a rookie maiden ranked 365th in the world. He returns this week as a two-time PGA Tour champion, a Ryder Cup winner and the world number 26.

Next best bet

Sungjae Im 25-1

The Sentry at the start of the year witnessed a sensational Sungjae Im performance – he broke the PGA Tour record for total birdies in a tournament by carding 34 on his way to fifth place in Hawaii. It was a shock to Sungjae fans when he followed that effort by making no serious impact for a couple of months.

The last fortnight has been encouraging for Im, though, with 18th place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational followed by 31st spot in the Players Championship. He was fourth in the strokes-gained off-the-tee statistics at Sawgrass, which bodes well when heading to a Copperhead layout where straight driving is so important.

Like Straka, Im suffered on the Sawgrass greens, finishing 61st for putting. They are both hitting their ball with authority and can be serious Valspar threats with improved fortune on a different set of greens.

Im loves the Florida Swing. He was third at Bay Hill in 2019, won the Honda Classic in 2020, was third at Bay Hill again that year and sixth at Sawgrass last year. The cool Korean was fourth on his Valspar debut in 2019 and 29th on his only subsequent visit.

Other selection

Nick Taylor 33-1

Former world number one amateur Nick Taylor has become a four-time PGA Tour champion, showing incredible courage to win the Canadian Open last year, then more guts for Phoenix Open glory in February.

Taylor has been decent since Phoenix – 39th at Riviera, 12th at Bay Hill, 26th at Sawgrass – and it was poor chipping which blighted his Players Championship. He messed up around the greens, but putted superbly and looks a massive Valspar threat.

Taylor was a Tour rookie for his Valspar debut in 2015, but finished in 24th place. He arrived at Copperhead last year off back-to-back missed cuts at Bay Hill and Sawgrass, but carded four solid rounds for tenth place in the Valspar. The Canadian's self-belief has sky-rocketed in the 12 months since.

Course guide for the Valspar Championship

• Course Copperhead, Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida
• Prize money $8.4m ($1.512m to the winner)
• Length 7,340 yards
• Par 71 - four par-fives; nine par-fours; five par-threes
• Field 155 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Xander Schauffele (5), Brian Harman (8), Keegan Bradley (15), Jordan Spieth (16), Sam Burns (19)
• Course records - 72 holes 266 Vijay Singh (2004) 18 holes 61 Padraig Harrington (2012), Matthew NeSmith (2022)
• Course winners taking part Gary Woodland, Luke Donald, Kevin Streelman, Jordan Spieth, Adam Hadwin, Sam Burns (twice), Taylor Moore
• When to bet By 11.30am on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 11.30am on Thursday
• Time difference Florida is four hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – Players Championship 1 S Scheffler (11-2), T2 B Harman (50-1), X Schauffele (22-1), W Clark (40-1), 5 M Fitzpatrick (70-1), T6 S W Kim (50-1), H Matsuyama (30-1), 8 L Aberg (33-1), T9 S Theegala (60-1), M McNealy (225-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Tough, tree-lined layout, hosting for the 23rd time (no tournament in 2001 or 2020). The event was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Classic, Chrysler Championship, PODS Championship, Transitions Championship and Tampa Bay Championship
• Story of last year Taylor Moore edged Adam Schenk to claim a maiden PGA Tour title
• Weather forecast A mixture of sunshine and clouds, with cool mornings replaced by pleasant afternoons, and gentle breezes throughout
• Type of player suited to the challenge Straight hitting and churning out greens in regulation is the key to success, which is why the likes of KJ Choi, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Kevin Streelman and John Senden have flourished in the past
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's Valspar Championship key stat

Fifteen of the 22 Valspar winners finished inside the top 15 for greens in regulation

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Kwiff golf Valspar Championship betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

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