Steve Palmer's Valspar Championship first-round preview & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best specials bets and first-round analysis for the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course on the PGA Tour.

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf red button, 11.40am Thursday

Best bets

Shane Lowry to win 5.14pm threeball
3pts 10-11 general

Cameron Tringale to miss cut
2pts 13-8 bet365

Dustin Johnson to beat Viktor Hovland
2pts 5-4 Betfair, Power

Alex Noren top Swede
2pts Evs Betfair, Hills, Power

Preview

Henrik Stenson has just been announced as the new European Ryder Cup captain, indicating that the Swede does not think he will be arresting his decline as a player any time soon, and the former Open champion seems worth opposing in round one of the Valspar Championship.

Stenson, languishing at 216th in the world rankings, has not made a cut on the PGA Tour since the US PGA Championship last May. Shane Lowry can boss his 5.14pm (UK and Ireland time) threeball against Stenson and Graeme McDowell.

Lowry, runner-up in the Honda Classic and 13th in the Players Championship in his two Florida Swing starts this year, looks the pick of the Valspar threeballs card.

Cameron Tringale, clearly struggling with injury when missing the cut at Pebble Beach last month, rallied at Riviera before two more missed cuts at Bay Hill and Sawgrass. The 13-8 about the Californian missing his sixth cut of this season on Friday appears fair.

Dustin Johnson, who carded a final-round 63 at Sawgrass, seems a value outsider against a potentially jaded Viktor Hovland, while Alex Noren can beat Stenson, Henrik Norlander and Jonas Blixt to win a weak top Swede section.