Valspar Championship Betting Tips: 5 Panel Selections From Copperhead
The Florida swing concludes at the Valspar Championship after a very frustrating weekend from a tipping perspective.
Ludvig Aberg threw away a big lead on the back nine at Sawgrass to deny The Panel a 22/1 winner at The Players Championship, with an each-way share of fifth place meagre compensation.
To make matters worse, Sepp Straka double-bogeyed the last to miss out on an each-way place by one shot at 45/1.
Hopefully, the team will have similar success with last year’s selections from Innisbrook which produced 22/1 each-way returns on both Corey Conners and Shane Lowry, although the best came from Sam Ryder, who finished inside the top 20 at 5/1.
Copperhead is one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour, ranking inside the top 10 in terms of difficulty in the last three years.
Measuring a lengthy 7,352 yards, this par 71 has very tight fairways and the greens are pretty quick. A number of dog legs, elevation changes and water hazards on half the holes make scoring tough.
Viktor Hovland is the defending champion and can be backed at 16/1, the same price as Sawgrass runner-up Matt Fitzpatrick, but Xander Schauffele is the 11/1 favourite on betting sites.
Winners in the last nine years have been priced at 25/1 or higher, with Peter Malnati landing his second PGA Tour title at 250/1 two years ago, so it could pay dividends to look further down the field which is packed with quality players this week.
The Panel kick off their Valspar Championship betting tips with a player who has hit top form in the last few weeks.
Valspar Championship Tips: Austin Can Motor At Copperhead
Austin Smotherman has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but the signs are promising that he could end his title drought in Florida.
The American won twice on last season’s Korn Ferry Tour to receive fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour and he has been grabbing his opportunity with both hands.
Eighth at The American Express, Smotherman broke into the world’s top 100 five weeks later with a runners-up spot at PGA National.
A back problem prevented him from starting his third round at Bay Hill, but Smotherman showed no sign of injury at last week’s trip to Sawgrass where he finished a respectable 13th, having shared the lead at the end of the opening round.
Smotherman has played well in his two previous trips to Innisbrook; 25th on his 2022 debut and another top 40 a year later on a course which demands excellent iron play.
The 31-year-old Californian tops the Strokes Gained: Approach stats this season and is sixth from Tee-to-Green, so he looks to have the right skill set to manage this tough test.
At 55/1 with BetMGM, Smotherman is the first of this week’s Valspar Championship predictions.
Valspar Championship Betting Tips 1: Austin Smotherman 55/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Six Places)
Valspar Championship Betting Tips:
- Austin Smotherman 55/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Six Places)
- Ryo Hisatsune 33/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Six Places)
- Corey Conners 25/1 (Each-Way) - With Ladbrokes (10 Places)
- Eric Cole 9/2 Top 20 - With BoyleSports
- Ricky Castillo 60/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With Coral (Seven Places)
Valspar Championship Betting Tips: Hop On Hisatsune
In-form Jacob Bridgeman appeals at 20/1 to follow up his recent success at Riviera, but The Panel are going with Ryo Hisatsune at the higher price of 33/1 with SpreadEx.
The 23-year-old Japanese won the French Open in 2023 and he has already racked up three top 10s on the PGA Tour in the early part of the season, all of which came in consecutive weeks.
Only Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick were better than Hisatsune from tee to green at last week’s Players Championship where he finished 13th.
Moreover, the world number 65 closed with a 68 to finish fourth in last year’s Valspar Championship, 12 months after he had posted a top 40 on his debut, so the signs are promising he could have a good week.
Hisatsune is just outside the top 20 for Approach this year, but, like Smotherman, is inside the top 10 from Tee-to-Green using the Strokes Gained metric.
The only negative is that Hisatsune has played in every tournament bar the Cognizant Classic this season, so fatigue could be a factor, but his form his hard to ignore.
Valspar Championship Betting Tips 2: Ryo Hisatsune 35/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Six Places)
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Valspar Championship Betting Tips: Second Chance For Conners
Conners made a mediocre start to the year, but his form has been picking up in recent weeks and he looks worth a whirl on a course where he always plays well.
The Canadian was 16th on his 2018 debut and 21st three years later, but 12 months ago produced his best performance on this tricky lay-out with three successive 69s for a share of eighth.
Since a poor display at Pebble Beach, Conners has been improving every week; 37th at Riviera, 33rd at Bay Hill and, like Hisatsune, 13th at Sawgrass last week.
Only five players were better on for SG: Approach than Conners at The Players Championship where he was inside the top 10 from Tee-to-Green.
Conners was just five off the lead heading into the final round, but his hopes of a third PGA Tour title were scuppered by four dropped shots in his opening six holes.
Hopefully, Conners can banish the memory of Sunday’s front nine at Sawgrass on what was otherwise an excellent four days.
He can be backed at 33/1 with several betting apps, but The Panel are taking the 10 places with Ladbrokes at the shorter price of 25/1.
Valspar Championship Betting Tips 3: Corey Conners 25/1 (Each-Way) - With Ladbrokes (10 Places)
Valspar Championship Top 20 Tips: Cole Can Compete
Eric Cole catches the eye at a triple-figure price on a course where he has improved with each of his last three appearances.
A missed cut on his 2023 debut was followed by a top 35 in 2024 and a year ago he finished in 12th place, an impressive display bearing in mind he posted a three-over-par 74 in his opening round.
Cole has been so-so this season, mixing three missed cuts with four top 40s, so it’s understandable why he can be backed at 125/1 with several bookmakers.
Bet365 is offering 110/1 on eight places, but The Panel prefer Cole in the top 20 market at 9/2 with BoyleSports.
Valspar Championship Betting Tips 4: Eric Cole 9/2 Top 20 - With BoyleSports
Valspar Championship First-Round Leader Tips: Ricky To Rock
Ricky Castillo is still basking in the glow of his maiden PGA Tour title at the Puerto Rico Open a couple of weeks ago and The Panel fancy the American to make a fast start this week.
The 24-year-old Californian, now living in Jacksonville, Florida, has been inside the top 30 on a Thursday in six of his last seven appearances and he was fourth when he won at the Grand Reserve Golf Club.
Castillo missed the cut on his Copperhead debut in 2024, but he finished 12th last year when he also shared the lead after the opening round.
Cool scenes and cooler temperatures Tuesday morning at Innisbrook. ☀️ pic.twitter.com/tBMcpMmztS
— Valspar Championship (@ValsparChamp) March 17, 2026
Thursday’s weather forecast suggests there is no advantage to playing either in the morning or afternoon, so even without the knowing the tee-off times, Castillo looks a decent shout at 60/1 in the first-round leader market.
Valspar Championship Betting Tips 5: Ricky Castillo 60/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With Coral (Seven Places)
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