The 2026 Valspar Championship is the next event on the PGA Tour circuit this week. Hosted at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club at the Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, a field of 135 golfers will descend upon Tampa Bay to play this par-71 course.
Copperhead is infamous for its closing three-hole stretch, The Snake Pit, which has a pair of par 4s and a 200-yard par 3 to offer a difficult test at the end of the back nine. 7,352 yards is the length of this course, which features overseeded Bermudagrass surfaces on a Larry Packard design.
Three par 5s and five par 3s are in store, with a premium placed on tee-to-green accuracy. Narrow fairways and four-inch rough are hazards, along with the typical water hazards found in Florida. Expect greens to run up to 12.5 feet via Stimpmeter.
Last year’s winner, Viktor Hovland, returns to Innisbrook as the third betting favorite at +1700 odds, behind only Xander Schauffele (+1100) and Matt Fitzpatrick (+1300). Justin Thomas and Jacob Bridgeman also carded finishes inside the top 3 in 2025, which is why they are +2000. Akshay Bhatia is also a top betting favorite in the outright winner market at +1900 odds.
My 2026 The Players Championship Picks & Predictions: Best PGA Bets settled 1-1-1, depending on your sportsbook operator. Collin Morikawa’s early withdrawal after playing just one hole voided most wagers on the Pebble Beach champion, so our Top 20 ticket on him led to a push. Jake Knapp had an awful outing, missing the cut after failing to go under par in either round, never coming close to a Top 20 finish. We did cash Russell Henley to post a Top 20 finish at +125 odds, as he secured a T13 finish at -6-under-par.
Continue reading to get my three best bets to place ahead of Round 1 at the 2026 Valspar Championship on Thursday morning. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and PGA Tour analysis throughout the 2026 PGA Tour season.
Valspar Championship (2026): Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Top 20 Finishing Position
Few golfers are playing with more momentum and consistency right now than Jacob Bridgeman. The 26-year-old South Carolina native already recorded his first PGA Tour victory at The Genesis Invitational against a Signature Event field.
Now, Bridgeman returns to the Copperhead Course, where he carded a solo third-place finish in 2025. In 2026, Bridgeman has logged a top 20 finish or better in all seven events that he’s played, including a T5 at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.
Notable metrics to back Bridgeman at plus odds in the Top 20 Finishing Position betting market include pacing the PGA Tour in total strokes gained and in SG: Putting. He’s also 31st in SG: Approach. As a result, he’s first in par 4 scoring, while second in overall scoring average and birdie average.
Take advantage of the value here and bet on Jacob Bridgeman to record an eighth consecutive Top 20 finish at the 2026 Valspar Championship.
Pick: Jacob Bridgeman (+125)
Top 20 Finishing Position
Ryo Hisatsune has found himself near the top of multiple leaderboards on Sunday this season. The 23-year-old Japanese native has three top 10 finishes in 2026, and now, Hisatsune is back at Innisbrook, where he last secured a T4 finish in 2025.
Hisatsune is very accurate tee-to-green, which is why I want to invest in him to post a fifth top 20 finish this year at the Valspar Championship. Hisatsune is coming off a T13 at The Players Championship, going under par in three of four rounds.
Ranks 17th in total strokes gained, including 15th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 22nd in SG: Approach. 25th for driving accuracy, which is huge at Copperhead, plus third at finding greens in regulation and 26th in proximity.
At +170 odds, we’re landing a good number on Hisatsune to post a second straight top 20 finish at this event.
Pick: Ryo Hisatsune (+170)
72 Hole Matchbet Matt Fitzpatrick vs. Akshay Bhatia
Let’s exit the Top 20 Finishing Position betting market and turn our attention to a 72 Hole Matchbet play between Matt Fitzpatrick and Akshay Bhatia.
Both of these golfers are trending up, with Bhatia winning a playoff against Daniel Berger at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill a couple of weeks ago. Fitzpatrick held a brief lead late on Sunday at The Players Championship, before bogeying the 72nd hole and falling one stroke short of forcing a playoff against Cameron Young.
Oddsmakers are favoring Fitzpatrick at -138 odds to beat Bhatia’s final scorecard at Innisbrook this week. I believe that the wrong golfer is favored in this spot.
Recency bias should apply to both golfers. Yet, Fitzpatrick sitting at nearly -140 feels like a trap. He’s missed the cut twice in three outings at the Copperhead Course, along with a T5 finish in 2022. It’ll mark the first time since 2023 we’ve seen Fitzpatrick in this field.
Bhatia has also missed the cut twice at the Valspar Championship. However, his most recent appearance in 2024 led to a T17 finish at -4-under-par.
Bhatia is ranked fifth in total strokes gained, ninth in SG: Approach, and 10th in SG: Putting. Fitzpatrick’s putter is the main weakness we’re fading, as the Englishman sits outside the top 100 in SG: Putting.
While Fitzpatrick holds an edge in terms of off-the-tee accuracy and proximity, I prefer backing a golfer like Bhatia, who has accurate irons and a red-hot putter. He’s more than capable of scrambling and draining birdies, while Fitzpatrick may commit fewer miscues but record fewer birdies.
Let’s back Bhatia in a rare underdog spot in the 72 Hole Matchbet market. Bet on Akshay Bhatia to beat Matt Fitzpatrick at even odds.
Pick: Akshay Bhatia (+100)
