Golf: The Valspar Championship Preview March 17-20

Preparations continue for The Masters this week at the Innisbrook Resort in Florida, which will stage the Valspar Championship.

It was a thrilling, if not delayed conclusion to The Players Championship as the tournament only finished on Monday, but Cameron Smith held his nerve to claim the unofficial fifth Major of the season.

There have been many decorated winners over the years at the Valspar Championship, and Sam Burns is the reigning champion.

Anyway, Freebets has scoured the markets, and we have handpicked three juicy tips for you to consider before the tournament gets underway on Thursday.

Paul to make a strong case at Valspar

In many ways, Paul Casey is golf’s nearly man. Although he has three PGA Tour titles to his name, the Englishman has been on the cusp of victory in past tournaments, but he hasn’t managed to seal the deal.

At the Players Championship earlier this week, Casey put himself in contention, but he was put in the shade by a Smith masterclass, with the Australian trousering 10 birdies in his final round.

Nevertheless, Casey feels at home on the Floridian courses, and although he finished third at the Players Championship with a final score of -11, he is one of the most accurate drivers on the tour. He just needs to keep his putter for all four rounds, but he has the nous to combat some of the game’s power hitters. Oh, and he’s a two-time champion at Valspar, so that stands him in good stead.

Paddy Power is pricing Casey at 22/1 to get his hands on the Valspar Championship, and although he’s behind the usual suspects in the markets, it is worth exploring further. This will be only his third PGA Tour appearance of 2022, and he could have a cracking week.

Louis Oosthuizen out to make a point

Louis Oosthuizen has become one of the game’s forgotten stars, but his credentials remain unquestioned. The charismatic South African was well off the pace at the Players Championship, coming home in T42, but he is usually a surprise package, and with The Masters just a few weeks away, he will want to lay down a marker.

While he may not finish top of the pile this weekend, you can get intriguing odds of 5/1 with bet365 for Oosthuizen to claim a top-5 berth, and while it may seem long from first glance, it shouldn’t be scoffed at.

Brooks Koepka to be cut adrift again

We are still waiting for the real Brooks Koepka to spark into life. By his very high standards, it has been a rather subdued season so far. Although he finished T3 at the Phoenix Open, he hasn’t troubled the trophy engravers.

The American is struggling to find his best form, and he missed the cut at The Players Championship. There is a risk he could be cut adrift again, and bet365 is pricing him at 5/2 to miss the cut this weekend, which judging by recent form, isn’t that inconceivable.