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    Valspar Championship 2026 Power Rankings: Xander Schauffele and Others’ Position Explored

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    Valspar Championship 2026 Power Rankings: Xander Schauffele and Others’ Position Explored
    Valspar Championship 2026 power rankings (Image via Imagn)

    The Valspar Championship 2026 will commence on Thursday, March 19 at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf and Spa Resort in Palm Harbor. The event, following The Players Championship, will be the final outing of PGA Tour’s 2026 Florida Swing. The non-signature event will see 133-135 players teeing up to compete for the $1,638,000 winner’s paycheck from a $9.1 million purse.

    The latest edition of the Valspar Championship features seven of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) top 20 players. Competition’s defending champion Viktor Hovland, 2025 runner-up Justin Thomas and World No.7 Xander Schauffele are among the top-rated players teeing up this weekend. Despite this, World No.20 Jacob Bridgeman tops the American circuit’s power rankings.

    The 26-year-old registered a T5 finish at TPC Sawgrass last weekend and returned to the top of the FedExCup standings. Having recorded four top 10s among seven top 20s on the season and a solo third-place finish at Copperhead last year, the Genesis Invitational winner is among the best pick for the Valspar outing. Schauffele, with a T5 and a pair of T12s in three appearances at Copperhead, trails the power rankings leader. The ace golfer enters the upcoming contest on the back of a solo third at TPC Sawgrass.

    Matt Fitzpatrick, who narrowly missed out on The Players win, completes the top-three. The Englishman has finished T5 here in 2022, making a familiar to the Tampa Bay area course. Last year’s runner-up Justin Thomas sits fourth on the list after a T8 at The Players. Notably, reigning champion Hovland settles for sixth place on the rankings as last year’s T17 finisher Akshay Bhatia completes the top five.

    LIV Golf returnee Brooks Koepka sits outside the top-10 on the power rankings list. The five-time major champion had managed a T12 finish during his last trip to Copperhead in 2022.

     

    Listed below is the top-15 power rankings picks for the Valspar Championship:

     

    1. Jacob Bridgeman
    2. Xander Schauffele
    3. Matt Fitzpatrick
    4. Justin Thomas
    5. Akshay Bhatia
    6. Viktor Hovland
    7. Corey Conners
    8. Sahith Theegala
    9. Ryo Hisatsune
    10. Nicolai Højgaard
    11. Austin Smotherman
    12. Brooks Koepka
    13. John Parry
    14. Ricky Castillo
    15. Blades Brown

    Valspar Championship 2026 Weather Forecast: Winds, Temperature and More Explored

    Valspar Championship 2026 odds

     

    Unlike the PGA Tour power rankings, Xander Schauffele is the outright favorite to win the Valspar Championship 2026. The 10-time PGA Tour winner enters the Copperhead Course contest with +1100 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He is trailed by the event’s reigning champion Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian starts with +1600 odds, holding the position above The Players runner-up Matt Fitzpatrick who has +1900 odds.

    Last year’s Valspar Championship runner-up Justin Thomas shares fourth place on the odds list alongside Akshay Bhatia and Patrick Cantlay. The trio enters the contest with +2200 odds each. Jordan Spieth (+2500), Ben Griffin, Jacob Bridgeman, Brooks Koepka, J.J. Spaun (+2700) and Nicolai Højgaard (+3000) are other big names to watch this weekend.

    Listed below are the top odds for the final Florida Swing event (as per FanDuel Sportsbook):

     

    • Xander Schauffele +1100
    • Viktor Hovland +1600
    • Matt Fitzpatrick +1900
    • Akshay Bhatia +2200
    • Justin Thomas +2200
    • Patrick Cantlay +2200
    • Jordan Spieth +2500
    • Ben Griffin +2500
    • Jacob Bridgeman +2500
    • Brooks Koepka +2500
    • J.J. Spaun +2700
    • Nicolai Højgaard +3000
    • Keegan Bradley +3300
    • Sahith Theegala +3300
    • Corey Conners +3300
    • Nick Taylor +3500
    • Davis Thompson +4000
    • Taylor Pendrith +4000
    • Rasmus Højgaard +4000
    • Ryo Hisatsune +4000
    • Wyndham Clark +4500
    • Pierceson Coody +5500
    • Alex Smalley +5500
    • Ricky Castillo +5500

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