Valspar Championship

Valspar Championship
Tournament information
Location Palm Harbor, Florida
Established 2000
Course(s) Innisbrook Resort
Copperhead Course
Par 71
Length 7,340 yards (6,710 m)
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund $6,100,000
Month played March
Tournament record score
Aggregate 266 Vijay Singh (2004)
To par −18 Vijay Singh (2004)
Current champion
South Africa Charl Schwartzel
Innisbrook Resort
Location in the United States
Innisbrook Resort
Location in Florida

The Valspar Championship is a men's professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is played annually on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.

History

The tournament was founded in 2000 as the Tampa Bay Classic. It was originally an alternate event played the same week as the Presidents Cup in 2000, and the same week as the WGC-American Express Championship in 2002. It was supposed to be played the same week as the WGC-American Express Championship on September 1316, 2001. However, the September 11 attacks forced the cancellations of both tournaments.[1]

From 2003 to 2006, the Tampa Bay event had a slot in the schedule to itself as the last full-field event before the Tour Championship. The Chrysler Corporation was the title sponsor.

Since 2007, the Tampa Bay event has been played in March. For a time the tournament was without a title sponsor, leading to speculation on its fate beyond 2007. Then, on January 24, 2007, tournament officials and the PGA Tour announced a six-year sponsorship agreement with PODS of Clearwater, Florida.[2] However, the company chose to exercise an option to withdraw as title sponsor after the 2008 event, and tournament officials searched to find a replacement.[3] On June 4, 2008, Transitions Optical, Inc., the photochromic lens manufacturer headquartered locally in Largo, Florida, was announced as the new title sponsor.[4] Transitions left the event after the 2012 season. Just two weeks before the 2013 tournament, EverBank agreed to be presenting sponsor for the tournament.[5] In September 2013, Valspar Corporation signed a four-year deal to become title sponsor of the event, now named the Valspar Championship.[6] On March 9, 2016, the PGA Tour, Valspar Corporation, and Copperhead Charities – the Valspar Championship host organization – announced a three-year title sponsorship extension, thus carrying Valspar’s commitment to the tournament through 2020. This extension occurred in the midst of the original contract period, which was from 2013 to 2017.[7]

The players with the most wins in the event are Retief Goosen (2003 and 2009), and K. J. Choi (2002 and 2006). Goosen is also the tournament's leading money winner, with over $2 million in earnings at the event.

The tournament record was set by Vijay Singh in 2004 with a winning total of 266 (−18).

Winners

DateWinnerCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory
Runner(s)-up1st prize ($)Purse ($)
Valspar Championship
Mar 13, 2016 Charl Schwartzel  South Africa 277 −7 Playoff United States Bill Haas 1,098,000 6,100,000
Mar 15, 2015 Jordan Spieth  United States 274 −10 Playoff United States Sean O'Hair
United States Patrick Reed
1,062,000 5,900,000
Mar 16, 2014 John Senden  Australia 277 −7 1 stroke United States Kevin Na 1,026,000 5,700,000
Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank
Mar 17, 2013 Kevin Streelman  United States 274 −10 2 strokes United States Boo Weekley 990,000 5,500,000
Transitions Championship
Mar 18, 2012 Luke Donald  England 271 −13 Playoff South Korea Bae Sang-moon
United States Jim Furyk
United States Robert Garrigus
990,000 5,500,000
Mar 20, 2011 Gary Woodland  United States 269 −15 1 stroke United States Webb Simpson 990,000 5,500,000
Mar 21, 2010 Jim Furyk  United States 271 −13 1 stroke South Korea K. J. Choi 972,000 5,400,000
Mar 22, 2009 Retief Goosen (2)  South Africa 276 −8 1 stroke United States Charles Howell III
United States Brett Quigley
972,000 5,400,000
PODS Championship
Mar 9, 2008 Sean O'Hair  United States 280 −4 2 strokes United States Stewart Cink
Japan Ryuji Imada
United States Troy Matteson
United States Billy Mayfair
United States George McNeill
Australia John Senden
954,000 5,300,000
Mar 11, 2007 Mark Calcavecchia  United States 274 −10 1 stroke Australia John Senden
United States Heath Slocum
954,000 5,300,000
Chrysler Championship
Oct 29, 2006 K. J. Choi (2)  South Korea 271 −13 4 strokes United States Paul Goydos
United States Brett Wetterich
954,000 5,300,000
Oct 30, 2005 Carl Pettersson  Sweden 275 −9 1 stroke United States Chad Campbell 954,000 5,300,000
Oct 31, 2004 Vijay Singh  Fiji 266 −18 5 strokes United States Tommy Armour III
Sweden Jesper Parnevik
900,000 5,000,000
Nov 2, 2003 Retief Goosen  South Africa 272 −12 3 strokes Fiji Vijay Singh 864,000 4,800,000
Tampa Bay Classic presented by Buick
Sep 22, 2002 K. J. Choi  South Korea 267 −17 7 strokes United States Glen Day 468,000 2,600,000
Tampa Bay Classic
Sep 16, 2001 Canceled due to the September 11 attacks
Oct 22, 2000 John Huston  United States 271 −13 3 strokes United States Carl Paulson 432,000 2,400,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Multiple winners

Two players have won this tournament more than once: K. J. Choi in 2002 and 2006 and Retief Goosen in 2003 and 2009.

References

  1. "2001 PGA Tour Schedule". USA Today. December 17, 2001. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  2. "Tampa Event Named PODS Championship". Golf Channel. January 24, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  3. Page, Rodney (March 8, 2008). "Finding sponsor top priority". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  4. "Transitions Optical preserves Tampa leg of Florida swing". PGA Tour. June 4, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  5. Harwell, Drew (March 1, 2013). "EverBank to sponsor PGA event at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. "Valspar commits to four-year sponsorship of PGA Tour event in Tampa Bay". PGA Tour. September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  7. "Valspar extends title sponsorship of PGA Tour's Valspar Championship through 2020". PGA Tour. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.

Coordinates: 28°07′N 82°46′W / 28.11°N 82.76°W / 28.11; -82.76

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