The Valspar Championship is the next stop on the PGA TOUR calendar. Following THE PLAYERS Championship, some of the top players in the world are staying in Florida for another solid event.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Valspar Championship: First Round Leader Picks
The Valspar Championship is being held at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. The tournament is held on the Copperhead Course. It is a par-71 track that stretches over 7,352 yards. The Valspar Championship is a full-field event with a standard 36-hole cut. The defending champion, Viktor Hovland, is in the field, along with last year’s runner-up, Justin Thomas. The field also includes Xander Schauffele, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth.
The most important key to success on the Copperhead Course is keeping your ball straight. It might seem simple, but it’s very true. The most successful players here hit fairways off the tee, hit greens in regulation and scramble well around the greens when mistakes are made. Players who are constantly in the rough off the tee will struggle massively. The best putters on Poa Trivialis will also have a big edge over the rest of the field.
Brooks Koepka FRL (+3900)
Brooks Koepka made his shocking return to the PGA Tour earlier this year after breaking his contract with the LIV Tour. It was a bit of a shaky initial start to the season for Koepka, but he has found his game over his last two starts. After missing a cut and finishing T56 in his first two starts, Koepka has finished T9 and T13 in his last two tournaments. That T13 finish against a world-class field at THE PLAYERS showed that Koepka still has the capability to compete with the best players in the world. While the top part of the field at the Valspar is still really solid, it is nowhere near as deep as THE PLAYERS field was.
Brooks Koepka has not competed at the Valspar Championship since 2022. However, he had a solid T12 finish at that event. Koepka is also a Florida resident and traditionally plays well in his home state. His ball striking has been phenomenal as of late. He now ranks third on the PGA Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green. He ranks 15th in proximity, meaning he is giving himself a lot of good birdie looks. Unfortunately, he has just struggled with the putter. If he can get the flat stick going, he could easily post the lowest score on Thursday.
Ryo Hisatsune FRL (+5500)
The youngster Ryo Hisatsune is off to a great start in 2026. After missing the cut in his first event of the year, he has made seven straight cuts. He has also finished T13 or better in four of those seven cuts. That includes a T2 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a great T13 finish at THE PLAYERS. Ironically, he tied for 13th place at TPC Sawgrass with my other pick, Brooks Koepka. Hisatsune does everything you need to do well to thrive at Innisbrook. Hisatsune ranks 25th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and third in greens in regulation. He will put the ball in the right spots; he just needs to make some putts.
Just like Koepka, Hisatsune could have won a couple of events, or at least had a couple of extra top-five finishes if he had been putting better. However, Hisatsune putted well enough at the Valspar Championship last year, where he finished T4. He is two for two on made cuts at the Valspar in his career, including that great performance last year. Only Matt Fitzpatrick was better than Hisatsune in SG: T2G last week at TPC Sawgrass. If Hisatsune can replicate that performance, while making a few putts, he has a great chance to be the first-round leader.
