PGA Tour
VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.
Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 71.
Prize money: $9.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,638,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Advertisement
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.
FedEx Cup leader: Jacob Bridgeman.
Last week: Cameron Young won The Players Championship.
Notes: For a tournament that follows the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, the field is remarkably strong. Xander Schauffele is the only player from the top 10, but Valspar has nine of the top 25. … The field includes 12 former major champions. … Brooks Koepka has tied for ninth and tied for 13th in his last two PGA Tour events. He is in the field, meaning two players (Seamus Power and Matt Kuchar) were added to the field. … Only two weeks remain before the top 50 in the world ranking not already eligible get Masters invitations. Among those on the bubble are Nicolai Hojgaard (No. 47) and Pierceson Coody (No. 52). … The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is regarded as among the top tournament courses in Florida with occasional elevation and tree-lined fairways. … Patrick Cantlay is playing for the first since he was runner-up in 2017 that sewed up his card as he returned from a severe back injury.
Advertisement
Next week: Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
___
LPGA Tour
FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP
Site: Menlo Park, California.
Course: Sharon Heights GC. Yardage: 6,542. Par: 72.
Prize money: $3 million. Winner’s share: $450,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Yealimi Noh.
Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul.
Last tournament: Mi Hwang Lee won the Blue Bay LPGA.
Notes: The LPGA returns to the U.S. after three tournaments in Asia. The Founders Cup kicks off a stretch of four big tournaments leading up to its first major of the year at The Chevron. … A pair of major champions won last week when the LPGA was off. Hannah Green (2019 Women’s PGA) won the Women’s Australian Open and Jeongeun Lee6 (2019 U.S. Women’s Open) won on the Epson Tour. Lee6 is an alternate for the Founders Cup. … The field features eight of the top 10 from the women’s ranking, missing only Green and Charley Hull. … Nelly Korda plays for the first time since she won the season opener that was reduced to 54 holes. It was Korda’s first win since 2024. She has played only 34 times on the LPGA the last two years. … Sharon Heights is hosting top professionals for the first time. The club opened in 1962 and went through a renovation project that was completed two years ago. … The LPGA last visited the Bay Area in 2021 at Lake Merced.
Advertisement
Next week: Ford Championship.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
___
LIV Golf League
LIV GOLF SOUTH AFRICA
Site: Midrand, South Africa.
Course: The Club at Steyn City. Yardage: 7,557. Par: 71.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6-8 a.m. (FS1), 8-11 a.m. (FS2); Saturday, 6-11 a.m. (FOX); Sunday, 6-11 a.m. (FS1).
Defending champion: New event.
Points leader: Jon Rahm.
Last week: Bryson DeChambeau won LIV Golf Singapore.
Notes: This is the third week in a row for LIV Golf and its first event in South Africa. Officials say 90,000 tickets had been sold going into the week. … Phil Mickelson makes his 2026 debut having missed the opening four LIV events with a family health matter. … Through four events this year, LIV Golf winners have been a young newcomer (Elvis Smylie), a great comeback story (Anthony Kim) and its two biggest stars (Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau). … 4Aces and Ripper are the only teams that have won this year, each with two team titles. … The Club at Steyn held a tournament in 2022 that was co-sanctioned by the European tour and Sunshine Tour and won by Shaun Norris. … This is the final LIV Golf event before the Masters. … The home team for this event will be Southern Guard (formerly Stinger) led by Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester.
Advertisement
Next tournament: LIV Golf Mexico City on April 16-19.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
___
European tour
HAINAN CLASSIC
Site: Hainan Island, China.
Course: Mission Hills Resort (Haikou). Yardage: 7,637. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.55 million. Winner’s share: $425,000.
Television: None.
Previous winner: Marco Penge.
Race to CME Globe leader: Patrick Reed.
Last tournament: Dan Bradbury won the Joburg Open.
Notes: The Hainan Classic begins the Asia swing portion of the European tour schedule with China and India before the Masters, followed by China and Turkey. … Marco Penge won the first of his three European tour titles at Hainan Island last year. He wound up second on the Race to Dubai to earn a PGA Tour card. … Thriston Lawrence of South Africa is the only player from the top 100 in the world playing in China this week. Lawrence is at No. 89 and is coming off consecutive missed cuts in South Africa. … Calum Hill of Scotland had consecutive runner-up finishes during the Middle East swing in Bahrain and Qatar. He is in the field at the Hainan Classic and is at No. 10 in the Race to Dubai standings. … Five players from Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team finished in the top 10 at The Players Championship last week — Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood and Sepp Straka.
Advertisement
Next week: Hero Indian Open.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
___
PGA Tour Champions
COLOGUARD CLASSIC
Site: Tucson, Arizona.
Course: La Paloma CC. Yardage: 6,586. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner’s share: $330,000.
Television: Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 10 p.m. to midnight (Golf Channel-Tape Delay); Saturday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel), 6-7 p.m. (Golf Channel app); Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Steve Alker.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink.
Last tournament: Zach Johnson won the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.
Notes: The PGA Tour Champions starts a two-week swing in the west (Arizona and California) before returning to Florida for the first major of the year at the Senior PGA Championship. … This will be the third year at Paloma Country Club. … Zach Johnson makes his second start since turning 50. He won in his PGA Tour Champions debut in Florida two weeks ago. … The tournament began in 2015 after Tucson previously hosted a PGA Tour event that ended in 2006. … Now in its 12th year, the Cologuard Classic has never had a multiple winner. … The sponsor exemptions went to Mario Tiziani and Rob Labritz. … David Duval won in Tucson in 1998, a year in which he won a PGA Tour event in the winter, spring, summer and fall. … Stewart Cink still leads the Schwab Cup. … Americans make up two-thirds of the field on the PGA Tour Champions this week. … Fred Couples is in the field. He typically has played no more than 10 times a season the last couple of years.
Advertisement
Next week: Hoag Classic.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
___
Korn Ferry Tour
Last week: Doc Redman won the Astara Chile Classic.
Next week: Club Car Championship.
Points leader: Ian Holt.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
___
Other tours
Epson Tour: Orlando Health Championship, Grasslands Golf & CC, Lakeland, Florida. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Ladies European Tour: Australia WPGA Championship, Sanctuary Cove Golf and CC, Hope Island, Australia. Television: Saturday-Sunday, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Golf Channel app). Previous winner: Su Oh. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
Advertisement
Challenge Tour: DP World PGTI Open, Classic Golf & CC, Haryana, India. Defending champion: Quim Vidal. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/hotelplanner-tour/
Japan LPGA: V Point SMBC Ladies, Murasaki CC (Sumrie), Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Yuri Yoshida. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
