Valspar Championship 2026 FRL Tips: Four to start fast on Thursday

The Valspar Championship starts tomorrow and with reasonably pleasant conditions predicted throughout the day, the early advantage looks completely up for grabs at the Copperhead Course.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with four picks he fancies to start fast in his Valspar Championship 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

You can read Jamie's full Valspar Championship Preview here..

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Teeing off at 7.35am, the morning starters will be greeted by cool 10°C temperatures and a steady 9mph breeze, rising quickly to around 20°C and a 12mph breeze (with gusts of 17mph) by midday. The afternoon wave begins at 12.35pm, and while it will be a little more blustery later in the round, gusting at highs of 22mph, they will also play in warm 22-24°C weather throughout.

With that, there looks to be no discernible draw bias on Thursday, and I’ve selected two players from each side of the draw to try and crack this week’s first-round leader market.

1 pt Alex Smalley each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 7.35am

With an attractive profile for this test, my first selection is Alex Smalley. This typically strong driver is hitting his irons well at the beginning of this year and, arriving here following his second-best start of the season at TPC Sawgrass, he can hit the front tomorrow morning.

Smalley has missed just one cut in seven appearances this campaign, recording top-25s of 19^th at Pebble Beach and 24^th at THE PLAYERS Championship. He’s gaining strokes with every club, but it’s his long iron play that stands out most, ranking 23^rd in proximity from over 200 yards.

After opening with a six-under 64 at the Sony Open to sit 7^th after round one, he has struggled to make a similar first-round impact since. However, he showed more promise in this regard last week, beginning with a two-under 70 to finish day one in 17^th place.

That could just be a sign of things to come for a player who should really relish the challenge at the Copperhead Course due to the strength of his long game.

Three missed cuts in four starts isn’t especially inspiring, but he did finish 27^th in 2023, starting with a three-under 68 to sit 7^th after 18 holes. I’m hoping he can draw on that experience to make the early running in Florida.

1 pts Taylor Moore each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 12.41pm

Following a disappointing 2025 season, signs have been much more positive for Taylor Moore at the start of this year. He of course won this event back in 2023 and, ranking 1^st in this field in first-round performance in recent months, there’s every reason to expect him to fly out of the blocks at Innisbrook.

Moore hasn’t missed a cut in five 2026 starts, particularly shining when he finished 2^nd at the Cognizant Classic. He’s impressed with the driver, ranking 12^th of this group in SG: Off-the-Tee. Meanwhile, his short game has also looked sharp, and though his irons have been the one small weakness, he has been better with those all-important long irons.

The American has opened with an under-par round in each outing so far, going especially well when firing a four-under 67 to sit 3^rd after round one of the Cognizant Classic. In addition, a four-under 68 saw him place 6^th at the end of the first round at TPC Sawgrass.

Moore missed the cut here on debut in 2022 but followed that with a hard-fought victory in 2023, shooting rounds of 71-67-69-67. He then produced another three rounds in the 60s off the back of a slow start to finish 12^th in 2024. When also considering his recent upturn in results and quick-starting instincts, he can place himself among the leaders on Thursday.

0.75 pts Adam Hadwin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

Start time: 12.30pm

I’m going to go with another former Valspar winner in the shape of Canada’s Adam Hadwin. He’s started this season positively after losing full playing privileges in 2025 and, having picked up a first-round lead as recently as six appearances ago, his day one form is strong.

Missing 12 cuts and recording just three top-20s, Hadwin had the worst season of his career on the PGA Tour last year. That saw him start 2026 on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he showed his class at that level right away, finishing 2^nd at the Panama Championship. He then recorded a 21^st-place finish in Puerto Rico on his most recent start at this level.

He began that event with a four-under 68 to sit 4^th after round one. This continued the generally decent performances he’s shown early doors this year and followed on from a standout display in Bermuda at the end of 2025, when he shot a six-under 65 to take the first-round lead.

Hadwin fired a brilliant 64 when he won this title back in 2017 and repeated that score to claim a share of the first-round lead in 2022. He finished 7^th that year, and with further encouraging efforts of 5^th in 2024 and 12^th in 2018 for proof, he’s more at home around the Copperhead Course than just about anyone in the field.

0.75 pts Steven Fisk each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 110/1

Start time: 8.08am

Breaking through at the Sanderson Farms Championship toward the end of 2025, Steven Fisk hasn’t managed to build on that in the early season. That said, he has made his last three cuts on the spin, thanks to improvements off the tee, and having made an eye-catching debut at the Valspar Championship last year, he’s worth chancing at a tempting price.

Fisk ended his promising rookie season with a victory in Jackson at the Sanderson Farms Championship, closing with a nerveless 64 to win by two. He missed three cuts to begin this year but has rectified that in recent starts, where this big hitter looks to have got the driver under control.

When that more reliable driving is combined with his sharp short-game displays and preference for layouts where he can shine with the long irons, he becomes an interesting contender at the Copperhead Course.

That certainly didn’t appear to be the case as Fisk opened with a five-over 76 in this event last year to sit 132^nd after round one. However, he responded superbly with rounds of 68-70-68 to finish 28^th, and with his game starting to come together, he could just be peaking at the perfect time.

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