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The Valspar Championship has grown into one of the most challenging stops on the PGA Tour since its founding as the Tampa Bay Classic in 2000. Now it is played on the seventh most difficult course on the Tour, the Copperhead Course. The purse for the championship has climbed steadily. In 2023, it was $8.1 million, then $8.4 million in 2024 when Peter Malnati won, and $8.7 million in 2025 when Viktor Hovland won. This year, too, it has increased.

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This year, a total of $9.1 million is at stake. There is a $400,000 jump from last year. And the field reflects that growth, with top-ranked golfers in it this week, including Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, and Justin Thomas. The winner earns $1,638,000 from the $9,100,000 purse, and every golfer who made the cut takes something home.

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Here is the complete breakdown for every player who makes the cut:

1$1,638,000
2$991,900
3$627,900
4$445,900
5$373,100
6$329,875
7$307,125
8$284,375
9$266,175
10$247,975
11$229,775
12$211,575
13$193,375
14$175,175
15$166,075
16$156,975
17$147,875
18$138,775
19$129,675
20$120,575
21$111,475
22$102,375
23$95,095
24$87,815
25$80,535
26$73,255
27$70,525
28$67,795
29$65,065
30$62,335
31$59,875
32$56,875
33$54,145
34$51,870
35$49,595
36$47,320
37$45,045
38$43,225
39$41,405
40$39,585
41$37,765
42$35,945
43$34,125
44$32,305
45$30,485
46$28,665
47$26,845
48$25,389
49$24,115
50$23,387
51$22,841
52$22,295
53$21,931
54$21,567
55$21,385
56$21,203
57$21,021
58$20,839
59$20,657
60$20,475
61$20,293
62$20,111
63$19,929
64$19,747
65$19,565
66$19,383
67$19,201
68$19,019
69$18,837
70$18,655
71$18,473
72$18,291
73$18,109
74$17,927
75$17,745
76$17,563
77$17,381
78$17,199
79$17,017
80$16,835

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Perks beyond money are there. The Valspar Championship winner collects 500 FedEx Cup points, 52 Official World Golf Ranking points, and a two-year exemption.

Apart from those FedEx and hefty money facts, this Tour event has some of the most intriguing facts.

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Interesting things to know about the Valspar Championship

Even though the event has been held in Florida for more than 20 years, no Florida-born golfer has ever won it.

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The “Snake Pit” (holes 16–18) is always one of the five hardest finishing stretches on the PGA Tour. On the snake pit, we see late bogeys and momentum swings under pressure that often decide the outcome of the competition.

At the Valspar Championship, caddies get to write fun nicknames on their bibs, unlike their golfers’ names. This year, Alejandro Tosti used it as an opportunity to find a wife for himself. 

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In 2025, Adam Hadwin broke a sprinkler head here with a club smash. It wasn’t intentional and took him by surprise. The entire instance went viral. Hadwin then paid for the damage and even treated the caretakers of the Copperhead course with lunch.

Since 2000, the event has changed a lot, with new sponsors and branding, but the fan culture has stayed strong, as shown by traditions like “Color Scouts” giving prizes to fans who wear bright outfits.

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After 54 holes, Sungjae Im is at -11, leading the field. His last Tour win was in 2021. Snedeker and Lipsky are tied for second at -9 and would be looking to win. Marco Penge and Matt Fitzpatrick sit a shot back at -8. Fitzpatrick bogeyed the last at Sawgrass to lose the title to Cameron Young. How the final day turns out remains to be seen.

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Written by

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Vishnupriya Agrawal

1,197 Articles

Vishnupriya Agrawal is a beat reporter at EssentiallySports on the Golf Desk, specializing in breaking news around tour developments, player movement, ranking shifts, and evolving competitive narratives across the PGA and LPGA circuits. She excels at analyzing the ripple effects of major moments, such as headline-grabbing wins or schedule changes, highlighting their impact on player momentum, course strategy, and long-term career trajectories. With a foundation in research-driven writing and a passion for storytelling, Vishnupriya has built a track record of delivering timely and insightful golf coverage. She has also contributed as a freelance sports writer, creating audience-focused content that connects fans to the finer details of the game. Her sharp research abilities and disciplined publishing workflow enable her to craft stories that go beyond the leaderboard, bringing context and clarity to the fast-moving world of professional golf.

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Riya Singhal

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