SportsLine's model simulated the Valspar Championship 2026 10,000 times and revealed its surprising PGA picks this week
By Daniel Lewis Mar 18, 2026 at 9:45 am ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images The PGA Florida Swing concludes this week with the 2026 Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club - Copperhead Course - beginning on Thursday at 7:35 a.m. ET. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlory are among the golfers taking the week off, but it's still a strong field with big names like Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka all teeing it up. The latest 2026 Valspar Championship odds from FanDuel Sportsbook list Schauffele as the favorite at +1000, followed by Fitzpatrick at +1300. Hovland is +1700, while Koepka is +2500.
Other past major winners in the field include Jordan Spieth (+2700), J.J. Spaun (+2700) and Wyndham Clark (+5500). Before locking in any 2026 Valspar Championship picks, entering any Valspar Championship one and done contests, or making any PGA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters -- its fourth Masters in a row -- as well as last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites.
New users can bet the 2026 Valspar Championship with the latest DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly after any $5+ bet:
Now that the 2026 Valspar Championship field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, which you can use for PGA picks, one and done contests or golf DFS lineups.
2026 Valspar Championship predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Valspar Championship 2026: Patrick Cantlay, an eight-time PGA winner, barely cracks the top 10 despite being one of the favorites. He's a golfer to fade this week. Even against the slightly diluted field, Cantlay hasn't shown enough this season to be among the favorites. He's yet to record a top-10 finish in 2026 and he's missed two cuts in six events. The model has found far better values on the PGA odds board. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: The model says Jacob Bridgeman is a top-three contender this week.The 26-year-old American is having a breakout year thus far, highlighted by a win at the Genesis Invitational in February. He hasn't finished worse than T18 in his six events. He's also coming off a T5 at The Players Championship, his third top-five finish of the season. See who else to pick here.
New users can also check out the latest FanDuel promo code and get up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days:
How to make 2026 Valspar Championship picks
The model is also targeting two golfers of +3000 or higher who make a strong run for the title. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2026 Valspar Championship, and which massive longshot will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Valspar Championship odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025.
2026 Valspar Championship odds, favorites
Get full 2026 Valspar Championship picks, best bets and predictions here. (odds via FanDuel and subject to change)
Xander Schauffele +1000 Matt Fitzpatrick +1300 Akshay Bhatia +1700 Jacob Bridgeman +1700 Viktor Hovland +1700 Justin Thomas +2200 Brooks Koepka +2500 Patrick Cantlay +2500 Jordan Spieth +2700 Ryo Hisatsune +2700 J.J. Spaun +2700 Sahith Theegala +3000 Corey Conners +3000 Nicolai Højgaard +3300 Ben Griffin +3500 Nick Taylor +4000 Austin Smotherman +4000 Taylor Pendrith +4500 Keegan Bradley +4500 Davis Thompson +5500 Alex Smalley +5500 Aaron Rai +5500 Wyndham Clark +5500 Ricky Castillo +5500 Matt McCarty +6000 Rasmus Højgaard +6000 Max McGreevy +6000 Bud Cauley +6000 Mac Meissner +6000 Taylor Moore +7000 Pierceson Coody +7000 Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7000 Patrick Rodgers +7500 Kristoffer Reitan +7500 Max Homa +7500 Richard Hoey +8000 Thorbjørn Olesen +8000 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +8000 Marco Penge +8000 Sungjae Im +8000 Billy Horschel +8000
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