Adam Schenk Leads Valspar Championship After 2nd Round; Jordan Spieth Two Shots Back
Adam Schenk held onto a one-shot lead after the second round of the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., on Friday. Schenk shot a 2-under-par 69 to move to 7-under 135, ahead of Kramer Hickok (68 on Friday) by one stroke.[0] Jordan Spieth (70), Cody Gribble (65), Davis Riley (68) and Tommy Fleetwood (69) are two back at 5 under.[0]
On Friday, Schenk had a portion of the top spot after the opening round and followed up with two quick birdies on his initial two holes.[0] He had a bogey on the par-4 third, but then made up for it by adding two birdies; unfortunately, he ended up with another bogey on the par-4[0]
Spieth, who won the Valspar in 2015, hasn't played the event since 2018 and is looking to recapture the magic from that year. He won five tournaments that season and is looking for his first victory since the 2017 British Open.
“Feeling comfortable with the speed control and just overall with the putter, it allowed — even if I was missing them, I felt like I could play to the center of greens and not attack pins. That's a different place than I've been living as I've been trying to get better and better with the putter,” he said.[1]
Ryan Brehm is tied for the first-round lead, along with Stephan Jaegar and Adam Schenk, at 5-under par after he made a hole-in-one on his penultimate hole.[2] Brehm, who won the 2022 Puerto Rico Open for his only PGA Tour title, has made just three of 17 cuts this season.[3]
Sam Burns, who has been a two-time defending champion, had a 2-over 73 in the second round, bringing him to even par and tying him for 40th place.[0] Notable golfers who did not make it to the 1 over par cut included England's Matt Fitzpatrick (3 over), Canada's 2017 Valspar champion Adam Hadwin (3 over, with a score of 76 on Friday), and Kevin Kisner (5 over).[0]
PGA Tour Live and the PGA Tour Schedule feature 2023 Valspar Championship odds and picks, with Burns, the two-time defending champion, trying to become the first player to win the same tournament three straight years since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-11).[4] He was seven strokes behind with a score of 73.[4]
0. “Adam Schenk takes lead at Valspar Championship | Sports | hastingstribune.com” Hastings Tribune, 18 Mar. 2023, https://www.hastingstribune.com/sports/adam-schenk-takes-lead-at-valspar-championship/article_1a1a3876-6d81-5b70-89a4-08399d91750b.html
1. “Valspar Championship round one: Spieth's putter, Fleetwood's first win” Golfweek, 16 Mar. 2023, https://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/valspar-championship-jordan-spieths-putter-wakes-up-tommy-fleetwood-chasing-breakthrough-win-and-more-from-day-1/
2. “Golf fan finds Matt Fitzpatrick's ball, ends up costing him a NINE!” Golfmagic.com, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.golfmagic.com/pga-tour/golf-fan-finds-matt-fitzpatricks-ball-ends-costing-him-nine
3. “Ryan Brehm cards hole-in-one, takes share of lead at Valspar” Longview News-Journal, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.news-journal.com/ryan-brehm-cards-hole-in-one-takes-share-of-lead-at-valspar/article_1323da5f-ffb6-559b-96ef-2e187cdd5293.html
4. “Adam Schenk leads by one at Valspar Championship” PGA TOUR, 18 Mar. 2023, https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2023/03/17/adam-schenk-leads-by-one-at-valspar-championship
