An $8.7 million purse is up for grabs as the 2025 Valspar Championship gets underway at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course. The Championship is part of the PGA Tour’s Florida swing and offers players the opportunity to earn important FedEx Cup Points.
Justin Thomas showed remarkable resilience to post a two-road total of 1-over 143 after a challenging start on Thursday. The 31-year-old carded a daunting 73 with an opening nine that crumbled into a 40 as he struggled in the first round with four consecutive bogeys. However, he responded brilliantly with just one bogey across the next 27 holes to keep his cut streak alive.
The American recorded an important 16-foot birdie on the par-4 seventh hole to put him within reach of making the cut. The top 65 and ties advanced to the final two rounds at the Valspar and the line lingered between 1-over and 2-over late yesterday-representing a 61% and 39% chance respectively.
Thomas Optimistic Of Maintaining Cut Streak
After his remarkable comeback where he ended with a course-tying 62 in Friday’s second round, Justin Thomas said that watching the cut projections was psychological. The 31-year-old is facing increased pressure to keep his cut streak going.
“It’s like a drug,” Thomas replied when asked about monitoring the cut line. “You just keep getting more and more of it and it’s not good for you at all and you get pissed off and you’re mad at bounces and putts lipping out and the wind dying down. But it is what it is, I can’t control it, I should have just played better and wouldn’t be here.
PGA Tour models probability indicated that the probability of the cut line backpedaling to even-par was zero. However, the American finished his second round early on Friday to increase the chances of the cut live returning to even-par.
Chasing History and Eyeing Victory
Thomas knew the Valspar leaderboard was bunched to the point where two low rounds could be enough to move him into cut line contention on Sunday. The Louisville-born star has yet to miss a cut since the 2024 U.S Open. Besides keeping his cut streak alive, Thomas would also be hoping to win the tournament and could take motivation from Joe Highsmith. The 24-year old made the cut on the number at the Cognizant Classic and went on to win the tournament.
“It’s…more often more nerve-wracking than trying to win a golf tournament, just because – especially a week like this, like I’m literally nine holes from leading the golf tournament right now, and I might not even get to play this weekend,” Thomas added. “So it sucks, because I’m really – I really played well today and a lot of things are going well, but, you know, I just have to hope and hope somehow the wind keeps blowing.”
Main Photo Credit: © Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
