Florida golf hits differently sometimes, and the wind challenged PGA Tour players for the second week at The Valspar Championship.
Jacob Bridgeman shot a 2-under 69 to lead by one shot at 6-under as we enter the weekend. Viktor Hovland, who shot an 80 last Thursday at The PLAYERS, signed for a 4-under 67 to sit tied for second place at 5-under.
He has not played well all season but found something on Friday.
Shane Lowry sits T5 at 4-under after he fired off a 4-under 67. He continues to be one of the most consistent players in 2025, as this round marks his 12th round at par or better since the Florida swing began.
However, not everyone played well through the first two days at the Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course.
Some overcame the wind to make the weekend, but many popular players could not catch a break. The cutline this week ended up at 2-over.
Here are the biggest PGA Tour players heading home early from Tampa.
Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images
Valspar Championship 2025: Biggest Names to Miss the Cut
— Mackenzie Hughes (75-69;+2)
— Michael Kim (73-71;+2)
— Adam Scott (74-70;+2)
— Neal Shipley (76-68;+2)
— Zach Johnson (75-70;+3)
— Sam Burns (72-73;+3)
— Peter Malnati( 73-73;+4)
— Harry Higgs (77-71;+6)
— Joel Dahmen (74-74;+6)
— Matt Kuchar (79-70;+7)
— Karl Vilips (74-75;+7)
— Jake Knapp (74-77;+9)
Through two rounds on the Copperhead Course, the average score is 72.3, which means the course is playing harder than its par 71.
Matt Kuchar opened his tournament with a 79 and followed it up with a 1-under 70 on Friday. However, it was far from enough to get him into the weekend. Harry Higgs shot a 77 Thursday and could not dig himself out of the hole Friday.
Jake Knapp, who has played well recently, went 74-77 to finish at 9-over. Karl Vilips, Tiger Woods’ new ambassador for Sun Day Red, missed his second straight cut, struggling to get anything going both days. Fan-favorite Joel Dahmen posted back-to-back 74s to miss the cut.
The 2024 champ, Peter Malnati, will not defend his title after he recorded two 73s. Sam Burns, a two-time Valspar champ, could not get anything going either. He came close to making the cut, but two bogeys in his last three holes put him on the wrong side of the line.
Innisbrook showed these talented PGA Tour players that when it is windy on this track, it can bite even harder than usual. The Copperhead Course is already a tough track to play, but in high gusts, it can be nearly impossible to post a good number for some players.
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