Taylor Moore shot a final round 67 on Sunday, for a total score of -10 to win the 2023 Valspar Championship by one stroke. It was the 29 year-old Moore’s first win on the PGA Tour.
The tournament has been played on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida since its inception in 2000. The final three holes are named the Snake Pit and are a formidable test for the world’s best golfers. Taylor birdied the 16th hole with a 25-foot putt and scored pars on 17 and 18, playing the Snake Pit at one under par.
The not-for-profit organization Copperhead Charities, Inc., operates the Valspar Championship with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. This year they will go over the $50 million mark in money raised for primarily Tampa Bay, Florida area charities. The 2022 Valspar Championship raised $1.75 million for nearly 70 local charities. Make a positive impact in your local community! Volunteer at a local PGA Tour event!
This is the tenth year that Valspar, a leading paint brand, has been the title sponsor of the tournament. Playing off Valspar’s vibrant color offerings, the tournament bills itself as “the most colorful PGA Tour tournament in the world”. The tournament also plays off the fact it is around spring break week and is the last tournament of the PGA Tour Florida swing. It makes every effort to provide fun and entertainment for the whole family.
Part of the fun is allowing players to put a nickname or social media handle in place of their last name on the back of their caddie’s bib, provided it’s not for advertising merchandise. The Valspar Championship is the only PGA Tour event that allows this. Runner-up Adam Schenk had his dog’s name Bunker on the back of his caddie David Cooke’s bib. Rory Sabatini’s caddie Dean Elliot had “PLEASEMAKEAPUTT” on his bib. J.T. Poston was paired with Justin Thomas the first two days. J.T. Postman’s caddie Aaron Flener wore “The Other J.T.” on the back of his bib.
One of the funniest had to be Max McGreevy’s caddie Brett Swedberg with “Mr. 89” on the back of his bib. This was a bit of self-roasting by McGreevy, who followed up a first round 69 with a second round 89 during the Players Championship the week before.
Max shooting an 89 one day after shooting a 69 helps remind all of us that we are going to shoot a wide range of scores, especially as beginner or high-handicap golfers. His attitude shows us to handle adversity out on the course. Your bad shot, bad hole, or even bad round is over and done with. If a professional golfer can laugh off a bad round, us amateurs should certainly be able to!
The Bible tells us in Proverbs that too much discouragement leads to a sorrowful heart.
No matter what is thrown at you, do not let anything in this world steal your joy of Jesus!