Spieth’s Familiar Demons Return at Valspar as Im Seizes Opportunity

There’s a peculiar kind of heartbreak in watching a player shoot 31 on the front nine and still walk away wondering what might have been. That’s Jordan Spieth’s story from Thursday at Innisbrook, and I’ll be honest—after covering this tour for 35 years, watching him hit 3-wood into the water on 16 after getting back to 5-under felt like déjà vu playing on repeat.

Here’s what struck me most about Spieth’s round: the narrative isn’t really about the conditions or the difficulty of the Copperhead Course, though both were certainly factors. It’s about something more fundamental that’s been gnawing at his game all season.

“Getting rounds all the way to the clubhouse when he’s got a chance to go low has been an issue for Spieth all season. That was the case in the second round of The Players—when he closed with a double bogey on the par-5 9th after getting red-hot in the middle of his round—and then again this Thursday when he put a 3 wood into the middle of the lake off the tee on No. 16 after getting back to 5 under.”

I watched Tom Lehman battle this exact demon back in the late ’90s. The difference? Tom eventually figured it out through sheer repetition and mental discipline. Spieth’s searching for his first win since 2022, and frankly, the talent is absolutely there. But talent without the ability to close clean cards doesn’t win tournaments—it just creates frustration and missed opportunities.

When Coming Back Means Actually Coming Back

The real story this week, though, belongs to Sungjae Im. I want to emphasize this because it matters: what he’s doing right now is precisely what separates good players from great ones.

Im missed the start of the season with a wrist injury. He came back two weeks ago and missed cuts at both Bay Hill and The Players. That would break a lot of guys. Instead, he fires a 64 on Thursday and takes the lead at 7-under. This is the third appearance back, and for those tracking such things, the third time really is the charm.

“After missing the start of the season with a wrist injury, Im fell below the cut at Bay Hill and The Players in his first two starts back on the PGA Tour. The third time appears to be the charm for Im, who caught fire on the Copperhead Course and got back to what he does best: striping irons and playing aggressively.”

What Im’s doing right—and this is where the veteran’s eye matters—is he’s playing aggressively without playing recklessly. He led the field in strokes gained on approach Thursday and paired that with the second-best putting performance. That’s not luck. That’s a player whose confidence is returning in layers.

The question now, and I’ve seen this play out many times, is whether he can sustain it. Justin Thomas had a similar hot start at The Players last week and cooled considerably over the weekend. The gap between one great round and a sustained tournament victory is wider than most fans realize.

The Snedeker Surprise Nobody Expected

Let’s talk about Brandt Snedeker for a moment, because this one’s genuinely interesting. A nine-time tour winner who hasn’t won since 2018 and missed all four cuts to start 2026 suddenly finds himself in solo second at one of the toughest courses on the rotation after a 65.

Here’s what I think matters: sometimes a struggling veteran just needs a good golf course and the right conditions to remind himself who he is. Snedeker’s always been a player who thrives when he can trust his swing, and something clearly clicked on Thursday. Will it hold up Friday afternoon? That’s the real test.

Schauffele’s Irons Are Talking

Xander Schauffele finished at 3-under, tied with Matt Fitzpatrick and Jacob Bridgeman, which puts him squarely in the mix heading into Friday. What I’m watching with Xander is his ball-striking. He was second in strokes gained on approach Thursday, which tells me the iron play that made him a two-time major winner in 2024 is returning.

“Schauffele’s ball-striking, which led him to a strong Players performance, seems to have carried over to the other Florida coast this week, as he was second in the field Thursday in strokes gained on approach.”

The putter’s still sleeping (92nd in the field), but we’ve seen Xander wake that up before. If those irons stay hot and the putter even gets warm, he’s going to be very difficult to beat over the weekend.

First-Round Leaderboard

Leader:
1. Sungjae Im (-7)

Contenders:
2. Brandt Snedeker (-6)
3. Davis Thompson (-5)
T4. Billy Horschel, Pierceson Coody, Andrew Putnam (-4)
T7. Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jacob Bridgeman and six others (-3)
T17. Jordan Spieth, Corey Conners, Tom Kim and 12 others (-2)

Defending champion Viktor Hovland came in at 1-under, which isn’t ideal, but on this course, everybody’s still got time to make a move.

What This Means Going Forward

The Valspar typically plays to around 10-12 under par for winners. Im’s at 7 already, which means he doesn’t need to put up a string of 64s to get it done. He just needs solid, mistake-free golf for 54 more holes. On a course that punishes mistakes like the Copperhead Course does, that’s perhaps the most dangerous position to be in.

The weekend’s going to sort a lot of things out. We’ll find out if Im can stay patient, if Spieth can finally keep a clean card when it matters, if Schauffele’s putter wakes up, and whether a veteran like Snedeker still has something left in the tank. That’s why we cover these tournaments—the answers are coming.