Casey repeats at Valspar
Englishman successfully defends PGA Tour title
It wasn’t easy, but Paul Casey became the first to successfully defend his title at the Valspar Championship, closing with a 1-over-par 72 Sunday to beat Jason Kokrak and Louis Oosthuizen by one shot.
Casey’s final round got off to a rough start with three bogeys through his first seven holes. He bounced back to claim another win at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, at 8-under 276.
Oosthuizen (69) and Kokrak (71) tied for second at 7-under, followed by Bubba Watson and Sungjae Im, who finished tied for fourth at 6-under. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson was in the final pairing with Casey but was unable to make a birdie in his final round and shot 74 to tie for sixth.
It took Casey, 41, nine years to get his second PGA Tour win in last year’s event, and his third win comes just 12 months later.
“Obviously I’m finding it easier (to win), although today wasn’t easy. But I’ve felt very different since winning last year,” Casey said. “Last year’s win was so big, that felt like my first victory as a professional. I’ve felt so different since then, new confidence. I’m getting older, but I feel like I’m getting better.”
Things got interesting down the stretch when Casey bogeyed the par-3 17th, the second hole of Copperhead’s Snake Pit. That dropped shot temporarily dropped Casey into a tie with Kokrak, who was playing in the group ahead.
Casey’s tee shot on the final hole missed right, but a great second shot from the church pew bunkers along the right side of the fairway — and a Kokrak bogey — set up a two-putt par for the win.
Kokrak was on pace to continue an interesting trend over the last two months. Seeking his first PGA Tour win in 197 starts, the 33-year-old Canadian native would have become the third player this year to make a hole-in-one and win the tournament had he been able to beat Casey.
Conditions weren’t ripe for scoring on Sunday, as seven players all tied for the low-round of 3-under 68, led by Watson and Jon Rahm.
The PGA Tour ends its Florida swing and now moves on to Austin, Texas, for the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.