A tougher Innisbrook awaits leaders at Valspar

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Max Homa holed a wedge for eagle on No. 6 and nearly made an ace two holes later, but he said the putt he sank on his final hole was the most exciting of the bunch.

Homa hooked his tee shot on 18 into the left trees before hitting a good recovery shot to the fringe, 33 feet from the hole. He swung his fist in excitement after making that birdie putt.

“It was loud,” Homa said. “Six was cool but 18 was loud. That was fun.”

Homa trailed by four shots for most of the back nine Saturday but that birdie, combined with bogeys on 18 by co-leaders Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley, means he trails by just a single stroke.

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Bradley and Burns, who started Saturday four clear of the field, both shot 69 to tie the Valspar’s 54-hole scoring record at 14-under 199. Homa is 13 under after shooting 66.

The next-closest players on the leaderboard – Ted Potter, Abraham Ancer, Joaquin Niemann and Cameron Tringale – are all four off the lead. Potter’s 63 was the low round of the day by three shots; he one-putted 14 consecutive holes Saturday and needed just 20 putts for the round. He will join Homa in Sunday’s second-to-last group.

Burns, Bradley and Homa each made an eagle on Saturday, but they had to deal with a tougher Copperhead Course on the back nine. The wind picked up and the greens dried out to slow the record scoring that had been seen this week.

The Valspar traditionally ranks as one of the most difficult tournaments on TOUR. The winning score is often single-digits under par, but the warm May weather meant the greens had to be watered for the first two rounds.

Sunday could be a return to what players are accustomed to from the hilly course on Florida’s west coast that requires precise ball-striking.

“The golf course is changing quickly,” Burns said after his round.

Homa, who won earlier this year at the Genesis Invitational, is looking to join Bryson DeChambeau and Stewart Cink as the only two-time winners this season. Next week, Homa will defend his title at the Wells Fargo Championship.

“I used to do this decent amount in college and when I first turned pro,” said Homa, who won the 2013 NCAA Championship and in his first two Korn Ferry Tour seasons before winning the Wells Fargo in 2019. “I had a dry spell for a while, but … I've kind of been in this position a few more times more recently. I feel like the old me is back.”

Bradley is seeking his fifth career victory. After winning three times in 2011 and 2012, including a major and a World Golf Championship, Bradley’s only other win is the 2018 BMW Championship. Saturday’s round included a chip-in on 14 for eagle.

“It just gave me a little bolt of energy, which was fun,” Bradley said. “It's so great to have the fans out here. You can feel it again and it's a fun time to be out here playing.”

He is leading the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, greens in regulation and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Saturday was the first round this week where he lost strokes on the greens. The shortest shots are the ones that will determine if Bradley is successful Sunday.

Burns is looking for his first TOUR victory after a promising collegiate career that included winning the Jack Nicklaus Award as college golf’s top player in 2017. He also finished in the top 10 of a PGA TOUR event, the Barbasol Championship, while still an amateur.

The next year, Burns earned attention for his strong play alongside Tiger Woods in the final round of The Honda Classic. Burns shot 68 to Woods’ 70 to finish in the top 10. That earned him a start into the next week’s Valspar Championship; he started the final round in fifth place, three shots off the lead, but shot 73 to finish 12th. A triple-bogey at 16 and bogey on the final hole left him six shots behind winner Paul Casey.

This is Burns’ third 54-hole lead of the season, tied with Jordan Spieth for the most on TOUR. Burns shot 72 to finish six back at the Vivint Houston Open and 69 at the Genesis Invitational to finish one shot out of the playoff between Homa and Tony Finau.

Burns eagled his first hole Saturday after hitting hybrid to 3 feet and was 4 under after five holes. He made all pars until a bogey at 16, though, and another one on the final hole.

“I think every opportunity is something you can learn from,” Burns said. “It's not a matter of winning or losing. It's a matter of going out there and seeing what the golf course is going to teach me that day.”

With a difficult golf course and enthusiastic fans awaiting Sunday, there is plenty to be learned.