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Copperhead course is seeing extraordinary things these days. Started on March 20 and ending by March 23, the greens are ranked the 7th toughest course in the PGA Tour. Not only that, the 7,209-yard course hosts Snake Pit, the crux of the wins and the losses. Lightning struck at this one as Steven Fisk tamed the beastly par-3 17th with a jaw-dropping hole-in-one – on a day when the hole had barely loosened its grip, allowing just 14 birdies. Having witnessed Sahith Theegala‘s frustration and a promising Scottie Scheffler comeback, the defending champion, Peter Malnati, was back on the course – only to miss the cut by the time Friday rolled around. Regardless, Malnati took home a whopping $1.5 million last year. This year will see a slight increase in it.

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Fans are keeping an eye on the games and are keeping up with every minute detail without missing a beat. High stakes with $8.7 million up for grabs at the Valspar Championship. $1,566,000 is up for the winner, an increase of $54,000 from last year. The runner-up will earn $948,300 while the third-finisher gets $600,300. Let’s take a look at what other wins look like.

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WinAmount
1$1,566,000
2$948,300
3$600,300
4$426,300
5$356,700
6$315,375
7$293,625
8$271,875
9$254,475
10$237,075
11$219,675
12$202,275
13$184,875
14$167,475
15$158,775
16$150,075
17$141,375
18$132,675
19$123,975
20$115,275
21$106,575
22$97,875
23$90,915
24$83,955
25$76,995
26$70,035
27$67,425
28$64,815
29$62,205
30$59,595
31$56,985
32$54,375
33$51,765
34$49,590
35$47,415
36$45,240
37$43,065
38$41,325
39$39,585
40$37,845
41$36,105
42$34,365
43$32,625
44$30,885
45$29,145
46$27,405
47$25,665
48$24,273
49$23,055
50$22,359
51$21,837
52$21,315
53$20,967
54$20,619
55$20,445
56$20,271
57$20,097
58$19,923
59$19,749
60$19,575
61$19,401
62$19,227
63$19,053
64$18,879
65$18,705
Total$8,700,000

As stated above, the purse has increased by $300,000 in each of its past three tournaments. It may not seem like a lot, but the total prize money has jumped by approximately 29% since 2021! Additionally, the winner will also take home 500 FedEx Cup points plus a spot in the upcoming Masters Tournament! Peter Malnati might be out of the competition.

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So, over the years, Copperhead course has seen multiple repeat winners. Who are they? Sam Burns (2021, 2022) and Paul Casey (2018, 2019). Interestingly, both golfers registered back-to-back wins since 2018. On that note, how does the current affair heading to the third day of the Valspar Championship? We will be quick!

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The competition is as tough as any other day in the Valspar Championship

The 2024 champion, Peter Malnati, made an exit after giving a moderate performance in the first two rounds (73-73). Similarly, 2021 champion Sam Burns seemed to share the fate and missed the cut after 72-3 finishes in the first two rounds. With these two past champions out, now let’s see who’s taking the lead. In the 40th start of his PGA Tour career, Jacob Bridgeman seems to have had a comfortable second round after he shot a two-under 69.

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Eventually, he ended up over Viktor Hovland who is currently tied for 2 with two other golfers. Talking about his performance, the 25-year-old said that every golfer wants to make it to the final two days. Having done his best, he is right there. “Finally I’m there, so hopefully, we’ll see how I handle tomorrow, but today I felt super comfortable.”

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Ryo Hisatsune is following him and is going just as strong, if not stronger. He made seven birdies in round two with two bogeys. His current score? -5. The South Korean golfer Byeong Hun An seems to be doing just as fine with his 5 birdies and 1 bogey in the second round. He is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Hisatsune. Again, Viktor Hovland, currently struggling in his recent years, seems strong after his recent change in his coach. Shane Lowry is in the 5th position and is tied with three other golfers, including Xander Schauffele.

This year, the Sony Open in Hawaii, held from January 9 to 12, 2025, also dangled an enticing $8.7 million purse, with the champion walking away with a cool $1,566,000. The payout structure follows the tried-and-true formula—winner takes roughly 18% of the pot, while the rest of the field gets their slice of the pie.

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The Valspar 2025 is also decked with Jordan Spieth (T16), Gary Woodland (T30), Bud Cauley (T30), and Justin Thomas (T46). Of course, all can’t take home the win but it is fun to watch them swing. So, don’t miss the games, and let us know who you think will take that grand prize!

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Written by

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Sudha Kumari

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Sudha Kumari is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, where she has filed over 700 bylines covering the sport's biggest stages. She holds a Master's in English Literature, which shows in how she turns a day's leaderboard movement into a clear, readable story. Her live coverage of the 2025 Masters, when Rory McIlroy faltered on the brink of the career Grand Slam, is among her best-known work. She follows both the sport's history and its week-to-week shifts, and her writing gives readers the context behind a result rather than only the score. A lifelong golf fan, Sudha believes today's dark horses are tomorrow's legends, and she splits her coverage between the established names and the players starting to break through. When she isn't tracking tournament trends, she is digging into player backstories, working from the view that the game is as much about the resilience behind a shot as the number on the card.

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Swati Roy

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