TAMPA BAY RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN 2021 VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2021 Valspar Championship returns to Destination Tampa Bay on April 29 through May 2, 2021 with a field of leading players and exciting new ways for fans to participate in the action. The PGA TOUR, event takes place on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, a Salamander Golf and Spa Resort. Tampa Bay residents are encouraged to participate in some of the new event festivities.

A significant number of Destination Tampa Bay golf fans will be able to watch the action in person, although attendance will be limited by COVID-19 protocols. Limited public grounds tickets and Thursday/Sunday Hooters Owl’s Nest tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.  With attendance limited the event promoters will be adding new ways for Destination Tampa Bay residents to interact with the tournament with “Inside the Snake Pit” on Facebook. (Left defending champion Dustin Johnson)

“INSIDE THE SNAKE PIT” FACEBOOK WATCH SHOW 

Fans who prefer to watch at home can engage with the tournament at Innisbrook Resort through a new Facebook Watch show, “Inside the Snake Pit,” which will be posted each morning Thursday, April 29 through Monday, May 3. Interviews, insider discussions and celebrity appearances are just a few of the features planned for the show, which will be hosted by PGA TOUR SiriusXM Radio host Carl Paulson. (RIGHT)

2021 VALSPAR BACK TO BRIGHT MURALS 

Fans are encouraged to follow the Valspar Back to Bright mural progress. Earlier this month, North Greenwood Recreation Center in Clearwater was chosen to receive a special Back to Bright mural sponsored by Valspar. In April, area muralist Zulu Painter will begin to create a colorful mural on a large wall at the Rec Center that faces Greenwood Avenue. (See many samples of his work on link above.)

Valspar is using the power of color and art to promote joy, inspiration, a brighter future and togetherness. Fans can follow the mural’s progress on Twitter using the hashtag #ValsparBackToBright. The mural will be revealed and dedicated Friday, April 23 prior to tournament week.  (Sample of Zula mural LEFT.)

In addition to the Tampa Bay mural, a PGA TOUR professional participating in the Valspar Championship will receive the opportunity to have a mural created. The PGA TOUR pros will have signed paint cans for a wall behind the 18th green. From those cans, one pro will be randomly chosen to earn the right to select a location in his own hometown or a town of his choosing for a similar mural created by a local artist from that community. 

AT THE 2021 VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The PGA TOUR has authorized limited attendance for the tournament similar to the galleries permitted at other events to be held in Florida in March – the Arnold Palmer Invitational, THE PLAYERS and the Orlando Honda Dealer in Orlando FL | Apopka Winter Garden Windermere Honda Dealership Florida (classichonda.com). 

The tournament will be conducted with extensive health and safety protocols for everyone – players, caddies, volunteers and spectators – on the course. (Copperhead Course at Innisbrook RIGHT)

“The focus this year will be concentrated on the golf competition, but we will have many of our favorite concession and hospitality locations,” says Tournament Director Tracy West. “All fans will be required to wear masks at all times unless seated eating and drinking in designated areas. Attendees will have the opportunity to spread out across the hundreds of acres on the Copperhead.” 

Fans who attend the tournament in person will have the opportunity to participate in special attire days. Saturday will be Derby Attire and Hat Day, and Sunday will celebrate local title winners with Champa Bay Day. 

For Derby Attire and Hat Day, fans are encouraged to wear clothes suitable for attending the Big Race. At the conclusion of play, the best outfits will gather at the 18th green for judging with a chance to win a $1,000 eCredit on Delta Air Lines for travel in the continental U.S. The Derby telecast will follow the contest at Innisbrook Resort. 

Fans can show support for their favorite Tampa Bay championship team Sunday, May 2 by wearing team gear. When the 2021 Valspar champion is crowned, representatives from Tampa’s pro sports teams will be integrated into the ceremony at the 18th green. 

ABOUT THE 2021 VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYERS:

Dustin Johnson, the defending Masters champion and number one in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and Brooks Koepka, winner of four Major Championships since 2017, head the early list of committed players when the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship returns to the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort after a one-year absence. 

2019 champion Paul Casey, also committed, scored a pair of one-shot victories in 2018 and 2019 and has maintained a strong form since, including a recent European Tour victory at the Dubai Desert Classic, that puts him 16th in the current OWGR. 

Dustin Johnson (LEFT) has won four times since the resumption of play last summer including a record-setting performance at the 2020 Masters. Koepka, now ranked 12th in the OWGR, recently won the Waste Management Phoenix Open for his 8th PGA TOUR title. Other top names among the early commitments to the tournament include Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson, Jason Kokrak, and Brandt Snedeker. 

Viktor Hovland (RIGHT), the 23-year-old Norwegian who has risen to #14 in the Official World Golf Ranking within two years of turning pro, will make his Valspar Championship debut. Hovland has won two PGA TOUR events including the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December. Since then, he has three top five finishes and is now 4th in the current FedExCup standings. 

Tyrell Hatton (LEFT), 8th in OWGR standings and Sungjae Im, 17th, complete the list of six of the top 18 players in the OWGR committed to the Valspar Championship. All told, the current field includes 14 players in the OWGR top 50 and 15 players in the current FedExCup top 30. Check out previous Valspar tournaments here.

Destination Tampa Bay is proud to bring to you information about the 2021 Valspar Championship. Content provided by Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), PGA Tour and FKQ. All photos are for editorial purposes only, all right reserved.

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