To say Kevin Streelman's first-round performance at the 2024 Valspar Championship came out of thin air would be a bit of an understatement. The longtime PGA Tour veteran has struggled in his first six starts of the season, but there were no issues to be seen Thursday as Streelman turned back the clock and opened with a bogey-free 7-under 64 at the Copperhead Course to take the first-round lead.
"You don't try and look at it as do I see a round coming," Streelman said. "It just kind of like I'm trying to ... I felt some really good feelings on the range this week and in the pro-am, and it's kind of cool little new ball marker I'm using that is legal that can kind of give you some visual cues that I think is pretty helpful, I was using that today which I think kind of helped as well. But, yeah, it was one of those, the putter just felt great and I saw the lines and was rolling it great and was able to drop some putts."
A winner here in 2013, Streelman arrived in Palm Harbor, Florida, fresh off rounds of 77-75 at last week's Players Championship that saw the Duke product not only miss the cut but finish near the very bottom of the leaderboard. This had more or less become the norm for Streelman in 2024; he had missed three other cuts to go along with a withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open.
Sometimes, a change of scenery or playing at a comfortable location is all that is required for these guys to rediscover their game. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are aware of this sentiment as they signed for rounds of 3-under 68 and 2-under 69 on Thursday after missing the cut at the Players Championship.
Last week's runner-up, Xander Schauffele, came home in 68 as well and looks to make amends after a disappointing Sunday at TPC Sawgrass. Nick Taylor and Keith Mitchell round out the notables on the first couple pages of the leaderboard heading into what will be a weather-affected next two days at Innisbrook.
Let's take a look at what happened in the first round at the 2024 Valspar Championship and what to expect moving forward.
The leaders
1. Kevin Streelman (-7)
2. Kevin Roy (-6)
T3. Adam Svensson, Carl Yuan, Peter Malnati (-5)
The last month has not been kind to Svensson; he had missed three straight cuts coming into the week. This came as somewhat of a surprise as the Canadian rolled at the Genesis Invitational en route to a T10 finish as a precursor to the Florida swing. For whatever reason, Svensson's form has not translated to the Sunshine State, but he looks to make amends this week following a 5-under 66 in Round 1.
"It's been a rough couple weeks, but it seems like the ball striking came around and hit it pretty good today," Svensson said. "I made some nice putts, just one 3-putt. Just looking forward to tomorrow and see what happens…I don't know [why I have struggled in Florida]. I'm not too sure. I always seem to play poorly in this kind of stretch, and then I kind of pick it up at the end of the year. I'm not too sure why. It just happens."
Other contenders
T6. Hayden Springer, Brendon Todd, Keith Mitchell, Aaron Baddeley, Rico Hoey, Chez Reavie, Ryan Palmer (-4)
T13. Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Justin Suh, Seamus Power, Mackenzie Hughes and others (-3)
It's been a little bit of a strange start to 2024 for Thomas. He's played some great golf with high finishes at The American Express and Arnold Palmer Invitational but missed the cuts at the Genesis Invitational and Players Championship. The good news is Thomas' typical iron play has returned this season and was on full display Thursday, ranking inside the top 10 in strokes gained approach. The bad news is the driver continues to be uncooperative, which is something to monitor as major championship season draws near.
"I just wasn't kind of trusting it and kind of getting through it," said Thomas. "I just was kind of getting stuck and kind of flipping at it. It was nice to hit a good drive on the last hole, I just felt like I actually committed to hitting a cut and kind of covering it a little bit more. I hit some beautiful irons today, so I know that those swings, the good swings, are in there, it was just something about when it was getting a little longer it was getting a little loose."
An absolute dart from @JustinThomas34 💪
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 21, 2024
He scares the hole on the par-3 8th @ValsparChamp. pic.twitter.com/OwMncs7ZDf
Weather rolling into the area
Conditions were ideal Thursday at the Valspar Championship, but that may be the end of that as inclement weather rolls into the area. Friday and Saturday will be littered with storms with roughly an inch of rain expected to fall in the Palm Harbor area. Not only will the rain pose problems for players and the pace of play, but winds are forecasted to blow a consistent 20 mph.
2024 Valspar Championship update odds, picks
Odds via Sportsline consensus
- Xander Schauffele: 5-1
- Justin Thomas: 10-1
- Nick Taylor: 15-1
- Jordan Spieth: 18-1
- Keith Mitchell: 18-1
- Kevin Streelman: 22-1
- Adam Hadwin: 22-1
Predicting the rest of this tournament will be a crapshoot given the expected weather, but Thomas at 10-1 seems appetizing. If he drives the ball better over the next 54 holes, the 15-time winner should be well positioned to pick up No. 16 at a place where he has come close before. Coming into the week, Thomas had collected five top 20s in six appearances.
