They got who they wanted all along, the golfers they’ve been trying to coax to playing in the Valspar Championship for awhile...some longer than others.
Tiger Woods will play in the Valspar for the first time ever.
Jordan Spieth is coming back.
Both announcements were made Friday morning, the same day as the 5 p.m. deadline for committing to the Valspar Championship. This 2018 edition shapes up as the best field in the 18-year history of the event.
“After a good recovery week I’m committing to play in the Valspar Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational next two weeks,” Tiger Woods tweeted Friday morning.
Jordan Spieth announced his intentions about the same time.
“This is tremendous news,” said Valspar Tournament Director Tracy West. “Obviously, we have never had a field as strong as we now have. We expect tremendous demand for tickets and parking and have put plans in place to deal with it. Still, we ask for understanding from our patrons in the days ahead and anticipate we will have to declare sellouts on some of the days of the tournament.”
Tiger’s tweet generated over 20,000 likes on his Twitter account and was retweeted over 3,900 times.
Although Tiger is no longer ranked among the leaders in the Official World Golf Ranking, he still moves the meter. Some would say, he still is the meter. He is still the most engaging player in golf today. And his commitment to the Valspar means a huge uptick in ticket sales. Even though his commitment wasn’t confirmed until Friday, Valspar officials have been preparing for this day. Plans are in place for increased security and increased ticket sales. There was no official word until Friday, but the Valspar doesn’t have to scramble to prepare. They’re ready.
The Valspar now has nine of the top 20 players in the OWGR, their best showing ever.
This will be Tiger Woods’ first appearance at the Copperhead, since the 1996 JCPenney Classic, when he finished 2nd with partner Kelli Kuehne.
Jordan Spieth didn’t play last year but won the Valspar Championship in 2015 which propelled him to a banner year. He’s finished in the top 20 in all four of his previous appearances in the event.
Tournament tickets are on sale now through Valspar ticketing and Publix stores, as supplies last. Friday and Saturday will be the most popular tickets, as Saturday will be Valspar Live! With the concert featuring stars Jake Owen and Dustin Lynch after third round play. The green lot parking area is sold out but there is some pre-purchase parking area available for sale now.
Connect with 727area for sports news in Tampa Bay and follow our sports columnist David Wirth for all the latest news! Your registration is always free.
