After many of the marquee names in the field stumbled out of the gate on Thursday, the cream started to rise to the top in the second round of the 2025 Valspar Championship. Viktor Hovland sits one stroke back of 36-hole leader Jacob Bridgeman with Shane Lowry and Xander Schaufele just one shot further back as Moving Day awaits.
Lowry caught fire early Friday shooting 29 as he started his round on the back nine; that showed there were birdies to be had on the Copperhead course if one could get is putter hot. Unfortunately, Lowry was unable to maintain that momentum through his full 18 holes, dropping two shots on his second side to shoot 67. He nevertheless put himself in contention going into the weekend.
Hovland likewise posted a 67 in one of his best rounds of the year to vault into second place, one back of Bridgeman. Despite his strong play Friday, the former world No. 3 gave an honest explanation as to what parts of his game have been a battle and why he’s still not fully comfortable on the course.
Schauffele was similarly solid moving into the top 10 after shooting 68 in the afternoon wave. A two-time major champion last year, he is beginning to round into form coming off of injury.
Tom Kim tied Ryo Hisatsune for the best round of the tournament so far with a 66 to not only move inside the cut line but into the top 20 at 2 under. In the morning featured group, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas both had strong rounds going out early, though they ultimately faded down the stretch. Nevertheless, the spring break buddies moved inside the cut line and made the weekend.
The leader
1. Jacob Bridgeman (-6): Leading all of those big names Bridgeman, who is making just his 40th PGA Tour start. While most of the group that was tied at the top went backwards Friday, he held his nerve in the second round with a 69 and moved into the solo lead after 36 holes. It’s the continuation of a nice Florida swing for the 25-year-old out of Clemson as Bridgeman finished T2 at the Cognizant Classic, T15 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and made the cut at The Player sChampionship. Now, he gets the chance to sleep on a solo lead going into the weekend in search of his first PGA Tour win.
Other contenders
T2. Viktor Hovland, Ryo Hisatsune, Byeong Hun An (-5)
T5. Shane Lowry, Kevin Velo, Xander Schauffele, Jeremy Paul (-4)
The chase group is headlined by Hovland, Lowry and Schauffele, but they have some company. Hisatsune’s 66 was extremely impressive as he made five birdies on his second side (front nine), while An’s 67 featured just one bogey in a clean round of golf to jump into contention. Castillo briefly had it to 6 under and in a tie for the lead after an eagle on the 1st (his 10th) but gave two back down the stretch to slip off the pace. Velo had to finish his first round on Friday morning, making birdie on the 18th before shooting a solid 70 to stay in the mix.
This weekend could be fascinating as the three biggest names in the top 10 are all trying to reclaim form of old. Lowry is the one that’s played the best golf this year, but he hasn’t won a solo event on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Open. (Last year, he won the Zurich Classic while teamed with Rory McIlroy.) Schauffele hasn’t yet found the form that won him two majors last year as he works back from injury, while Hovland is still trying to find confidence in his swing that seems to be a day-to-day battle. All three have the A-game to run away with the tournament if they can be at their best for two days, but they haven’t shown that level consistently much this year.
Snake charmer
The Snake Pit (holes 16-18 at Innisbrook) showed its teeth Friday as all three holes played over par, but there were a few that managed to tame the closing stretch at the Copperhead course. Lowry played it in 2 under en route to a 29 on the back nine, but it was Steven Fisk that had the highlight of the day with a rare ace on the difficult par-3 17th.
Carding an ace on a 194-yard hole that yielded just 14 birdies on the day is quite the feat, and it almost sparked a rally to the cut line for Fisk, who finished one shy of the weekend.
Notables who missed the cut
- Michael Kim
- Sam Burns
- Adam Scott
- Ben Griffin
- Cam Davis
- Joel Dahmen
- Alex Smalley
- Jake Knapp
- Cameron Young
2025 Valspar Championship updated odds, picks
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Xander Schauffele +550
- Jacob Bridgeman +650
- Viktor Hovland +700
- Byeong Hun An +800
- Shane Lowry +900
- Ryo Hisatsune +2000
- Corey Conners +2200
- Sepp Straka +2200
- Will Zalatoris +2500
- Tom Kim +2800
Schauffele might not need his A-game to win this week, and his second round was encouraging progress after a scratchy opener. I have a hard time wanting to invest in Hovland given his post-round comments, even if I appreciate his candor. Out of that group at the top, Lowry’s odds present better than others given he’s always good in Florida and can get the putter real hot — as he showed Friday. Further down, this feels like the kind of tournament Kim could sneak up and win from four back, and I don’t hate a little sprinkle at 28-1 because he’s shown if he gets in the mix he does know how to close out a win.
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