The tale of Taylor Moore, who won the Valspar Championship on Sunday by surviving the finish better than any of the other contenders, isn’t quite as simple as another 29-year-old finally getting the reward for the dues he’s paid.
Moore did the hard work on a difficult Copperhead Course at cool, breezy Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, shooting a closing 67 that was the only sub-70 score among the final 11 pairings. It propelled him past everyone else, including third-round leader Adam Schenk and 13-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth.
Tied for the lead on the tee at the par-4 16th, Spieth soaked his chances when he flared his tee shot into the water, leading to a costly bogey while Schenk, tied with one hole remaining, bogeyed the 18th after hitting his tee shot against a tree, forcing him to play a left-handed recovery shot.
That left Moore, at 10-under 274, holding the trophy and new status after his first victory in his 46th start on the PGA Tour.
“I was just trying to shoot the best round I could. I got a little ahead of myself at the Players, trying to have a nice high finish there,” said Moore, recalling his fade to T-35 after a final-round 74 a week earlier at TPC Sawgrass. “I went in here with the mindset that Thursday is the same as Sunday.”
Moore’s path to Sunday wasn’t easy.
In 2019, Moore was playing golf in Arizona when he developed breathing problems. Ultimately, his right lung collapsed due to an infection. He was planning to fly home but didn’t, turning right toward a hospital rather than left to the airport.
"There wasn’t any doubt (about getting on the PGA Tour) internally. It was more frustrating about how long it was taking to get out here.”
Taylor Moore
“If I had taken a left, I might not be here,” Moore said. “It was God’s will to take a right and get to the hospital. I was super fortunate to get through that moment and get back on my feet and give me kind of a new perspective on life.”
Moore ultimately underwent surgery, and it cost him 12 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, delaying his quest for a PGA Tour card. It didn’t help that the tour shut down in early 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to his wait.
“The more important thing was to know I was healthy again and didn’t have to worry about my lung collapsing again. There wasn’t any doubt (about getting on the PGA Tour) internally. It was more frustrating about how long it was taking to get out here.”
Schenk spiced his Sunday by making a 71-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole, the longest putt he has made in his PGA Tour career. Positioned to force a playoff with Moore, Schenk pulled his tee shot on the 18th hole, costing him a chance at his first tour victory.
“It stinks,” said Schenk, who was solo second, one stroke ahead of Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood.
Two amateurs made the cut at the Valspar Championship. Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, the top-ranked amateur in the world and a senior at Texas Tech, finished T61 while 20-year-old Nick Gabrelcik, a University of North Florida junior who lives about 10 miles from Innisbrook, finished T69.
Ron Green Jr.