Sungjae Soaring High With Two Eagles As Spieth Is Bitten On The Copperhead.

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Palm Harbor, Florida …..

Sungjae Im was soaring high with a one shot lead thanks to a pair of eagles in an impressive first round at the 2026 Valspar Championship, posting a 7-under-par 64 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course here in Palm Harbor, Florida.

The 28-year-old South Korean, ranked No. 82 in the Official World Golf Rankings, bounced back strongly from a January wrist injury that sidelined him and led to missed cuts in his first two starts of the season (Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship).

Im produced a blistering start in the $9.1m event eagling the par-5 first and then also the 11th hole along with grabbing six birdies, and three bogeys (on Nos. 6, 8, and 16), blending aggressive play with precise iron work.

His 64 is just two shots shy of his career low of 62 (most recently in the third round of the 2025 Sentry, where he finished T3).

“I had a very good start. I was able to go birdie, eagle, birdie. I did not have very good starts the last few months,” said Im.

“After last week I really felt like I had to refine some techniques and I was able to focus on specific techniques, and I refined it and for this weekend I feel like that’s a really good outcome.

Im now holds or shares the 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR for the fourth time (most recently at the 2022 3M Open, where he finished T2), though he’s 0-for-3 in converting those to victory so far this career stat. He joins Corey Conners as the only players in the field with two eagles in Round 1.

One shot back at 6-under 65 is nine-time PGA TOUR winner Brandt Snedeker, making his 14th appearance at the event. Snedeker opened bogey-free for his best Round 1 score here in years (previous best 69 five times), seeking his first made cut in five starts this season.

Davis Thompson sits third at 5-under 66, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 11th. Tied for fourth at 4-under 67 are Billy Horschel (a University of Florida product in strong recent form at the event), Pierceson Coody, and Andrew Putnam.

Spieth superbly put himself in position to be well in the mix by matching Im in eagling the first ahead of moving to six-under through 15 thanks a birdie at the 15th however the Texan, seeking a first PGA Tour success since the 2022 Valero Texas Open, doubled 16 in finding water off the tee at the second hole of the famed 3-hole ‘Snake Pit’ and taking a ‘6’.

The three-time major champ, who just needs a PGA Championship win for the Grand Slam, then bogeyed the last in a 69 to be back in a tie for 17th and five off the pace.

Im

Sungjae Im (1st/-7)

  • Opens with a 7-under 64, two shy of his career low-round score: 62, four times (most recent: 2025 The Sentry/R3/finished 3rd)
  • Carded two eagles on Nos. 1 and 11 along with six birdies against three bogeys on Nos. 6, 8 and 16; joins Corey Conners as the only players in the field with two eagles in round one
  • Holds fourth 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR (most recent: 2022 3M Open Championship/finished T2); 0-for-3 in converting to victory
  • Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (3.847)
  • Making his third start on TOUR this season after suffering from wrist injury in January (MC/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, MC/THE PLAYERS Championship)
  • Making fourth tournament appearance (T4/2019, T29/2021, MC/2024)
  • Owns two TOUR titles in 211 career starts (2020 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, 2021 Shriners Children’s Open)
  • Republic of Korea native enters the week at No. 82 in Official World Golf Ranking

Key highlights from Round 1:

– Corey Conners (T17 at 2-under) made history by carding consecutive eagles on Nos. 18 (carry over from prior round context?) and 1, becoming the first on record to do back-to-back eagles at Copperhead Course and the 70th such instance on TOUR (most recent: David Ford at the 2026 Cognizant Classic).
– Spieth (T17 at 2-under) eagled his opening hole (No. 1) for the second time in his career here but faded with late bogeys.
– Wyndham Clark blasted the longest drive of the season at 446 yards on No. 10, setting a new tournament record (previous: 411 yards by Gary Woodland in 2013).
– Top players had tougher days: World No. 7 Xander Schauffele opened at 3-over, defending champion Viktor Hovland at 1-over, and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka even par.

Conditions were sunny and breezy with highs of 73°F and north-northeast winds at 10-15 mph (gusts to 23 mph), favoring bold play on the demanding par-71, 7,352-yard layout.

The Valspar Championship, the 11th of 34 FedExCup Regular Season events, features a $9.14 million purse ($1.638 million to the winner) and 500 FedExCup points to the champion. Im’s strong start sets up an intriguing battle—can he finally convert a 18-hole lead into a third PGA TOUR title?

Stay tuned to GolfByTourMiss for more action from Copperhead!



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