In the final round of the 2019 Valspar Championship, Paul Casey turned in a 1-over 73 to finish at 8-under for the tournament, one stroke clear of the field to defend his title and grab his third-career PGA TOUR victory! The arduous Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort gave players everything they could handle and more, firming up to produce its toughest exam on a sunny Sunday just outside Tampa. Casey, 41, became the first man in the event’s 19-year history to repeat as champion.
There were many big names that had a chance on Sunday including World Number 1 Dustin Johnson, who shot 74 and slid to T6, and Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open Champion, who finished T2 with Jason Kokrak, but it would be Casey that would survive.
“I had a lot of confidence. My victory here last year put me back into a frame of mind, a comfort that I felt many years ago during my career, back in, pick a year, when I was winning consistently in Europe,” Casey said. “People forget, I’m not a prolific winner but I’ve won 17 times around the world. It’s not bad. I would like it to be more, obviously. I know how to win, plain and simple. I think I had forgotten, and last year’s victory kind of maybe kind of broke the seal, for lack of a better term.”
With Sunday’s victory, Casey moves to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, and marks the first time as a professional he had successfully defended as champion. Casey won three PAC-12 individual titles while at Arizona State and won back-to-back English Amateurs, but had yet to win back-to-back as a professional. At 41, there still is room for firsts.
Source: PGA TOUR
