Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman among those to miss cut at Valspar Championship

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Players braced themselves for a challenging day weather-wise on Friday at the Valspar Championship, making sure to pack the waterproofs and umbrellas. But the strong winds that greeted early morning rounds soon died down, and the heavy rains expected to arrive never did.

As for Friday’s cutline at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort. Well, that was harsh. Play was suspended by darkness at 7:25 p.m. and resumed at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Fifteen players completed their second rounds on Saturday morning, and the cutline did not move, staying at even-par 142, which left 77 players to play the final two rounds at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course.

Players went off two tees in the third round, which is underway. The six-shot differential between those making the cut and the leaders to start the third round matched the fewest strokes between top and bottom since the 2016 Travelers Championship.

It allows for rapid movement on the leaderboard. Tom Whitney, for instance, began the morning needing to play well to make the cut, made a couple of birdies, and with a fast start to Round 3, was two shots from the lead early in his back nine.

Among those not making the weekend at Valspar: Jordan Spieth, a past champion who shot 74 Friday to finish at 1-over 143; Keegan Bradley, a two-time winner in 2023 who shot 71 Friday to finish at 143; Sam Burns, a two-time Valspar champion who bogeyed his final hole to miss by a shot; 2019 U.S. Open champion and former Valspar champion Gary Woodland (75); last year’s Open Championship winner, Brian Harman (74); another Open champion, Francisco Molinari (73); Tony Finau (75); and 2023 Ryder Cup captains Luke Donald (73) and Zach Johnson (76).