Burns vs Hovhannisyan "Break Through the Snake Pit"... What About the 'K Brothers'?

Burns to Open Valspar Championship Night on 17th 'Title Defense', Hovland's 'Revenge Match', Korea's Kang Sung-hoon and Noh Seung-yeol to Compete

Sam Burns has stepped up to defend his Valspar Championship title.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] World No. 17 Sam Burns is aiming to defend his title.

The Valspar Championship (total prize money $7.8 million), which opens on the 17th (Korean time) at Innisbrook Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida (par 71, 7,340 yards), is especially a "promised land" where he earned his first PGA Tour victory last May. He gained momentum by securing his second career win at the Sanderson Farms Championship, which is included in the 2022 season in October. Top contenders such as No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA), Viktor Hovland (Norway), and Dustin Johnson (USA) have joined the race for the title.

Burns is a 25-year-old young gun who won the Savannah Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) in 2018 and immediately advanced to the PGA Tour in the 2019 season. Despite some frustrations due to a lack of wins, including a runner-up finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks after the Valspar Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August, he finally reached the "two-win milestone" at the Sanderson Farms. He recalls the thrilling memory of posting an 8-under-par daily best on the second day when he won this tournament last year.

It is interesting that Innisbrook is known as a tough course. The final stretch from holes 16 to 18 is especially challenging, with narrow fairways that twist like a snake, earning the nickname "Snake Pit." A large snake sculpture with a flicking tongue is installed at the teeing ground of the 16th hole (par 4). The 17th hole (par 3) has a narrow and elongated green, causing many three-putt bogeys. The last hole, the 18th (par 4), completes what is considered the most brutal "closing three holes" on the PGA Tour.

Viktor Hovland is aiming for revenge at the Valspar Championship, where he finished third last year.

While Morikawa stumbled, being cut at The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major," which ended on the 15th, Hovland has emerged as the top favorite. Having finished tied for third last year, he is motivated for revenge, and his recent shot form is good, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 8th hole (par 3, 219 yards) during the third round of The Players. Following his back-to-back wins at the World Wide Technology Championship in November, he is poised to become a two-time winner this new season.

Johnson's form is formidable. He drew attention by setting a course record of 9-under-par on the final day at TPC Sawgrass during The Players. However, he first needs to overcome the frustration of not winning since the "Fall Masters" in November 2020. Paul Casey (England) has appeared as a dark horse, showing particular strength at Innisbrook with consecutive wins in 2018 and 2019. Among the "K Brothers," Im Sung-jae (24) is on a break, while Kang Sung-hoon (35) and Noh Seung-yul (32) are looking for opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.