Palm Harbor, FL – Taylor Moore – quietly #103 in the Official World Golf Ranking from Arkansas – who made his mark by winning his first PGA TOUR tournament, the 2023 Valspar Championship.
Moore, who entered the final round two shots off the lead, shot a 4-under 67 to post -10. Adam Schenk and Jordan Spieth, playing the final group, both got to -10 as well but fell victim as once again the Snake Pit, the final three holes, told the tale. Moore played the final three holes in -1 with difficult pars on 17 and 18. Spieth bogeyed the 16th after a drive in the water. Both Spieth and Schenk stood in the 18th fairway needing to get up and down (Spieth for birdie, Schenk lying two for par) but both saw their approach shots roll back down the hill from the pin.
“I might have been under the radar to some people watching, but I felt like I was in the golf tournament from the time I teed off today,” Moore said, “and was just excited to control what I could control and get it done.
Asked about his impressions of the Valspar Championship, Moore said, “Yeah, it’s tough not to like it a lot more right now, you know (laughing.)
I played here last year as a rookie and I thought it was a good course for me. I missed the cut last year but I was optimistic about the golf course and the property. I think this place is a ball-striker’s kind of paradise, fairway and green it to death. I think you can do a lot of good things. But it’s been a fantastic week.
“It’s been an easy week. Staying out here at Innisbrook has been awesome and convenient and the staff here has been really good to me and my team. So definitely thankful for that and excited to come back here in the future.”
Moore’s career was setback after a collapsed lung in 2019, but he earned his PGA TOUR rookie status last season and made the second level of the FedExCup playoffs. He had four top 20 finishes earlier this season and entered the week 58th in the FedExCup standings. After today, he is now in the top 10.
Moore is the 6th player to earn his first PGA TOUR win at the Valspar Championship (also Carl Pettersson in 2005, Gary Woodland in 2011, Kevin Streelman in 2013, Adam Hadwin in 2017 and Sam Burns in 2021). A key stat in his victory was going 64-for-64 on putts inside of 7 feet.
