Players Championship takes toll as Robert MacIntyre leads Valspar pull-outs
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre one of a number of players to WD from Valspar Championship.
There have been a number of notable withdrawals ahead of this week’s Valspar Championship, including Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre following his near-miss at The Players Championship.
MacIntyre came agonisingly close to joining Sandy Lyle (1987) as only the second Scot to win the PGA Tour’s flagship event, but a series of costly late bogeys saw him slip back to a solo fourth-place finish at TPC Sawgrass.
Speaking after the tournament, MacIntyre revealed just how intense the experience had been, admitting he struggled to eat while in contention down the stretch.
Following that draining week, MacIntyre has opted to skip the Valspar Championship, joining a growing list of withdrawals as players recover from the demands of The Players.
Keith Mitchell, who finished T46 at Sawgrass, was among the first to pull out on Sunday evening, with MacIntyre confirming his withdrawal shortly after.
There were further changes to the field on Monday, with Sudarshan Yellamaraju – one of the surprise stories of the week after finishing tied fifth at The Players – also withdrawing.
Yellamaraju's breakout performance earned him $925,000, a remarkable 72% of his total PGA Tour career earnings to date.
William Mouw has since joined the list of players opting out of the event.
The withdrawals have opened the door for several players to move into the field, with Doug Ghim, Kris Ventura, Andrew Putnam and Justin Lower all taking advantage of the reshuffle.
Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland returns to Innisbrook Resort as he looks to successfully defend his title, having recorded a respectable T13 finish at The Players on Sunday.
Additional tweaks to the Valspar Championship field on Monday saw Seamus Power and Matt Kuchar added, bringing the total number of players to 135 – creating a neat format of 45 three-balls.
Power’s inclusion comes via the PGA Tour’s “Returning Player Program” – sometimes referred to as the “Brooks Koepka rule” – which allows certain players to re-enter events without displacing others already in the field.
Sponsor exemptions for this year’s event have been awarded to Adam Hadwin, Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Jackson Suber.
Despite the host of withdrawals, the 25th edition of the Valspar Championship still boasts a strong field, including 18 of the world’s top 50 players, seven past champions, and four players who finished inside the top 10 at The Players: Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Jacob Bridgeman and Justin Thomas.
The Valspar marks the final stop of the Florida Swing and the 11th event of the 2026 PGA Tour season. It also represents one of the last opportunities for players to secure a place at The Masters, with just three events remaining before Augusta.
The tournament will once again be held on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, one of the best golf courses in Florida.
After this week, the PGA Tour heads to Texas for back-to-back events in Houston and San Antonio before the season’s first major gets underway at Augusta National.
Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.
