Thursday Mar 19, 2026
FIRST THOUGHT

Valspar Championship Talking Points:
▪️ The 25th edition of the Valspar Championship will be contested at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course), the host course since the tournament’s inception in 2000.
▪️ The field features:
> Eighteen of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, highlighted by six in the top 20 — No. 7 Xander Schauffele, No. 12 J.J. Spaun, No. 14 Justin Thomas, No. 15 Matt Fitzpatrick, No. 16 Ben Griffin and No. 18 Viktor Hovland
> Seven past champions — Hovland (2025), Peter Malnati (2024), Taylor Moore (2023), Adam Hadwin (2017), Jordan Spieth (2015), Kevin Streelman (2013) and Gary Woodland (2011).
▪️ 18-year-old Blades Brown will make his fourth start on Tour, his best finishing being third at the Puerto Rico Open; Brooks Koepka will make his fifth start since making his return to the Tour via the Returning Member Program.
▪️ Six-time Tour winner Lucas Glover will make his 21st tournament appearance, the most of any player in the field. He two career top-10 finishes — T4/2007 and T8/2025.
▪️ Players in their 20s have now won eight of the 10 tournaments on Tour this season, including last week’s Players Championship winner Cameron Young. Four of the last five winners of the Valspar Championship were in their 20s (Sam Burns/2021-22, Taylor Moore/2023, Viktor Hovland/2025).

POLL

▪️ How would you grade PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp's performance to date? | Vote
▪️ Previous: Why shouldn't The Players Championship be a major? | Results

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

▪️ Though PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp did not provide specifics, what is your opinion of the plan he proposed prior to The Players Championship? | Respond
▪️ Previous: Considering how men's professional golf's majors have evolved through the years, why should The Players Championship not be considered a major championship? | Read

GOLF INDUSTRY NEWS
The line delivers a classic Cleveland Golf style with a modern touch and will include hats, a caddie towel, and a Sunday bag
Read More
Running-inspired Pebax superfoam comes to golf for the first time
Read More
Qualtrics becomes the official tool of Voice of the Gallery, which is part of the Tour's Fan Forward initiative
Read More
As part of the partnership, Bag Boy push carts will be featured nationally throughout the PGA Jr. League local league season, All-Star events and the 13u and 17u championships
Read More
Dedication ceremony at the Tour's Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, headquarters brings together PGA Tour's three commissioners and CEO for the first time
Read More
PGA of America expands adoption of Twilio’s platform and products to power personalized engagement for 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals and millions of golfers
Read More
Ozarks National, Buffalo Ridge, Payne’s Valley and Branson Hills ranked as Missouri’s top four in the publication's Best Courses by State compilation
Read More
Rudy, formerly of Golf Digest, joins the company as senior director of content and communications
Read More
Worley, Idaho, course tops the publication's Top Public-Access Golf Courses by State, 2026 ranking 
Read More
NBC Sports’ live coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET March 21-22 on NBC and Peacock
Read More
The championship's final round averages 4.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, with the audience peaking at 7.1 million viewers from 5:45-6 p.m. ET
Read More
The Stephen Curry-led tour will include stops in Gainesville, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; Galloway, New Jersey; and Los Angeles, California; Curry Cup moves to Bethpage Black Golf Course, September 15-17
Read More
The region’s golf-themed indoor sports and entertainment venue is offering unlimited rounds for residents
Read More
Guests can upgrade their stays at the Irving, Texas, destination
Read More

Bernhard and Company: Names GC Duke as its North American Distributor of the Year for 2025. The award recognises exceptional performance in developing the Bernhard and Company brand. ... Pro Sports Logistics | Destination Sport: Partner to launch a golf travel management solution. The solution will benefit tournament organizers, elite professionals and collegiate teams. ... J.Lindeberg: Apparel brand evolves its footwear offering with new iterations of the Vent 500, expanding the lineup with fresh colorways and a knitted edition. ... Breakthrough Golf Technology: Launches its Forta and Forta Tour wood shafts, which will begin shipping April 1 through authorized Breakthrough Golf fitters and retailers worldwide. ... The Byrd Golf: Announces a retail partnership with GT Golf Supply that places the company's products in 80-plus Worldwide Golf Shops.

EXPANDED NOTES >

RELATED: Industry press releases | Industry press release videos
RELATED: The First Call / PR Newswire feed

   

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

▪️ How Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas are disrupting golf’s apparel market
[Gabby Herzig | The Athletic | Read]

▪️ The PGA Tour mic’d up its pros. Here’s why it feels groundbreaking
[Dylan Dethier | Golf.com | Read]

▪️ LPGA, Trackman set to debut broadcast enhancements
[Josh Carpenter | Sports Business Journal | Read]

▪️ The multicolored mosaic of early spring greens
[John Petrovsky | USGA | Read]

TFC PODCAST / VIDEO NETWORK

RECENT DROPS 

🎧 CONTENT CLUBHOUSE
Pat Monahan: Rock stars love golf too
Guest: Pat Monahan, lead singer, songwriter and founder of the band Train.
ListenArchives

🎧 GOLF AND THE GOOD LIFE
Step inside Royal County Down
Guest: Bill Donald, general manager, Royal County Down Golf Club.
Listen | Archives

🎧 DRIVER$: INSIDE THE GOLF INDUSTRY
A caddie reads the golf apparel market
Guest: Kyle Kalick, founder, Caddie Comfort. 
Listen | Archives

ARCHIVES: 🎧  Podcasts | ▶️  Videos

ON TOUR

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship
Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.
Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead).
Television [ET]: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
GCSAA Fact Sheet

LPGA Tour: Fortinet Founders Cup
Site: Menlo Park, California.
Course: Sharon Heights GC.
Television [ET]: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
GCSAA Fact Sheet

LIV Golf League: LIV Golf South Africa
Site: Midrand, South Africa.
Course: The Club at Steyn City.
Television [ET]: Thursday-Friday, 6-8 a.m. (FS1), 8-11 a.m. (FS2); Saturday, 6-11 a.m. (FOX); Sunday, 6-11 a.m. (FS1).

DP World Tour: Hainan Classic
Site: Hainan Island, China.
Course: Mission Hills Resort (Haikou).

COMPLETE SCHEDULE >

TFC GOLF JOB BOARD

THIS WEEK'S FEATURED LISTINGS

▪️ Assistant Golf Course Superintendent
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia | Info

▪️ Tax Accountant
PGA Tour
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | Info

▪️ Player Development Professional
Aliso Viejo Country Club
Aliso Viejo, California | Info

▪️ The First Call Job Board
▪️ Buffalo Groupe Job Openings

CALENDAR

MARCH
23-25: Asia Golf Tourism Convention, Thailand | Info

COMPLETE CALENDAR >

To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.