It’s a course with a cool name and a lot of history for one that hosted its first PGA TOUR event in the grand olde year of 2000. It will remain the newest event on the Florida Swing for a long time. It also might be the toughest one to predict.
O’Hair
In 2008, Sean O’Hair won with U.S. Open-like score of 4 under 280. Last year, with the wind down and good weather conditions, Jim Furyk shot 13 under, and it would have been lower had he not bogeyed two of the last four holes. Even so, the course was still in the upper quarter of those on TOUR for toughness.
Still, its impossible to predict how the course will play. Part of the allure lies in the landscape. The course is located northwest of Tampa, but its towering pine trees and rolling hills is more Pinehurst than Palm Harbor.
“This Copperhead Course has stood the test of time,” Bo Van Pelt said in 2009. “They have not had to change it much.”
“It reminds me of courses in Korea, back home in Korea, because of the elevation, the ups and downs,” said K.J. Choi, who won the event in 2002 and 2006.
The course’s reputation has only grown over time. Even in a crowded part of the schedule — right after the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and three weeks before The Masters — the tournament has continued to draw a strong field. World No. 1 Martin Kaymer is teeing it up at Copperhead for the first time, as is 17-year-old Matteo Manassero.
TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Power Rankings | Inside the Field | Inside the Course
Memorable Moments: Transitions
The Transitions Championship is one of the newer events on the PGA TOUR, but the tournament has its share of great moments over the years:
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Tour Report: Copperhead: How much venom? (PGATOUR.com)