Can Potter Can Make It Two Weekend Victories for Florida-Breds?
Sunday, May 2, 2021

    Ted Potter rang the bell at the Valspar Championship on moving day with a best-of-the-afternoon 63, and it moved him up 37 spots on the leader board into a tie for fourth behind Keegan Bradley and Sam Burns.

    Ted's 8-under-par round was three better than four 66's posted Saturday, and put him in position to win his third PGA Tour event if he can keep it up in today's finale over the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. Ted's 67-73-63-203 for 54 holes left him at 10 under par, just four strokes behind the two leaders, and three behind Max Homa. Bradley and Burns both shot 69 Saturday, while Homa closed in on the top pair with one of the 66's. Ted is paired with Homa today with a 1:55 tee-off time. 

    The 63 is easily Ted's best round of the 2020-2021 season. He previously had just nine sub-70 rounds since September, four of those coming in the same tournament, the Puerto Rico Open. His best had been a 65 in the Shriner's Hospital for Children event. 

    Ted's round included eight birdies, two bogeys and an eagle 3 on the par-5 11th hole, his second 2-under hole in three days, tying him for first in that category. On the 11th, he followed a 294-yard drive with a 266-yard second that left him just 9 feet, 3 inches from the hole. When he made it, he was 5 under for the day, and 7 under overall, then stretched it to 8 with birdies on 12, 14 and 15. 

    For the day, Ted hit 9 of 13 fairways and 11 of 18 greens. He had an unreal number of putts - 20 -and his putts-per-greens-in-regulation average was an impressive 1.182, lowering his number for 54 holes to 1.548, fourth best among those who made the cut of 1 under par. 

    Ted hasn't won since his second career victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2018 and he's running out of exemption time. This event has a purse of $6.9 million, with more than $1.2 million to the winner. Even 10th place is worth about $190,000, so this will be a big test for Ted.

    GATOR: Camilo Villegas, fighting for a return to exemption status, shot 69 and he's at 5 under par, tied for 23rd. SEMINOLE: Hank Lebioda shot 71 and is 7 under, tied for 12th. USF's Chase Koepka shot 72 and is 3 under, tied for 39th. 

    Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby yesterday, Ted Potter can make it two important victories for Florida-breds today. 

     

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