Tournament Preview: The 2013 Tampa Bay Championship

Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course is a par 71 that measures 7,340 yards.  With five par 3s and four par 5s the course consistently has presented a challenge even to the world’s best.  This year Copperhead will play host to the 2013 Tampa Bay Championship event for the 12th time (Last year it was known as the Transitions Championship).  Although a challenging track with double dip doglegs and tight fairways, last year’s scoring average of 70.732 was a record low for the event and ranked fifth-easiest of 11 par 71s played all season.

Innisbrook’s rolling terrain appears out of place in central Florida where you might normally anticipate flat land riddled with palm trees, water and alligators, but the scenery here is breathtaking.  Statistics for players hitting fairways and greens in regulation have been on par with all other tracks on the TOUR schedule, but getting up and down for par has become a challenge in recent years.

The Snake Pit — holes 16, 17 and 18, with a par 3 smashed between a pair of par 4s — isn’t as challenging as the name suggests.  Ranked as the fourth-hardest in scoring for the final three holes of any course in 2012, its average of 0.519 strokes over par was its second-lowest since 2007. For the last 3 years, the 16th hole has been the most difficult hole at Copperhead.

The weather should be as good as you can expect in Florida this time of the year and will likely remain that way throughout the tournament. There’s a chance of some breezy conditions during the opening round after which winds are forecast to subside.  Sunny skies will flourish most of the weekend with rising temperatures that will hit the mid-70s by Sunday.

Luke Donald will be in the field again to defend his title from last year.  He’ll be stacked up against some hot hitters in the field this week like Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Jason Dufner.

Want to hear more about Golficity’s predictions on who will win The 2013 Tampa Bay Championship? Make sure to visit our Fantasy Golf Predictions page to get the inside scoop about this exciting event.

Golficity’s Pick: Adam Scott

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