In Palm Harbor, Florida, Kevin Streelman starts strong and finishes the first round of the Valspar Championship, a PGA Tour event, at the top of the leaderboard. With a score of 64 (-7) strokes, the American leads his compatriot Kevin Roy, who is in 2nd place with 65 (-6), ahead of another American, Peter Malnati, in 3rd place with 66 (-5), alongside Canadian Adam Svensson and Chinese player Carl Yuan. At the Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course, par 71), Francesco Molinari, with a round of 70 (-1), highlighted by five birdies and marred by four bogeys, is in 48th place.
Kevin Streelman, results
Among the 152 players competing are also ten of the top thirty players in the world. Just outside the Top 10, both tied for 13th place with 68 (-3), are Americans Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.
Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth, the winner of the competition in 2015, is in 28th place with 69 (-2). It’s a forgettable start for Ryan Moore, the champion in 2023, who is now in 92nd place with 72 (+1) and at risk of elimination.
The Valspar Championship, which precedes the Texas Children’s Houston Open (March 28-31 in Texas), offers a purse of $8,400,000, with $1,512,000 going to the winner.
Kevin Garret Streelman, born on November 4, 1978, is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour.
Hailing from Winfield, Illinois, Streelman began his golfing journey as a caddie at the renowned Chicago Golf Club, a venue with a rich history of hosting the U.S. Open. He graduated from Wheaton Warrenville South High School in 1997 before attending Duke University, where he graduated in 2001. Streelman was also a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and served as co-captain of the Duke golf team alongside Paul Tucker and Denver Brown. During his time at Duke, he played collegiate golf alongside fellow PGA Tour player Leif Olson. Streelman turned professional in 2001.
Streelman earned his PGA Tour card in 2008 after finishing 14th at the qualifying school in 2007. Since then, he has maintained his status on the Tour every year through 2014. Notably, he shared the lead after the first round of the U.S. Open in 2008 and broke into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in March 2009.
In March 2013, during his 153rd start on the PGA Tour, Streelman secured his maiden victory at the Tampa Bay Championship. He claimed his second victory in June 2014 at the Travelers Championship, finishing one stroke ahead of runners-up K. J. Choi and Sergio García. Streelman made history on the PGA Tour by closing out his final round with seven consecutive birdies, setting a new record.
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