Taylor Moore Makes a Big Jump with Win at Innisbrook While Top 6 Remains the Same

Taylor Moore never led the Valspar Championship outright until every player in the field completed all 72 holes.

And that’s all that mattered.

With most eyes on Jordan Spieth and Adam Schenk, the 54-hole leader, Moore started the final round two shots back of the lead. But in what turned out to be a back-nine thriller, Moore played his final 10 holes in 4 under to sneak up the leaderboard. The 29-year-old stuffed a 9-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the 15th hole and then dropped a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17 en route to reaching 10 under with a final-round 67.

When it was all said and done, that’d be enough for the Oklahoman’s maiden PGA Tour victory.

“I might have been under the radar to some people watching, but I felt like I was in the golf tournament from the time I teed off today and was just excited to control what I could control and get it done,” Moore said.

Four years ago, Moore almost died from a collapsed lung after ripping its lining while vehemently vomiting from a stomach virus. Now, with his win on Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, he secured a spot in this year’s Masters, rose from No. 103 to 49 in the Official World Golf Ranking and jumped 25 spots in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings to No. 13.

And he did so thanks in part to a few back-nine blunders from Spieth and Schenk.

Spieth was tied for the lead on the par-4 16th before sending his tee shot into the water. The three-time major winner, however, got up and down from 163 yards to salvage bogey and then hit his tee shot on the par-3 17th to 6 feet. Spieth, though, missed his birdie putt, mostly sucking the air out of his victory hopes.

“I tried to die the putt in on 17,” Spieth said, “and just misread how much it was going to dive at the end."

Spieth placed T-3, his best finish of the season and his second top-5 in the past three weeks. He moved from No. 12 to 11 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings and appears to be in good form heading into the Masters in two weeks.

Schenk, meanwhile, also dramatically fell short of notching his maiden win. Playing his 10th consecutive Tour event, necessitated by the birth of his first child next month, the 31-year-old was tied with Moore for the lead on his 72nd hole. However, Schenk pulled his tee shot and his ball landed adjacent to a pine tree.

Rather than take an unplayable, Schenk hit his second shot left-handed, knocking the ball through the fairway and placing it 98 yards from the hole. He still had a chance to force a playoff with a 40-foot par putt, but his attempt would have way too much pace and bounce in and out of the cup.

“It stinks to get so close," Schenk said, "but great week all in all, so I can't really complain.”

Despite his final-hole roller-coaster, Schenk finished runner-up for his best career Tour finish, which helped him rise from No. 41 to 22 on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Schenk and Spieth, however, weren't the only non-victors to increase their Ryder Cup standing at the Valspar Championship. Wyndham Clark placed fifth and moved from No. 34 to 26. Webb Simpson went from 58 to 41 with a T-7. And J.T. Poston jumped from No. 53 to 43 with a T-10 finish.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.