Brandt Snedeker Is 45, Playing on a Sponsor Exemption, and Two Shots Off the Lead. Good for Him.

I want you to picture this for a second.

You’re 45 years old. You haven’t won a golf tournament since 2018. You’re the U.S. Presidents Cup captain — which is an honor, sure, but it’s also the kind of title they give you when the Tour thinks your playing days are behind you. You needed a sponsor exemption just to get into the field.

And now you’re in the final pairing on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, two shots back, with a putter that’s been on fire all week.

That’s Brandt Snedeker’s Saturday night right now, and I’m here for every second of it.

The Mallet Putter Changed Everything

Snedeker switched to a mallet putter a few weeks ago, and it’s like someone flipped a switch. The guy has always been one of the best putters on Tour — at his peak, he was putting like a machine — but even the best touch in the world can fade when the confidence goes.

Whatever this new putter did, it brought the confidence back. He’s been rolling it beautifully all week at Copperhead. Three birdies in his first four holes on Saturday. Chipping and putting his way out of trouble when the driver wasn’t cooperating.

“Rolling the ball so good, chipping the ball so good,” he said Saturday. That’s the Snedeker we remember. The guy who made everything feel inevitable around the greens.

Nine Wins and a Fading Spotlight

Here’s what people forget about Brandt Snedeker: the dude was really good for a long time. Nine PGA Tour wins. FedEx Cup champion in 2012. Multiple Presidents Cup player. He wasn’t just a grinder who snuck into a few winner’s circles — he was a legitimate top-20 player in the world.

But golf is cruel to guys in their 40s. The distance game has changed. The young guys hit it 320 off the tee and never look back. Snedeker’s game has always been built on precision and putting, not raw power — and while that still works at Copperhead, it’s a tougher sell at most modern Tour setups.

His last top-10 was over a year ago. Two top-10s total in his last calendar year. That’s the kind of form line that gets you into the “should he retire?” conversations on Golf Channel panels.

Why This Matters More Than the Leaderboard

Look, Sungjae Im is probably going to win this thing. He’s led after every round, he’s 27, his wrist is clearly healed, and he’s playing the best golf of his career. The smart money is on Im.

But sports aren’t always about the smart money.

Snedeker winning the Valspar at 45 — on a sponsor exemption, as the Presidents Cup captain, with a putter he picked up three weeks ago — would be one of the best PGA Tour stories in years. Not since Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship at 50 has a feel-good age-defying win captured the public imagination like this one could.

And here’s the thing: Copperhead is perfect for Snedeker. The course rewards course management over raw distance. The greens are tricky enough that touch matters more than launch monitor data. The closing stretch from 16-18 is where experience and nerve pay off.

The Case Against

Let’s be real: Im has been the best player all week. The mental game required to lead a PGA Tour event wire-to-wire is immense, and Im has shown zero signs of cracking. Two shots on Copperhead is a healthy lead.

And Snedeker’s long game has been mediocre at best. He said it himself — “if I can get my long game under control a little bit.” That’s not exactly the kind of confidence that inspires you to empty the savings account at the sportsbook.

But that’s what makes this fun. Logic says Im. The heart says Snedeker. And on a Sunday at Innisbrook, with the wind blowing and the greens running fast, sometimes the heart wins.

Root for the Old Guy

I don’t care who you normally root for. Tomorrow afternoon, you should be watching the Valspar and rooting for Brandt Snedeker.

Not because Im doesn’t deserve it. He absolutely does. But because golf at its best gives us moments we don’t expect, from players we’d written off, at tournaments that suddenly become unforgettable.

A 45-year-old President Cup captain on a sponsor exemption, two shots back, in the final pairing.

Turn on CBS tomorrow. This one’s worth watching.