Sungjae Im holds a one-shot advantage over Brandt Snedeker following the opening round at the Valspar Championship.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sungjae Im, who had missed two consecutive cuts following a wrist injury, regained his form on Thursday at the Valspar Championship, recording two eagles that compensated for a few late errors in his round of 7-under 64, placing him one shot ahead of Brandt Snedeker.

The Copperhead course at Innisbrook marked the third consecutive event on the Florida swing, where the conditions were firm and the greens were beginning to show a yellow tint. Im rose to the occasion by creating numerous birdie opportunities and successfully converting six of them.

He also made eagle putts from 18 feet on the par-5 11th and 35 feet on the par-5 first after the turn. Only two bogeys in the final four holes hindered his progress.

The unexpected standout was 45-year-old Snedeker, the U.S. captain for the Presidents Cup, who received a sponsor exemption. He achieved a bogey-free round at Innisbrook for the first time in 14 years, starting the back nine with three consecutive birdies in his round of 65.

Snedeker has not won in eight years and has recorded only two top 10 finishes in the past year. However, he switched to a mallet putter a few weeks ago and is beginning to see some success with his putting, especially on longer attempts.

He began with a 20-foot birdie on No. 1 and sank a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 12.

“Playing perfectly the way we want to see it play, firm and fast,” Snedeker stated. “Had a really solid game plan — just relied on my putter. I putted exceptionally well today, made a lot of long putts, and positioned myself well off the tee, hitting many fairways and greens, which made it stress-free, which was nice. So I’m really pleased with how it started, but there’s still a long way to go from here.”

Snedeker led the field in putting, accumulating nearly 150 feet of putts, which included a couple of par putts from just outside 10 feet.

Davis Thompson finished with a score of 66, while Billy Horschel was among those at 67. Horschel, who missed The Players Championship last week, is running out of time to either secure a win or return to the top 50 to qualify for the Masters.

Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman also recorded a bogey-free round, a rarity at Innisbrook, by making a par putt from just inside 10 feet on the 18th. He finished at 68, alongside another bogey-free performance from Xander Schauffele.

“That was a significant one, even more than a typical par save. That one felt satisfying,” Bridgeman remarked. “To navigate this course bogey-free indicates you’re playing some solid golf. I made a couple of nice saves today to keep myself in contention.”

Bridgeman and Schauffele were part of a large group that included Matt Fitzpatrick, who was the runner-up at The Players Championship last week.

Corey Conners shot a 69, an average round except for an extraordinary moment when he made consecutive eagles. He holed his shot off the pin from the 18th fairway for an eagle, then made the turn and holed out from 40 yards in the rough at the par-5 first.

Also at 69 was Jordan Spieth, who had reason to anticipate a better outcome.

Spieth appeared poised to challenge Im even while competing in tougher, gusty conditions in the afternoon. He was 5 under on the front nine and had a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th. However, he missed that, along with a 3 1/2-foot par putt on the 13th, and dropped three shots over the three-hole stretch known as “Snake Pit,” including a double bogey on the 16th after driving into the water.

Defending champion Viktor Hovland was 2 over through six holes and managed to salvage a 70, while Brooks Koepka made his return to Innisbrook with three birdies, three pars, and a score of 71.