The PGA Tour will make its way from the west coast to the East as the best in the world arrive at the PGA National Resort & Spa at the Palm Beach Gardens in Florida for The Honda Classic this week.
Event Details
Event: 2016 Honda Classic
Category: PGA
Date: February 25-28
Location: PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Originally known as the Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic, the event switched to its current venue in 2007 and the fields have grown stronger with every passing year. Tom Wieskopf won the inaugural event all the way back in 1972 while the last two winners needed a playoff to escape with a victory including Padraig Harrington in 2015 and Russell Henley in 2014. Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Mark Calcavecchia and Padraig Harrington each are tied with the most Honda Classic wins with two apiece.
Past Five Winners
2015 – Padraig Harrington -6 (Playoff)
2014 – Russell Henley -8 (Playoff)
2013 – Michael Thompson -9
2012 – Rory McIlroy -12
2011 – Rory Sabbatini -9
What To Know About The Course
The first tournament of the Florida Swing will put the field to the test at the course designed by Tom and George Fazio. It is heavily bunkered and the water is in play on 13 of the 18 holes that line the course. The PGA National is covered in Bermuda and the greens usually run around 11.5 on the stimpmeter. Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy are always important, but they aren’t key stats for this week’s event. The more important focus will be the Greens In Regulation as the windy conditions always seem to have an impact on the tournament. The last two tournaments have come down to putting and the ability to capitalize on the opportunity to sink birdies when they are there and that trend will continue this week.
The Field
World No. 3 Rory McIlroy and world No. 5 Rickie Fowler will lead an impressive cast of golfers in this year’s field. McIlroy is listed as the betting favorite at 11/2 odds. However, he will need to find his form following another disappointing performance after a collapse in the final round of the Northern Trust Open that led to him finishing 20th. McIlroy won this event back in 2012 so there is some precedent when it comes to expecting him to bounce back. Remember that last week’s event was McIlroy’s first PGA event of the 2016 season, so a little bit of rust is to be expected. Patrick Reed, Branden Grace, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama will also feature in an impressive field along with another fan favorite in Phil Mickelson. Mickelson is coming off a strong outing two weeks ago at Pebbles Beach where he just missed the playoff by missing a put on the 18th hole.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Patrick Reed over Branden Grace
Some golfing enthusiasts will be eager to bet on Rory to break out of his funk this week, but the smart matchup might very well be taking Reed to produce a better performance than Mickelson. Reed is trending in the right direction following a sixth-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and he will be well rested after taking last week off. Grace is coming off an impressive victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, but he hasn’t played in this tournament since 2013 when he finished 71st and a couple of years away from this course won’t help him in this matchup versus Reed.
Top Five Prediction: Rickie Fowler
With the exception of a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, Fowler has now finished in the top-five in each of his last three PGA Tour appearances along with a another top-five finish when he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship late month. Fowler’s consistency to open 2016 has been very impressive overall and he has had a couple of weeks to rest following a second-place result at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Fowler probably needed that break following his performance in Phoenix, but he should be refreshed and ready to lock in another top-five finish this week.
Top 10 Odds To Win Honda Classic
Rory McIlroy 11/2
Rickie Fowler 12/1
Hideki Matsuyama 18/1
Adam Scott 18/1
Phil Mickelson 22/1
Patrick Reed 22/1
Brooks Koepka 28/1
Branden Grace 30/1
Paul Casey 33/1
Kevin Kisner 35/1
