The PGA Tour kicks off the first of four straight Florida events in Palm Beach Gardens at PGA National for The Honda Classic. Sandwiched between four designated events, the Honda Classic drew the short straw on the calendar this season, and the field’s quality reflects that. It’s unusual for any golfer, especially those who rank inside the top 50 in the world, to play five consecutive weeks, so this acts as a perfect bye week for the world’s best. Even second and third-tier golfers like Keith Mitchell, Gary Woodland, and Sam Ryder, who typically tee it up at this event every year, are taking the week off. The fine folks at Honda are so excited about this situation that they’re opting out and will no longer be the title sponsor for this event moving forward. Tough scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jack Nicklaus played a big role in the original design and the recent updates to this course, and the consensus is it’s one of the toughest non-major Par-70 tracks on Tour each season. If you’re watching the broadcast coverage this week, you’ll likely hear a lot about the famous ‘Bear Trap.’ The Bear Trap, holes 15-17, is generally considered one of the Tour’s most challenging three-hole stretches. Birdies will be hard to come by this week, and bogey avoidance will be more critical than any other week over the past two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar to most Florida stops, water hazards, bunkers, and windy conditions can wreak havoc on this event, bringing in an added layer of variance to a highly variant sport. Early weather reports are encouraging as far as the wind goes, but check back as Thursday approaches. Looking at my card from years past, I’m typically lighter here pre-tournament, saving bullets for matchups and chasing outright winners on the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more course details, check out Ron’s<\/a> course preview<\/a>. It’s the best in the business, bar none. Here’s an important tidbit about PGA National:<\/p>\n\n\n\n PGA National is not an easy introduction to the Florida Swing. Every golfer in the field knows they are going to be tested to their limit. The average winning score over the past 13 years has been 9-under par. The winner has either been a favorite or a longshot in 11 of the past 13 years. Part of the reason for the disparity in winners is that the Honda Classic is one of the most volatile events on the Tour.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Famous for its 15 holes with water danger, PGA National will favor golfers with a balance of short game and ball-striking who can avoid penalty areas, scramble for pars and manage any windy conditions. It plays similarly to a major tournament and favors those players who demonstrate patience.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every part of a player’s tee-to-green game will be tested. Trouble is literally lurking everywhere as strategic bunkers, along with 26 actual water hazards on 15 different holes, litter the property. Eight holes require approach shots to cross a water hazard making accurate iron play paramount. Over the past five years, the field has averaged 2.42 double bogeys or worse per 72 holes which ranks as the most from any course on Tour.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My goal with this piece is to touch on the golfers I’m targeting this week. There are millions of ways to bet on this beautiful game, so I’ll share my opinion on the best way to bet on each golfer in my player pool at this week’s event. When pricing out finishing position bets (T5, T10, T20s, etc.), I’ll often lean towards BetMGM<\/a> even if there’s a better number elsewhere because of MGM’s advantageous dead-heat rules. So know the rules of the books that you’re betting on! <\/p>\n\n\n\n