The Comfort Zone: The Honda Classic

If this paragraph started with, “LOL! Yeah, right. Comfortable? Here?! LOL!,” you’d have understood. The Champion Course at PGA National is unforgiving. It was the hardest par 70 in a non-major and boasted four of the PGA TOUR’s hardest 50 holes in each of the last two seasons. The kicker? None of those four are part of The Bear Trap (Nos. 15-17), which first captures the attention of all who enter. How can it not? There’s a plaque on a rock beside the tee at the par-3 15th stating the words of course redesigner Jack Nicklaus, “It should be won or lost right here.” This is The Honda Classic. If comfortable actually means being able to say that one poked the bear and survived, then so be it. In fact, the all-time earnings leader on the course is famously known for slaying another top-of-the-food chain predator – a Tiger; Woods, that is. A few months before Y.E. Yang stunned the 14-time major champion at the PGA Championship in 2009 – Yang remains the only Asian male to win a major and Woods has been winless in the majors since – the South Korean emerged victorious at PGA National for his breakthrough TOUR title. He added a runner-up finish here in 2011 and is 7-for-8 overall. TALES OF THE TAPE Golfers in this week’s field inside the top 10 in the following categories in last year’s Honda Classic: Success here is almost entirely defined by course management and understanding how to take medicine. Experience hasn’t mattered as much as humility. Hitting greens in regulation doesn’t mean as much as escaping sans squares. All of this is embodied in the identifiers below. STROKES GAINED: APPROACH-THE-GREEN Rank, Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1 Sergio Garcia (2nd) 2 Adam Scott (Win) 3 Andrew Loupe (T14) 4 Camilo Villegas (T14) 5 Russell Knox (T26) 7 Justin Thomas (T3) 9 Brett Stegmaier (T21) 10 Billy Horschel (T8) STROKES GAINED: TEE-TO-GREEN Rank, Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1 Sergio Garcia (2nd) 2 Justin Thomas (T3) 3 Adam Scott (Win) 4 Stewart Cink (T26) 5 Billy Horschel (T8) 7 Blayne Barber (T3) 8 Russell Knox (T26) 10 Graeme McDowell (5th) SCRAMBLING Rank, Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1 Graeme McDowell (5th) T2 Sung Kang (T10) 4 Sergio Garcia (2nd) 5 Jeff Overton (T21) 6 Adam Scott (Win) 7 Ryan Palmer (T26) T8 Rickie Fowler (T6) T8 Luke List (T10) 10 Justin Thomas (T3) BOGEY AVOIDANCE Rank, Golfer (Tournament Finish) T1 Graeme McDowell (5th) T1 Adam Scott (Win) T3 Sergio Garcia (2nd) T3 Rickie Fowler (T6) T5 Sung Kang (T10) T5 Jeff Overton (T21) T5 Justin Thomas (T3) T9 Blayne Barber (T3) T9 Luke List (T10) T9 Ryan Palmer (T10) T9 John Senden (T10) Keeping in line with relative fortune at PGA National, Horses for Courses is populated by guys who make the cut regularly and have even contended, but note that none are winners of The Honda Classic. Instead, as it concerns the long-term, the champions in the field could be accused more as beneficiaries of unpredictable great weeks of ball-striking and good luck more than unlocking any code. Perfectly struck shots can be deflected from the sky by random downdrafts and crossing gusts. Sometimes both. The level of satisfaction of prevailing in this tournament has to feel like a career achievement, but from a pure X’s-and-O’s standpoint, the combination of reliable execution on approach and world-class short game is the most lucrative ticket. Bonus support goes to guys with experience in local weather/wind and ease putting on Bermudagrass. NOTE: Data below represents editions of The Honda Classic contested only at PGA National (2007-present). HORSES FOR COURSES Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. 2. Luke Donald. Cuts made: 6/6. Top 10s: 4. Best finish: 2nd. 20. Sergio Garcia. Cuts made: 6/6. Top 10s: 2. Best finish: 2nd. 24. Russell Knox. Cuts made: 3/3. Top 10s: 2. Best finish: P2. 25. Graeme McDowell. Cuts made: 6/7. Top 10s: 4. Best finish: 5th. 34. Jeff Overton. Cuts made: 7/9. Top 10s: 3. Best finish: T6. 37. Paul Casey. Cuts made: 4/5 Top 10s: 2. Best finish: T3. 47. Rickie Fowler. Cuts made: 5/7. Top 10s: 2. Best finish: T6. 72. Jason Dufner. Cuts made: 7/7. Top 10s: 1. Best finish: T9. GETTING COMFY Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. Adam Scott Cuts made: 2/3. Best finish: Win (2016) Padraig Harrington Cuts made: 5/6. Best finish: Win (2015) Daniel Berger Cuts made: 1/2. Best finish: P2 (2015) Blayne Barber. Cuts made: 2/2. Best finish: T3 (2016) Justin Thomas. Cuts made: 1/2. Best finish: T3 (2016) Ian Poulter. Cuts made: 4/4. Best finish: T3 (2015) Jim Herman. Cuts made: 1/2. Best finish: T7 (2015) William McGirt. Cuts made: 5/6. Best finish: T8 (2016) Billy Horschel. Cuts made: 2/5. Best finish: T8 (2016) John Senden. Cuts made: 7/7. Best finish: T10 (2016) Scott Brown. Cuts made: 2/3. Best finish: T10 (2016) Sung Kang. Cuts made: 1/3. Best finish: T10 (2016) Luke List. Cuts made: 1/2. Best finish: T10 (2016) OTHER SIGNS OF COMFORT Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last. Russell Henley. Cuts made: 3/4. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2014 (Win). Best finish: Win. Ryan Palmer. Cuts made: 6/8. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2014 (P2). Best finish: P2. Billy Hurley III. Cuts made: 1/3. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2014 (5th). Best finish: 5th. Will MacKenzie. Cuts made: 6/7. Top 10s: 2. Last: 2014 (T6). Best finish: T5. David Hearn. Cuts made: 1/5. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2014 (T6). Best finish: T6. David Lingmerth. Cuts made: 3/4. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2014 (T8). Best finish: T8. Michael Thompson. Cuts made: 4/5. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2013 (Win). Best finish: Win. Keegan Bradley. Cuts made: 3/6. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2013 (T4). Best finish: T4. Lucas Glover. Cuts made: 3/7. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2013 (T4). Best finish: T4. Graham DeLaet. Cuts made: 2/5. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2013 (T9). Best finish: T9. Rory Sabbatini. Cuts made: 4/6. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2011 (Win). Best finish: Win. Ricky Barnes.  Cuts made: 3/7. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2011 (4th). Best finish: 4th. Gary Woodland. Cuts made: 4/4. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2011 (T6). Best finish: T6. Charles Howell III. Cuts made: 6/7. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2011 (T10). Best finish: T10. Camilo Villegas. Cuts made: 6/10. Top 10s: 2. Last: 2010 (Win). Best finish: Win. Freddie Jacobson. Cuts made: 7/8. Top 10s: 2. Last: 2010 (T6). Best finish: T5. Ben Crane. Cuts made: 6/7. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2009 (3rd). Best finish: 3rd. Ernie Els. Cuts made: 7/8. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2008 (Win). Best finish: Win. Alex Cejka. Cuts made: 5/7. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2008 (T7). Best finish: T7. Mark Wilson. Cuts made: 5/9. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2007 (Win). Best finish: Win. Boo Weekley. Cuts made: 5/10. Top 10s: 1. Last: 2007 (P2). Best finish: P2.

Click here to read the full article

Tired of betting on your favorite sports? Check out some casino game at Bovada! Here’s a list of Bovada casino bonus codes that will get you started with some nice bonuses.

At this moment we have no odds available…
Officialsportsbetting.com