With the West Coast Swing complete, the PGA Tour now heads East to Florida as the luscious greens and fairways of PGA National play host to The Honda Classic on Friday.
Now in its 48th year, The Honda Classic consistently draws players from the Top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings with a cool $7 million up for grabs.
This year’s headliners include Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler, while the Australian contingent is made up of Cameron Davis, Matt Jones, Cameron Percy and Greg Chalmers.
The Honda Classic can be the ideal form guide heading into next weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational, so be sure to read our complete preview below for all our best bets.
2020 Honda Classic Best Bet
Sungjae Im – $29.00
This is it; this is the one. PGA National is well-suited to the games top ball-strikers, and the Korean more than falls into that category ranking 45th in the PGA’s approach-the-green rating. Im has been flirting with his first victory on Tour since late November, while more recently he’s finished inside the top 40 in five of his last six starts. He also ranks 14th in scoring and 16th in birdie average.
2020 Honda Classic Best Roughie
Erik Van Rooyen – $46.00
The South African was a bit of an eye-catcher last week where he finished T3 in Mexico. His second-round 62 was particularly impressive, but if you’ve been following Van Rooyen for a while, none of this will come as a surprise. The 30-year-old has hit over 60% of greens in regulation, meaning he should be well-suited to the tight fairways PGA National has to offer.
2020 Honda Classic Top 5 Finish
Wyndham Clark – $11.00
We should see Clark play with a chip on his shoulder this weekend after holding the outright 54-hole lead last year before falling away to a respectable T7 finish. Clark has rediscovered some form with the putter to finish inside the Top 20 at Pebble Beach and Riviera. Those are two of the toughest greens on Tour, so he should feel good about his chances here.
2020 Honda Classic Top 20 Finish
Gary Woodland – $2.00
Woodland came good at Chapultepec last week finishing T12. Again, this is a course well-suited to top ball strikers as opposed to long bombers, but Woodland’s strong track record at PGA National certainly stands out. He’s made the cut in all seven appearances at this event including a T2 back in 2017.
Billy Horschel – $2.10
The five-time Tour winner could be on the verge of his sixth victory if things keep up. Horschel owns a pair of T9’s in back-to-back appearances at TPC Scottsdale and Chapultepec, making him a serious dark horse at these odds. I’m also reminded Horschel owns three Top 20 finishes in his last four appearances at this event and whilst ranking 16th on Tour in putting percentage.
Viktor Hovland – $2.25
Can he back up after breaking through for a win in Puerto Rico last week? The lack of rest is the only real knock on Hovland heading to PGA National as he prepares to make his debut. His strong play with the irons should suit this course well, but as tempting as it is to back him outright, four consecutive T20 finishes on Tour suggests there might be a safer play.
2020 Honda Classic Field
Tommy Fleetwood – $11.00
Fleetwood returned to the PGA Tour in style last week with a T18 at Chapultepec. The Englishman always looked a chance after finishing T20 in all three of his starts on the European Tour, making him one of the most consistent golfers heading to PGA National this weekend. With an outright fourth at this event back in 2018 (his only ever appearance), you should expect to see Fleetwood somewhere towards the top of the leaderboard on Monday.
Brooks Koepka – $13.00
Koepka has followed a similar path to Fleetwood having started his year off in the UAE. His return to the PGA Tour didn’t go quite to plan, however, as a T43 at the Genesis Invitational left a lot to be desired. The American is well-rested heading to PGA National, but he hasn’t seemed quite like himself following a knee injury towards the back end of last season. The only consolation is last years runner-up performance.
Rickie Fowler – $15.00
Probably deserves to be a single-digit chance considering his track record at PGA National. Fowler is the all-time tournament earnings leader on this course after winning The Honda Classic in 2017 before last year’s runner-up finish behind Keith Mitchell. Unfortunately, Fowler’s recent form has been spotty at best. After finishing Top 10 at the Tournament of Champions and The American Express, he went on to miss the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open before a T37 at TPC Scottsdale.
Louis Oosthuizen – $23.00
The South African opened with a first-round 68 last week at Chapultepec before things went skewwhiff. Oosthuizen finished T51 after carding a third-round 76, so it’s a little tricky trying to line up his form. He’ll make his first appearance at PGA National since 2017 where he finished T21, but I’m happy to leave Oosthuizen out at this price.
Justin Rose – $26.00
Probably a little under the odds if you ask me. Rose has failed to fire in his last two starts missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open before a T56 at Riviera a fortnight ago. He’s also making his first appearance at this event since 2015 where he failed to make the cut.
Byeong Hun An – $34.00
Hun An has been a master around the green this year, but his putting continues to let him down. Even so, a T9 at the Phoenix Open and a T29 at Chapultepec is nothing to sneeze at, so a trip to PGA National might be just what the doctor ordered. Since debuting at this event in 2018, Hun An has finished T5 and T35.
Charl Schwartzel – $81.00
The force is certainly strong among the South Africans this year. Schwartzel is another serious chance coming in well-rested following a T5 at Pebble Beach earlier in the month. The two-time Tour winner also knows a thing or two about playing in difficult conditions, so he should handle the windy forecast ahead.
