Sup Florida: It's The Honda Classic Preview!
Hello folks, welcome to the Florida swing. After a couple weeks out in Hawaii, several weeks in California and — as is tradition — a rowdy little stop in Phoenix, the boys now transition to Florida. We’ve got the Honda in West Palm Beach this week, the new WGC in Mexico City next week, then the Valspar in Tampa and finally the Arnold Palmer in Orlando to close it out.
New stretch, same old tracks (for the most part). The Honda at PGA National is of course known for the Bear Trap, which we’ll get to.
History
The Honda goes back 45 years. Founded it 1973, its sponsors originally included National Airlines, Gleason, and American Motors Company before, in 1982, Honda took over. They’ve had a strong grip on the event ever since.
The Honda’s bumped around to a bunch of different tracks before eventually settling at the home of the Bear Trap, PGA National’s Champion Course in 2007. I’ve played there — it’s hard. I shot a million.
Nobody’s won this tourney more than twice. That two-time champ list includes Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Mark Calcavecchia and Pádraig Harrington. Tiger’s never won here — which I always find notable because he’s won damn near everywhere and usually several times — despite making a chills-down-the-spine-omg-he’s-definitely-back charge for a final-round 62 in 2012.
An eagle that put the final touches on a Sunday 62 at Honda. pic.twitter.com/phYnZlvOI9
— Skratch (@Skratch) February 21, 2017
Adam Scott’s our defending champ and recent winners include Paddy Harrington, Russell Henley, Rory, and Michael Thompson.
Know who’s not a recent champ here? Ian Poulter, who blew a massive final-round lead complete with this 8-iron shank on the par-3 5th in 2015.
Rory also pretty infamously withdrew here citing some sort of injury, only to later admit that he simply didn’t want to play anymore.
(FIRE pullover tho)
The Track
7,158 yards. Par 70. Rating 75.2. Slope 148. Typically plays as a par 72, but they cut it down to 70 for these guys. Place is no joke. In fact, in the 10 times the Honda’s been hosted here since 2007, just two winners have come in at double-digits under par (2010, Villegas, -13; 2012, Rory, -12).
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Also, in 7 of those 10 runnings, the winner’s won either by one stroke or in a playoff. Place produces drama.
The Champion course also hosted the Ryder Cup in 1983, just two years after its completion (captained by the Golden Bear himself).
And the PGA Championship in 1987 (winner, Larry Nelson). It is a elite course.
Notable Holes
6th, 479 yards, par 4
A converted par-5, the 6th shows PGA National’s teeth. Damn near 500 yards and with water nudging you the whole down down the left side, there’s little room for error. You need to stripe a few and, as the old cliché goes, sprint out of here if you make a 4.
If you post a 3? Dive in the pond and call it a day.
The Bear Trap
15th, 179 yards, par 3
Sup Smylie.
When the "Bear Trap" devours your entire pairing… pic.twitter.com/PC4wBvXI9D
— Skratch (@Skratch) February 22, 2017
16th, 434 yards, par 4
Tricky little hole. It’s typically less than driver off the tee, as you gotta fit one out there in between the bunkers, then a tough approach over water to a well-guarded green. It’s also almost always into the wind.
PGA National Golf Club has five courses, 90 holes, and they call this the toughest par 4 on the property.
17th, 190 yards, par 3
The Trap concludes with another punishing par 3. Anything short and you’re snorkelin'; anything long and you’re in a back bunker or in the rough on a downslope facing a delicate up-and-down, staring at water from the other side. Good luck.
18th, 556 yards, par 5
The eighteenth is a very reachable, snake-like par 5. The fairway sort of jets out to the right, comes back left, then the green is plopped back over on the right.
After stumbling through the Bear Trap in 2014, and needing an eagle on 18 to win, Rory did this.
He would ultimately miss the putt, tap-in for birdie, and lose in a playoff, but whatever. It’s a great finishing hole; a should-be birdie for these guys.
The Field
Top players in the field this week include Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Thomas Pieters (who’s Belgian not German, apparently), Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Brooks Koepka.
And Daniel Berger aka Tori Slater.
Hey girl. Here are some betting odds to chew on.
Predictions
Winning Score
-9.
Winner
Full transparency — I’m changing my strategy on these. I used to go with my own proprietary method; now I’m going with my twitter DM source. Dude DMs me every week, has been ignored for months but was finally listened to last week, and was spot on. He picked DJ, I picked DJ, we all won money.
This week, DM guy says he likes Rickie so we like Rickie. Honda winner = Rickie Fowler.
DFL
Steven Bowditch.
Dark Horse
By popular demand, will be adding a dark horse pick to predictions each week. Again have to trust my sources on this (they’re especially trustworthy this week because they like one of our guys) — Ollie Schniederjans. Ollie’s 50-1 on my book and is playing the best of anyone in that group by a mile (again, according to my sources).
Honda dark horse = the hatless phenom Ollie Schniederjans.*
*Also, special shoutout to our other boys Jon Curran and Willy Wilcox. I threw some coin on them this week; great value.
Forecast
Should be a little different than LA last week.
Coverage
Thursday & Friday: 2-6PM Golf Channel
Saturday & Sunday: 1-3PM Golf Channel; 3-6PM NBC (Johnny’s back!)
On-course, we’ll have the one, the only, the hero, the legend…
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Final Thoughts
Buy a shirt. Download a podcast. Save a life.
Time for the dreaded commute. Make it better by listening to our latest episode with @JonCurranGolf. https://t.co/MSni8WQesk
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) February 21, 2017
Florida swing puts one main thing in all our minds — the Masters. We’re entering the home stretch now and those azaleas will be brightening up our living rooms before we know it.
lol naht.
Oh, the humanity! Augusta National's azaleas likely to bloom early, won't "have any color for the Masters." https://t.co/LnSmHNByld pic.twitter.com/s0hSwfPK2k
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 22, 2017
Enjoy the show, folks. Welcome to Florida.