• FIELD: Click here to see who’s set to tee it up at PGA National
• COURSE: PGA National (Champion), 7,158 yards, par 70. Created with major events in mind, the original George & Tom Fazio layout took its first bow as site of the 1983 Ryder Cup where a Lanny Wadkins’ birdie at No.18 vs. Jose Maria Canizares thwarted European upset hopes. The Champ also staged the 1987 PGA Championship, won by Larry Nelson, before Jack Nicklaus gave it a redesign in 1990, introducing the treacherous “Bear Trap” of Nos. 15, 16 and 17. The course also staged 19 Senior PGA Championships through 2000, going on competitive hiatus until the Honda arrived in 2007.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points.
• CHARITY: Children’s Healthcare Charity, supporting advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders. The Nicklaus Children’s Heath Care Foundation is primary beneficiary, with more than 40 other nonprofits also receiving grants.
• FIELD WATCH: World No.2 Rory McIlroy and No.4 Rickie Fowler, who both make the Palm Beach area their home, top a deep field that features 13 of the top 25 in the current rankings. No.9 Patrick Reed and No.10 Branden Grace are other top-10 entrants. … Phil Mickelson is back for a third consecutive visit, trying to keep building on a trio of top-11 finishes in his past four outings. … In all, no fewer than 19 entrants keep a home within 45 minutes of PGA National.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Justin Leonard (2003 at Mirasol). PGA National record: 267, Camilo Villegas (2010).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Brian Harman (2nd round, 2012).
• LAST YEAR: Padraig Harrington ended a seven-year dry spell, outlasting Daniel Berger in a Monday playoff after clawing back from a four-shot deficit with nine to play in regulation. The winner of three majors ran off four straight birdies to take the lead, gave it back with a watery double bogey at the par-3 17th, then birdied the 18th to force the playoff. Back at No. 17, Harrington watched this tee shot stop 3 feet from the pin while Berger splashed into the water. It was Harrington’s first PGA TOUR victory since the 2008 PGA Championship, a slide that had taken him to 297th in the World Ranking and need a sponsor exemption to get into the Honda field. Ian Poulter took a three-shot lead to the final round, but five shots in the water led to a closing 74.
• STORYLINES: McIlroy, the 2012 Honda champion, and Fowler should draw large followings in their adopted home. It’ll be McIlroy’s second start in a run of six tournaments in seven weeks leading to the Masters Tournament. … Grace tees it up in the only event in Florida he hasn’t played before, having joined the Palm Beach migration for his first full season on the PGA TOUR. He won the Qatar Masters in his last start three weeks ago. … Harrington hopes to catch a little magic again at PGA National, having followed last year’s victory with just three top-20 finishes worldwide. However, two of those came during the TOUR’s West Coast Swing.
• SHORT CHIPS: Since the Honda moved to PGA National in 2007, the “Bear Trap” has accounted for 18 percent of all bogeys in the event, 33 percent of all double bogeys and 40 percent of all triple bogeys or worse. All told, 76 percent of all Honda entrants since 2007 have put at least one ball in the water. … Nicklaus is the only man to win back-to-back Honda Classic titles, coming in 1977 and ’78. … It’s the final chance for pros to get into next week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship, awarding spots to anyone not previously qualified who moves into the world top 50 or the FedExCup’s top 10.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC); 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. ET (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes).
Source: PGATour.com
