PGA Tour Picks: Honda Classic

By Tom LaMarre

Greg Norman once said that the PGA Tour season didn’t really start until Doral, which in those days hosted the first event on the Florida Swing.

What he meant was that the pros were starting to hone their games for the meat of the schedule, which in those days started with the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in March.

Well, the PGA Tour has moved the Players back to March from May, and in fact the so-called “Fifth Major” is only two weeks away.

That means the Honda Classic on the Champions Course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the first event of the Florida Swing this season, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., will be the last two chances for competitive preparation for the Players.

Third-ranked Justin Thomas (pictured) will be back at PGA National this week to defend the title he won last year with a birdie on the first playoff hole to turn back Luke List for the second of his three victories during the 2018-19 season.

That eventually led him to hold the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings for four weeks.

Thomas made a birdie following a brilliant wedge shot for a tap-in birdie on the final hole of regulation to force the playoff, which he won with a two-putt birdie after a magnificent 5-wood shot over the water on the playoff hole.

“I have a lot of confidence in my wedge game,” said Thomas, who has claimed seven of his nine PGA Tour victories in the last two years. “I knew if I got a decent number that I was going to be able to get inside 10 feet. That’s all I wanted was a chance to try to get into a playoff. And then I ended up hitting a great wedge.

“ … All I was looking at was the water to see if it splashed (in the playoff). And it didn’t. So I figured I was in the bunker. And then people started clapping and I could kind of see some little white dot on the green.”

Joining Thomas in the field are fourth-ranked Brooks Koepka and ninth-ranked Rickie Fowler, the 2017 Honda winner, plus other former champions Adam Scott of Australia, Ernie Els of South Africa, Michael Thompson, Russell Henley, Vijay Singh of Fiji and Rory Sabbatini of South Africa.

Among the other notables in a solid field are Sergio Garcia of Spain, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson, Cameron Smith of Australia, Alex Noren of Sweden and Russell Knox of Scotland.

Tiger Woods, who lives nearby in Jupiter Island, Fla., sent his regrets to tournament officials for not being able to play because he played in the Genesis Open and the WGC-Mexico Championship the last two weeks and will tee it up in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he has won a record eight, and the Players.

Even without him, it’s welcome to Florida.

BEST BETS

1. Justin Thomas, United States – Not only is he the defending champion this week at PGA National, but Thomas has finished in the top 10 in four of his five PGA Tour tournaments this year. After some so-so play last week, he closed with a 62 to finish ninth in the WGC-Mexico Championship. JT also tied for third in the 2016 Honda Classic.
2. Rickie Fowler, United States – Rickie also has had success at PGA National, winning the 2017 Honda Classic by four strokes over Gary Woodland and Morgan Hoffman, in addition to tying for sixth in 2016 and tying for seventh in 2012. Fowler recorded his fifth PGA Tour victory earlier this month in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
3. Sergio Garcia, Spain – Sergio led the 2016 Honda Classic before a closing 71 left him one shot behind winner Adam Scott, and he also tied for eighth at PGA National in 2014. Garcia comes into the tournament off a tie for sixth in the WGC-Mexico Championship and in October claimed his 34th pro title in the Andalucia Valderrama Masters.
4. Brooks Koepka, United States – The 2018 PGA Tour Player of the Year hasn’t played his best since winning the CJ Cup, tying for seventh in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and tying for ninth in Abu Dhabi early in the new season. However, he has won three majors in the last two years and figures to heat up as the Grand Slam events approach.
5. Adam Scott, Australia – Finally coming to grips with the banning of his anchored putter, Scott has tied for 10th in the CJ Cup, finished second in the Farmers and tied for seventh in the Genesis Open this season. The Aussie rallied to win the 2016 Honda by one shot over Sergio Garcia and has four other top-15 finishes at PGA National.
6. Gary Woodland, United States – With six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including seconds in the CJ Cup and the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Woodland ranks third in the FedEx Cup standings. He made a run at the 2017 Honda Classic title before tying for second behind Rickie Fowler, and tied for sixth in 2011 at PGA National.
7. Webb Simpson, United States – Another player who has figured out the anchoring ban, Simpson has four finishes in the top 20 this season, including third in the RSM Classic and a tie for eighth in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Recorded his best result in the Honda last year, when he led with an opening 66 and finished in a tie for fifth.
8. Cameron Smith, Australia – A rising star, Smith tied for seventh in the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, tied for ninth in the Farmers and last week tied for sixth in the WGC-Mexico Championship among six top-25 finishes this season. The Aussie, who teamed with Jonas Blixt to win the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, is making his Honda Classic debut.
9. Russell Knox, Scotland – The Scot, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, has three recent top-20 finishes, including a tie for 10th in Phoenix, a tie for 14th at Pebble Beach and a tie for 18th in the Desert Classic. Knox is making his sixth start at PGA National, where he lost in a playoff to Russell Henley in 2014 and tied for third in 2015.
10. Daniel Berger, United States – Coming off a tie for second in the opposite field Puerto Rico Open after tying for 12th earlier this year in the Desert Classic, the 2015 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year who won the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic, seems back on track. Closed with 64 and lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington in the 2015 Honda Classic.

SLEEPERS

1. Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thailand – An 11-time winner around the world, the Thai star finished T3 in WGC-Mexico Championship and T4 in WGC-HSBC Champions.
2. Michael Thompson, United States – After winning 2013 Honda, Thompson almost disappeared. On his way back with T9 in Desert, T10 at Pebble, T7 at Genesis Open.
3. Sung Kang, South Korea – A four-time winner in Korea, Kang was third twice last year on PGA Tour and has three top-20s this season, including T10 in Sony Open.
4. Patrick Rodgers, United States – The ex-Stanford star has four top-25s this season, including second in the RSM Classic and a T15 in the Genesis Open at Riviera.
5. Martin Trainer, United States – Rookie claimed first PGA Tour victory last week in Puerto Rico. Has two wins on the Web.com Tour, one on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

For first round tee times visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html