On February 26, the world’s best golfers will flock to the famed PGA National golf course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida for the 44th edition of the Honda Classic. A grand total of $6.1 million is at stake for the 156-man field with the winner collecting a sweet $1.098 million.
Read on below for a detailed analysis of the favorites, high-value sleepers and long shots for this prestigious PGA Tour event. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our NBA previews of Clippers vs. Spurs and Thunder vs. Mavericks.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]
2015 Honda Classic Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
When: February 26 – March 1, 2015
Favorites – Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose
World number one Rory McIlroy makes his much-awaited 2015 PGA Tour debut at the Honda Classic and that is certainly bad news for the rest of the field. He has started the 2015 season like a house on fire, finishing second in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last January before reigning supreme at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic a couple of weeks ago.
[sc:Golf240banner ]What makes McIlroy such an overwhelming favorite to win this tournament is his recent success at this event. He won the Honda Classic back in 2012 to move to the top of the world golf rankings during that time and he finished second last year as well after losing a heart-breaking playoff to Russell Henley. With the form that he is in right now and his familiarity with the golf course, McIlroy is definitely the man to beat in this event.
Another European who is looking to make waves once again in the PGA Tour this season is Justin Rose. He had a highly-successful season on the PGA Tour last year, finishing in the top 10 eight times including a victory at the Quicken Loans National event at the historic Congressional Country Club last June.
One notable advantage for the world number eight is his consistency on the tour. To prove that point, he has won at least one PGA Tour event in each of his last five golfing seasons. He will look to make it six in a row with a victory at the Honda Classic.
High-Value Sleepers – Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson
Where did this kid come from? Brooks Koepka has taken the PGA Tour by storm and golfing fans and bettors alike are definitely coming along for the wild ride. He opened his 2015 campaign with a phenomenal display at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, firing a four-round total of 15-under-par 269 to grab his maiden PGA Tour win. He followed that up with a 41st place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The sky is definitely the limit for this talented 24-year-old. Key to his success this season is his amazing driving distance. He leads the PGA Tour in this department this year with his average driving distance measured at a whopping 313.3 yards He is definitely a great bet to win the Honda Classic this week.
Another player whose game appears to be on the upswing is Dustin Johnson. After missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open last week, the 30-year-old American bounced back strongly at the Pebble Beach Invitational finishing in fourth place with a 17-under-par total of 271. Johnson fired a final-round score of 66 to finish five strokes behind eventual winner Brandt Snedeker.
It certainly looks like fatherhood and the six-month extended break he forced upon himself last season has worked wonders for Johnson’s golf game. He is a definite threat to win the Honda Classic this year.
Long Shots –Phil Mickelson and Russell Henley
Making his second-consecutive appearance in the event is five-time major champion Phil Mickelson. The 44-year-old has had a rocky start to the season, missing the cut at both the Phoenix Open and the Farmers Insurance Open.
You can never discount Lefty from making a charge, though, at the Honda Classic. This is a guy who has won a total of 42 PGA Tour events in his career, the ninth-best mark ever on the tour. With the Masters just a couple of months away, Mickelson has sought the help of short-game guru Dave Pelz to fix his ailing putting stroke.
After his horrendous showing at the Farmers Insurance Open where he needed a whopping 64 putts to get through the opening two rounds, Mickelson has decided to take some time off to work on his golfing mechanics. One thing about Mickelson, though, is that he loves playing in Florida.
He has conquered Florida’s toughest PGA Tour venues, winning the Bay Hill back in 1997, the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass back in 2007 and the World Golf Championship at Doral in 2009. Don’t look so surprised if Mickelson turns his game around at the PGA National this week.
One guy who is clearly comfortable with this golf course is defending champion Russell Henley. The 25-year-old pulled off a stunning upset in this event last year, beating four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, Ryan Palmer and Russell Knox in a pulsating four-man playoff.
With his victory at the Honda Classic last year, Henley joined McIlroy, Harris English and Patrick Reed as the only golfers under the age of 25 to win multiple PGA Tour titles. He is a good bet to win the Honda Classic for the second year running.
