The world’s top golfers will head this week to the famed PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida for the 2016 staging of the Honda Classic. A cool $6.1 million is at stake for the world-class field with the champion grabbing not only 500 FedEx Cup points but also the $1.098 million top prize.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this prestigious PGA Tour event and while you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks for this tournament.
It isn’t a complete surprise to see Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler installed as favorites to win this week’s Honda Classic. McIlroy and Fowler are the two highest-ranked players in the field and they are both playing some excellent golf to start the year.
McIlroy (+550) already has two top-10s this year, finishing third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and sixth at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The world no. 2 also impressed in his PGA Tour debut last week at Riviera, finishing in a tie for 20th with a six-under-par total of 278. It could have been much better for McIlroy if not for a disastrous 75 in the final round.
Fowler (+1,000), on the other hand, will be making his first PGA Tour start since his gut-wrenching playoff defeat to Hideki Matsuyama at the Phoenix Open earlier this month. Fowler has been playing some solid golf of late, finishing in the top-5 in three of his last four starts.
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High-Value Sleepers – Phil Mickelson and Fredrik Jacobson
One player who’s playing some great golf at the moment is Phil Mickelson (+1,500). He has a trio of top-11 finishes in his past four outings in the PGA Tour. Lefty, who will be making his third consecutive Honda Classic start, is coming off a runner-up finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Mickelson could have captured his 43rd PGA Tour victory last week but a missed 5-foot birdie putt in the 72nd hole denied him a shot at a playoff.
Key to Mickelson’s resurgence has been his excellent play on the putting greens. He is fifth in the PGA Tour in strokes gained via putting with a solid .966 average. That will come in handy when tackling the delicate greens of the PGA National course.
Another golfer who’s primed for a huge performance this week is Fredrik Jacobson (+5,000). He loves playing in this PGA National course as evidenced by his past performances in this event. He has finished in the top-30 in five of his last six starts here with three of them being in the top 16. Jacobson is off to a solid start this year, grabbing fourth-place finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Long Shot – Ryan Palmer
One golfer who can definitely surprise this weekend is Ryan Palmer. The American is back to his golfing best once again, recording four top-25 finishes in his last five starts. That impressive run of form bodes well for Palmer heading into the Honda Classic this week. He has fared extremely well in this tournament in the past, losing to Russell Henley in a four-man playoff back in 2014. That experience will be an added weapon for Palmer who’s seeking to end his six-year winless drought this weekend.
Writer’s Prediction
Rickie Fowler (+1,000) captures his fourth PGA Tour title this week.
