The Australian is the highest-ranked golfer participating in the tournament. He’s also the defending champion. What’s there to say that Scott isn’t the favorite to win in Florida? The No. 7 player in the world is coming off a T11 finish in last week’s Genesis Open, extending his streak of T14 or better placings this season to four starts. Scott edged Sergio Garcia by just a stroke in last year’s pulsating finish in Palm Beach. Scott is first in the PGA in putting, sixth in birdie average, and fourth in sand save percentage— a key stat too look at considering that the Florida course has 78 sand bunkers.
Thomas was born in Kentucky, but he’s long moved to Jupiter, Florida so you know he’s had plenty of experience playing in Palm Beach. Apart from that, Thomas has been on a tear this season notwithstanding a T39 in the Genesis Open and a cut in Waste Management Phoenix Open. For one, he’s already bagged three titles this season and has five top 25’s in seven total events played.
Willett hasn’t played much lately with only one PGA Tour start so far this season. And that was way back in October of last year, when he finished 75th in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. The lack of activity makes Willet an intriguing sleeper pick, especially when remembering that in the 2016 season, he managed to win a title (The Masters) and finish in the top ten three times in just nine events played that season. He made the cut in all but one of those tournaments.
Don’t sleep on Kisner, who’s getting on some type of groove lately. Kisner enters the Honda Classic riding a four-start streak of T25 or better finishes. He had back-to-back T4’s in the Franklin Templeton Shootout and in the Sony Open in Hawaii, respectively. He last saw action at Pebble Beach, concluding the tournament with a T10.
Schniederjans ‘s chances of shocking the field and winning the 2017 Honda Classic could be closer to happening than what most people think. After all, he just turned pro in 2015 and still hasn’t done enough to get detected by casual bettors’ radars. That said, Schniederjans was once a No. 1 ranked amateur player in the world. He’s come out strong too of late, having finished with a T9 in the Farmers Insurance Open, a T24 in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and a T8 in the Genesis Open.
