2020 Honda Classic: PGA Tour Golf Odds and Predictions
A lot of PGA Tour pros have homes in the Palm Beach area – Florida has no personal income taxes being one major reason why, on top of the weather – so it looks to be a very good field at the Honda Classic after many big names skipped last week’s bigger-money WGC-Mexico Championship.
Honda Classic Background
This event began in 1972 as Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic and has had a few names and locations over the years like most tournaments. Honda took over sponsorship in 1982 and it moved to PGA National Golf Club’s Champion Course in 2007. The par-70, 7,125-yard layout is considered one of the toughest on the Tour, especially the three-hole stretch from No. 15-17 (two windblown par 3s sandwiching a par 4) known as the “Bear Trap” after Jack Nicklaus, who lives in the area and redesigned the course in 1990. The course record is a 61 by Brian Harman in 2012.
The tournament’s main beneficiary is the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. The “Golden Bear” is the only repeat winner at this event, doing so in 1977-78. Nicklaus also finished second a few times. U.S. players have largely dominated the Honda Classic.
The defending champion is relative unknown American Keith Mitchell. He made a clutch 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole to finish at 9-under 271 and one shot ahead of local residents Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka. It was Mitchell’s first career win, and he hasn’t done so since. Single digits under par has been the winning score in six of the past seven Honda Classics. Three of those have gone to a playoff.
Tiger Woods also lives in the area but is skipping the tournament for a second straight year. He also took last week off.
Honda Classic Betting Favourites
England’s Tommy Fleetwood is the +1000 favourite at Sports Interaction. He has played here once and was fourth in 2018. Fleetwood was T18 Sunday in Mexico.
Fowler is +1100 and Koepka +1200. Fowler had that runner-up last year and won here in 2017 by four shots at 12-under 268. He didn’t play last week. Koepka hadn’t contended in four previous trips to this tournament until last year’s T2. He also took last week off.
Another Englishman, Justin Rose, is +2100. He has three Top-5 finishes here but hasn’t played the Honda Classic since missing the cut in 2015. Mitchell is +6800 to repeat. Last week’s Mexico winner, Patrick Reed, isn’t playing. Viktor Hovland, who won opposite-field event in Puerto Rico on Sunday, is +3100.
Canadian Golfer Odds
No Canadian has won here; Dan Halldorson was co-runner-up by three shots to Steve Pate in 1991. Corey Conners was 59th in his Honda Classic debut two years ago. He was T50 in Mexico and +6700 this week. Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut here in 2019 and is +38500. He has missed the cut in all five tournaments this year. Roger Sloan was T30 last year and is +30900 to win. David Hearn is +25600. He hasn’t played here since a T43 in 2017.
Honda Classic Predictions
Take Fowler and Gary Woodland for Top 10s, but the winner is Billy Horschel at +2900. He has been Top 20 in three of his past four visits with a best of fourth and comes off a T9 in Mexico.