PGA Tour Honda Classic Golf Odds and Betting Picks

I’m batting 1.000 on my golf picks here at Sports Interaction this year as my first preview of 2017 was last week’s Genesis Open at storied Riviera outside Los Angeles. I recommended American Dustin Johnson at +900 to win and he did – also rising to No. 1 in the world for the first time in his career. DJ is the 20th golfer to ever hold that top ranking.

I normally don’t favour betting on a player to win in back-to-back weeks and won’t have to worry about that this weekend as Johnson is skipping the Honda Classic at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach. It’s the start of the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing, which means the Masters is right around the corner.

Honda Classic Odds Favourites

PGA National is a par-70 at 7,140 yards and was redesigned back in 1990 by Jack Nicklaus, who lives in that area (many current pro players do as well). The course is best known for the “Bear Trap,” which is holes No. 15, 16 & 17 – one of the toughest three-hole stretches on Tour.

Some of golf’s top players are skipping this tournament because just about everyone will tee it up at next week’s big-money World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were originally to play the Honda Classic – just like they both were supposed to last week at Riviera – but injuries will prevent that. McIlroy could be back next week.

Aussie Adam Scott is the +1200 favourite on our Honda Classic golf odds. I liked him for a Top 10 last week, but he missed by just one shot at 9 under thanks to 70 on Sunday, his worst round of the week. Scott is the defending champion of the Honda Classic. He beat out Spain’s Sergio Garcia by a shot in 2016. Scott would have won easily if not for a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 15th on Saturday. Not too often you will see a player win a tournament with a quad on his card. Scott led the field at PGA National in greens in regulation overall in finishing at 9-under 271.

Garcia is +1600. He entered last year’s final round tied with Scott for the lead but shot a 71, his worst round of the tournament. Sergio was the first-round co-leader with a 65. He was 49th last week.

Rickie Fowler is +1400 and Justin Thomas +1800. Thomas already has won twice this year (three times overall in the season); he swept the two events in Hawaii to open 2017. Thomas was 39th last week and third at the Honda Classic in 2016. Fowler was sixth at this tournament last year. He didn’t play last week off a fourth-place finish on Super Bowl Sunday in Scottsdale.

Honda Classic Canadian Golfer Odds

No player from Canada has won this tournament. Dan Halldorson was a co-runner-up in 1991. Graeme DeLaet is +8100 off his 17th-place finish at the Genesis Open. DeLaet opened with a 73 but then shot three straight 68s. He was 53rd at the Honda Classic last year and ninth back in 2015. He also has three missed cuts at the tournament this decade.

Mackenzie Hughes is +15200 this week. He struggled at Riviera in missing the cut after rounds of 76-71. It was his third missed cut of the wraparound season. Hughes hasn’t played this tournament. David Hearn is +30900. He missed a third straight cut last week. Hearn also has missed the cut at this tournament four of his past five appearances, but he did have a sixth-place result in 2014.

Honda Classic Odds And Prediction

For a Top-10 finish, I recommend Scott, Fowler and Russell Knox, who might be worth some long-shot money to win (+2900) as he was third in 2015 and runner-up the year before. However, Fowler is my choice pick even though an American has won only three of the past 12 Honda Classics.