The PGA Tour heads east to Florida for its next four events, beginning with this week’s Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. This is one of the toughest-ranked golf courses the pros play and, as a result, many decided to take a pass this week.
The highest-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings playing this week is No. 3 Brooks Koepka. He’s the only player in the top 10 who will be competing.
Here’s a look at some of the golfers that should do well at the Honda Classic, and others that might be a bit over-valued.
Golfers to Back
Tommy Fleetwood 12/1
Fleetwood is having success on both the European and PGA tours, and is a logical choice to be one of two favorites at the Honda Classic. The Englishman has been on the European Tour for most of the year, where he finished tied for second at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi in January. He followed that up with a tie for 11th at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Last week, he played in his first PGA event of the year and finished tied for 18th at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
This is only his second appearance at the Honda Classic, but he finished fourth in this tournament in 2018.
Billy Horschel 30/1
The odds and his recent play make him an extremely attractive selection. The Florida native loves this course, and finished tied for 16th last year. He also finished tied for fourth in 2017, and tied for eighth in 2016.
This year started slow for the 33-year-old. He missed the cut at The American Express, and tied for 68th at the Farmers Insurance Open. His last two events, however, give bettors hope. He finished tied for ninth at both the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and at last week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.
Others to Consider
Harris English at 60/1 might be a golfer worth a gamble this week. English had his best finish in this event last year, tying for 12th.
Rickie Fowler (14/1) has an impressive record at the Honda Classic. Besides his victory in 2017, Fowler has finished in the top 10 three other times, including a tie for second in 2019.
Charl Schwartzel has to be the long shot pick this week at 80/1. He has a reputation for playing well at tough courses, and has two top-10 finishes at PGA National. A tie for third last week at the WGC-Mexico Championship is also a good sign.
Golfers to Avoid
Gary Woodland 25/1
Maybe I’m missing something here, but I can’t fathom why Woodland has the fourth-best odds this week. Granted, he finished tied for second in 2017, but in 2018, he was tied for 49th and last year, was tied for 36th.
This season hasn’t shown any indicators that he should be considered a front-runner, even with the weaker field. After a tie for seventh at the Tournament of Champions in January, he’s missed the cut at the Farmers, tied for 40th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and tied for 12th at the WGC-Mexico Championships.
Brooks Koepka 12/1
Koepka is another head-scratching pick. He’s the co-favorite in this event, and has done nothing this season to warrant that distinction. He’s still on the mend from knee surgery, and told reporters at the Genesis Invitational two weeks ago he isn’t fully healthy.
“It was a lot worse than we let on,†Koepka said. “A lot of pain. I’m nowhere near 100%, I don’t know if my knee will ever be 100%. It’s one of those things where I’m just trying every day. To be honest with you, Monday [at Riviera] was the most pain I’ve had since I tore it. You have good days and you have bad days, and you’ve just got to really watch it.â€