Golf: The Honda Classic
Venue: PGA National, Palm Beach, Florida.
Dates: Thursday 23rd – Sunday 26th February 2023
Tournament Preview
The PGA Tour continues in Florida and there are plenty of players looking to put themselves into contention at the Honda Classic. An event that has regularly jostled for position in the PGA Tour calendar, the Honda Classic has been on the tour since 1972 and the impressive alumni that have won the event is testament to the events’ status on the tour. Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus are all previous winners of the event and with $8.4 million in the prize pot this week, it should be a superb weekend of golf.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
Plenty of the biggest names on the PGA Tour feature here in Florida and they will be keen to get their hands on some silverware here:-
2020 Honda Classic champion Sungjae Im won well in this event three years ago and with some impressive showings so far this year too, he could be very much in the mix come Sunday afternoon.
Former Open champion Shane Lowry has become one of the most consistent performers across world golf and he will be eager to hit his stride from the off here in Florida, after finishing 2nd in 2022.
Swede Alex Noren is a top 10 regular on both sides of the pond and in a relatively open field here in Florida, he could be somewhat of a dark horse.
Belgian Thomas Detry has not really been able to bridge the gap on the PGA Tour in recent years, but he is a classy operator and if he finds his stride, he will mix it here.
Austrian Sepp Straka made a name for himself in clinching the Honda Classic title back in 2022 and a return to familiar surrounds could be the catalyst he needs this season.
1st Round Leader
The whole field here in Florida will believe they can get off to a strong start and if they do so they could set themselves up for the week ahead:
Former Ryder Cup star Matt Kuchar continues to be one of the men to beat on the PGA Tour and in an event, he has performed well in previously, he should be well placed to get off to a quick start here in Florida.
Chris Kirk has a game that should go very well in favourable conditions here in Florida and how the American would love to get off to a fast start and challenge on Sunday.
Top Five Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Florida, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 5 come Sunday afternoon:-
Aaron Wise is another player who is enjoying a steady opening to 2023 and a top 5 finish here, would only further cement that positive start to the campaign.
It has been a tough couple of seasons for Billy Horschel, but he is capable when he brings anything near his A-game and he could find form again here in Florida.
Englishman Danny Willett has been seeing steady improvements in his game over the past 12 months and he could be well placed to enjoy a decent week in an open field in Florida.
2023 Honda Classic betxchange.com Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Sungjae Im – 8/1
1st Round Leader: Chris Kirk – 35/1
Top Five Finish: Danny Willett – 14/1
