2022 Honda Classic picks, predictions, golf odds, field grade, best bets at PGA National
The PGA Tour heads to Florida for the lead in to the Players Championship and Masters
By
Kyle Porter
•
5 min read
The PGA Tour's month-long Florida swing starts this week at PGA National with the 2022 Honda Classic. Though the field is down a bit, this has still been a fascinating tournament over the last 10 years that has produced either big-name winners or players who became solid golfers on the PGA Tour.
With the West Coast swing now in the rear-view mirror and The Players Championship just over the horizon, the Honda this week will bridge these two pieces of the 2022 golf year. Plus, with the Masters not that far off, this is the perfect time for golfers to pick up some last-minute entries into the field at Augusta Nationnal.
Let's take a closer look at this week's contest with odds provided via Caesars Sportsbook.
Event information
Event: Honda Classic| Dates: Feb. 24-27
Location: PGA National – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Par: 70 | Purse: $8 million
Three things to know
1. Tracking Rickie: One of the best golfers at this course historically is also one of its past champions. Of golfers in this field who have played at least 10 rounds at PGA National, only Brandon Hagy, Lee Westwood and Sungjae Im have been better than Rickie Fowler. So let's check in on one of the most popular players in the world and see how his year is going. After a T3 last fall at the CJ Cup at Summit, Fowler started 2022 with three straight missed cuts before a T55 at the Genesis Invitational. Not great. His issues have been at both ends -- with the putter and driver. However, there's reason for optimism. His iron play has been good with the putting and driving both improving. Hopefully (hopefully!) PGA National can provide a bit of breakthrough for somebody who could use it after a tough last few years.
2. One of two types: Winners of this event over the last decade have typically fit into one of two categories: an established star or young, somewhat-unknown player who bore a ton of promise both before winning and in winning this event. Fowler, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy fit the former mold; Im, Russell Henley and Keith Mitchell the latter. There are outliers, of course, like Matt Jones last year, but I'm curious about whether the players in contention this weekend fit broadly into one of those two categories. Despite fields declining a bit over the years, this tournament has almost always produced a quality winner from one of those buckets, and I suspect it will again this time around. Cream (either established or forthcoming) has a way of rising.
3. Young gunner makes his debut: You may not have been paying attention but 20-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard has risen into the top 75 in the world with his play on the DP World Tour. He's won two of his last 11 events and has top fives in two others. Oh, he also just happens to hit the absolute crap out of the ball. What will be tested in his PGA Tour debut is a short game that might not measure up to some of the best in the world. Still, there is a ton of reason for optimism and excitement around any 20-year-old who's winning on any tour as quality as the DP World Tour. Oh, and I should mention there are two of them. Twin brother Rasmus -- not in the field this week -- has three more DP World Tour wins, which means they have five combined before turning 21, which is astonishing.
Grading the field
The Honda Classic -- like Pebble Beach before it -- is as notable for who isn't there. So many of the best players in the world live in this area, but because of where the Honda falls on the schedule, they won't be playing this week. The field strength is 227, which is tantamount to last year's Zozo Championship, Dubai Desert Classic, DP World Tour Championship and the Wyndham Championship. And while none of the top 12 golfers in the world will tee it up, 11 of the top 50 will, including some that have split time between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Louis Oosthuizen is the highest-ranked golfer, followed by Brooks Koepka, last week's winner Joaquin Niemann, Daniel Berger, Billy Horschel and Im. Grade: A
Rick Gehman is joined by Kyle Porter and Mark Immelman to preview the 2022 Honda Classic and discuss the biggest headlines in golf this week. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
2022 Honda Classic picks
| Winner (22-1): Listen, I know he doesn't win, but I also know that he contends a lot and is coming off a nice T14 at the WM Phoenix Open following a long offseason. Oosthuizen does not necessarily play this golf course spectacularly, but he has been playing terrific golf for a long time now and has two top 25s in his last three starts here. I'm not concerned about whether he can get into contention -- without the top of the Phoenix field here, he certainly can -- my only worry is that he wouldn't finish things off on Sunday if he's in it. |
| Top 10 (+163): On the other hand, Im does play this golf course well. Of players in the field with at least 10 rounds, nobody has been better. He gaines 2.0 strokes per round here and has a pair of top 10s at PGA National in his last two starts here (including a win in 2020). Additionally, the last 50 rounds for all the players in this field, only Berger has been a better ball-striker, and Im is quietly coming off three top 11s in five starts to begin 2022. |
| Sleeper (40-1): Pereira has not been hitting the ball as well as normal over his last handful of tournaments, although he popped a little at Riviera and finished T15 at the Genesis Invitational. Still, he's one of the best ball-strikers in this field (15th over his last 50 rounds), and while I don't want to give too much attention to fellow Chilean Niemann winning last week and how that could affect Pereira, I do think it was meaningful to him and could be a booster going into this week. |
Who will win the Honda Classic, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets, all from the model that's nailed seven golf majors and is up almost $9,500 since the restart.
