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Event Primer: Honda Classic
By Bryan Douglass
The Honda Classic @ Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
PGA National Champion Course @ Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- Dates: Thursday, March 4th - Sunday, March 7th
- 2009 Purse: $5,600,000 (Winning Share: $1,008,000)
- FedEx Cup Points: Winning Share = 500
Tournament Schedule
First Round - Thursday, March 4 - 4:00pm EST on the Golf Channel
Second Round - Friday, March 5 - 4:00pm EST on the Golf Channel
Third Round - Saturday, March 6 - 3:00pm EST on NBC
Final Round - Sunday, March 7 - 3:00pm EST on NBC
The Course
PGA National Golf Club - Champion Course
Course Par Value: 70
Course Yardage: 7,158
Still young when compared to most PGA venues, the National Resort and Spa was built in 1981 to give the Tour a trademark location with luxury accommodations that can serve fans of the game for the bulk of the calendar year while providing an outstanding championship course that has served as host for various professional events of grand stature. The 25th Ryder Cup, the 69th PGA Championship, and two decades of PGA Senior Championships have been held on this track, indicating just how amazing this course has been.
This resort is home to several championship-worthy courses, including layouts designed by Arnold Palmer and architectural icon Karl Litten, but the track put forth by the mind of Jack Nicklaus serves as the journey for this year's Honda Classic. The course includes a three-hole span affectionately known as "The Bear Trap" (in honor of the Golden Bear... get it?), labeled by many as the most demanding three-hole stretch outside of the majors. The 15th, 16th, and 17th holes will force most golfers to contemplate nearly every club in the bag and is likely to serve as the spotlight separating this week's challengers and those that fall short.
Like most Nicklaus courses, The Champion is wrought with tight fairways, contoured greens, and rough that will punish the game's best. Native Florida sand serve as the hazard of choice though water plays a crucial role in developing a challenge for the professionals. There are opportunities to target birdies on this course, but they are difficult to earn and demand top-shelf putting to insure such completion. Nicklaus is also known for designing courses that fail to offer exclusive privilege to those that go long, insuring a conservative approach can be just as successful as an attack that relies on length. As a result, you can bet putting will be the ultimate factor in determining this week's winner.
Holes to Watch
Hole 7 (Par 3, 226 yds): The joy of watching a professional choose a mid- to long iron off the tee makes the par-3 7th as intriguing as any hole on the front nine of this challenging track, forcing the golfer to carry over a natural draw with trees lining both sides of the fairway, the out-of-bounds markers lying dangerously close to the left. A well-formulated shape to those drives will either devise an advantageous look into a dangerous green, vast in area but contoured to separate various pin locations with a substantial dip in the middle. Miss your mark and the putts can be a nightmare.
Hole 18 (Par 5, 604 yds): One of the more difficult holes the professionals will see in the closing position this season, the 18th is long but can be reached in two for those that go long and accurate off the tee. However, those that lack distance can find an advantageous lie suitable for a 100-yard pitch towards pin placements that can be attacked. When the flag is in the back right, hazards come into play and make those advances for birdies and eagles as exciting as ever.
2009 Leaderboard
PLACE PLAYER FINAL
1 Y.E. Yang -9 (271)
2 John Rollins -8 (272)
3 Ben Crane -6 (274)
4 Jeff Klauk -5 (275)
T5 Scott Piercy -4 (276)
T5 Robert Allenby -4 (276)
T5 Will MacKenzie -4 (276)
T5 Fredrik Jacobson -4 (276)
T9 D.A. Points -3 (277)
T9 Jason Dufner -3 (277)
T9 Jeff Overton -3 (277)
T9 Charlie Wi -3 (277)
T13 Greg Owen -2 (278)
T13 Scott Verplank -2 (278)
T13 Davis Love III -2 (278)
T13 Sergio Garcia -2 (278)
T13 Rory McIlroy -2 (278)
T13 Harrison Frazar -2 (278)
T13 Kevin Streelman -2 (278)
T13 Alex Cejka -2 (278)
T13 Brett Quigley -2 (278)
2008 Leaderboard
PLACE PLAYER FINAL
1 Ernie Els -6 (274)
2 Luke Donald -5 (275)
3 Nathan Green -4 (276)
T4 Robert Allenby -3 (277)
T4 Matt Jones -3 (277)
T4 Mark Calcavecchia -3 (277)
T7 Mathew Goggin -2 (278)
T7 John Mallinger -2 (278)
T7 Alex Cejka -2 (278)
T7 Michael Letzig -2 (278)
T7 Brian Davis -2 (278)
T12 Brett Quigley -1 (279)
T12 Ben Crane -1 (279)
T12 Jose Coceres -1 (279)
2007 Leaderboard
PLACE PLAYER FINAL
1 Mark Wilson -5 (275)
T2 Jose Coceres -5 (275)
T2 Camilo Villegas -5 (275)
T2 Boo Weekley -5 (276)
T5 Steve Stricker -4 (276)
T5 Tripp Isenhour -4 (276)
T5 Robert Allenby -4 (276)
T8 Brett Wetterich -3 (277)
T8 Daniel Chopra -3 (277)
T10 Bernhard Langer -1 (279)
T10 Arron Oberholser -1 (279)
T10 J.P. Hayes -1 (279)
T13 Padraig Harrington E (280)
T13 Bill Haas E (280)
T13 Charlie Wi E (280)
T13 Frank Lickliter II E (280)
T13 Davis Love III E (280)
T13 Doug LaBelle II E (280)
T13 Jason Dufner E (280)
The Field
The Honda Classic is blessed, coming off an exciting event in Arizona (Phoenix Open) that, for many, will serve as the first of several steps of preparation for the season that truly matters to many golf fans, a portion of the schedule that begins with a visit to Augusta National. Several of the world's top international talents have made the trip overseas and are now looking to make good on the travel by competing in multiple PGA events.
Such is the case for golfers such as Robert Allenby, Padraig Harrington, Andres Romero, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Jeev Milkha Singh, Tim Clark, Rory McIlroy, Camilo Villegas, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Vijay Singh, Oliver Wilson and defending champ Y.E. Yang.
Many of the greats from North America will be there as well, including Mike Weir, Justin Leonard, Brandt Snedeker, Stephen Ames, Anthony Kim, Davis Love III, Paul Goydos, Mark Wilson, and Boo Weekley.
Of course, PGA regulars and other names of note will be on hand and competing as well. Fantasy owners will have a list of candidates to ponder that includes Bo Van Pelt, Ben Crane, John Mallinger, D.J. Trahan, Ben Curtis, Steve Marino, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Nick O'Hern, Mathew Goggin, David Duval, Charlie Wi, Scott Piercy, Charley Hoffman, Chad Campbell, Kevin Stadler, Jerry Kelly, John Senden, Tim Herron, Jonathan Byrd, John Rollins, Charles Howell III, Woody Austin, J.B. Holmes, Briny Baird, and Stuart Appleby.
To view the entire field, visit this link:
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r010/field.html
Enjoy.
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