Sal Johnson

PGA National a big success last year, field is drastically improved this year

Honda Classic

February 26, 2008

By SAL JOHNSON
Publisher, GOLFOBSERVER
E-mail me at: Golfersal@aol.com

Photo: © Sam Greenwood/PGA Tour Mark Wilson is defending his title that he won last year in a playoff with three others

Tournament Stats:

Honda Classic
February 28 - March 2, 2008
PGA National Resort and Spa
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,048
Purse: $5.5 million with $990,000 going to the winner
Defending Champions: Mark Wilson
List of Champions & Scores
Results & Scores of 2007 Honda Classic
Box Score of 2007 Honda Classic

Tournament facts:

Tournament Record:
264 (Justin Leonard in 2003)
54-Hole Record:
196 (Davis Love III in 2003)
36-Hole Record:
128 (Dan Pohl in 1989)
18-Hole Record:
62 (Jerry Kelly in 2003, Adam Scott in 2003, Tim Herron in 1996, Dan Pohl in 1989 and Hale Irwin in 1979)
18-Hole Record at PGA National last year:
65 (Charlie WI in the first round)

Tournament information:

This will be the 36th Honda Classic. The tournament got started in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic and was played at Inverrary Golf & C.C. in Lauderhill, Florida. In 1981 Jackie Gleason was dropped from the tournament and the following year Honda came aboard as the tournament sponsor. After playing at several courses over the course of the last 15 years, the tournament switched courses again last year, this time to the Champion Course at PGA National, site of the 1987 PGA Championship. In 1976 the Players Championship, which back then moved around to different courses chose Inverrary Golf & C.C. and the Inverrary Classic wasn't played that year.

Course information:

PGA National has a lot of experience holding golf tournaments. It held the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship and was home to 18 Senior PGA Cahmpionships. The course was originally designed by Tom and George Fazio and opened in 1981. In 1990 Jack Nicklaus came in to do some renovations. The course has 107 bunkers on it and 16 of the 18 holes have water on them. The average size of the greens is 6,400 square feet. The most famous part of the course is the "Bear Trap", holes 15, 16 and 17, two par 3s and a par 4 that will bring a lot of drama and excitement to the finish of the tournament.

The Buzz:

The buzz is that finally this tournament has found a home after 25 years and seven different homes. With a course that players are now looking forward to playing and a good date, this event is no longer the poor step child to Doral which use to be played the week before. With all of the changes including leading off the Florida swing the Honda Classic has finally gain a lot of respect.

Now total respect will come when Tiger Woods decides to play in this event, since the course is tough and is gaining rave reviews on the PGA Tour and with Woods moving to a new home down the road in Jupiter, the hope of tournament officials is that Woods will give it a try either next year or the year after. Next year the event will again be the first Florida Swing event but the WGC-CA Championship will move up a week and be played the week after Florida, so it may not happen next year because that would mean that Tiger would have to play in four straight, the Match Play, Honda, CA and then Bay Hill. Still the good news is that more good players will be playing in the Honda with the change to PGA National.

Oh, talking about Tiger, guess who has won the most events in Florida? Yes Woods does along with Jack Nicklaus at ten followed by Lee Trevino with 6 and Tom Kite and Ray Floyd with 5. Tied with them is John Huston, with Vijay Singh, Steve Elkington, Mark McCumber, Larry Nelson, Hubert Green, Greg Norman, Gary Koch, Fred Couples and Andy Bean all with four.

As for the field, seven of the world's top 20 players: Ernie Els (No. 4), Justin Rose (No. 7), Garcia (No. 13), U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera (No. 14) and former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy (No. 15), former Honda champion Luke Donald (No. 16), Masters champion Zach Johnson (No. 17) and Aaron Baddeley (No. 18) are playing.

Former U.S. Amateur champion Hank Kuehne tried to play this week for the first time since last year's St. Jude Championship, just one of three events he tried to compete while injuried last year. Kuehne is playing out of the major medical extension category and has 18 events to earn $636,221 and retain his card for the rest of '08. But the back is giving him problems still as he withdrew on Tuesday afternoon. One last minute withdrawal on Tuesday saw last week's Mayakoba winner Brian Gay withdraw.

Another injury plagued player in the field this week is Brandt Jobe, who had a freak hand injury last year and didn't play much. Things with the hand don't seem to be getting better and he is going to try playing again, but as he told Jimmy Burch of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram he is thinking a lot more of retiring if things don't get better. Lastly the PGA Tour policy board made changes to the cut rule which will go into effect this week. The cut will still be 70 and ties but should the 36-hole cut total more than 78 professionals, there will be a second cut to the lowest 70 professionals plus ties at the conclusion of 54 holes of tournament play. Players not advancing to the final round of play will receive their appropriate share of the official prize money in accordance with their respective positions.

Here are some things to look for this week:

Photo: © Golfobserver The 15th hole at PGA National, the start of the "Bear Trap"

A typical Florida course with lots of water and sand, look for scores to be a bit high for the first going. This will be the first time players see Bermuda fairways, rough and greens, so it will take some getting use to.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Honda Classic:

Accuracy is going to play the key over distance. The Champions course is lined with tight undulating fairways that is surrounded with water and sand not only along the fairways but in the middle of several of the fairways.

Good putting and scrambling. The greens are very big and have lots of contours so the winner will be a very good lag putter.

Interesting to note that nine of the last 14 winners of the Honda are those that are either born Floridians or now live in Florida. A perfect example was 2006 winner, Luke Donald. Even though he was born in Great Britian, spent a good part of his time in Chicago, he has a house just a couple of miles away. Look for that kind of a connection in the winner.

Good bunker player since there are 100-plus bunkers on the course.

Those that play good in wind, just look at 2005 champion Padraig Harrington, don't think there is anybody better qualified after learning to play golf in Ireland. It could be quite windy this time of year and the course is susceptible to winds so look for a good wind player.

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