The Honda Classic, Palm Beach Gardens Florida

The Honda Classic is a Classic in every sense of the word on the PGA Tour with its tough demanding greens, very open elements and the 3 hardest holes on the whole tour that the golfers will have to play. The 'Bear Trap' as its called are holes 15, 16 & 17 where all golfers will be scratching their heads to get round in level par let alone shoot anything under...


15th hole...

The start of the Bear Trap is not a long par 3, but the winds make it very tricky as you have to play a shot into a diagonal green running left to right. The slope of the front part of the green runs left, away from you, with a big bunker in the back, which is very difficult to get up and down from because it runs away from the bunker and towards the water. This is a par 3 that can make you swallow twice.

Jack Nicklaus - "15 was a little benign par 3 before we did it. There was not much there. The water was in play. It was sort of a nothing little hole, and when we brought the water in play, all of a sudden it became a monster and it's only a monster because of the awkward wind there that sort of comes into you, right-to-left, and you have to sort of cut into it or if you get it hooking it sweeps across the green. I was either lucky or stupid enough to do it the way I did it, whichever way it was. But it turned out to be a really interesting little golf hole."


16th hole...

This hole presents a tee shot that most players will play with an iron just to get the ball out into the fairway. The second shot is played over water and into a green that's slightly elevated. It's always been one of the strongest holes on the golf course.

Jack Nicklaus - "16 isn't anything all that unusual. It's not much of a tee shot. And the water really is not in play on that hole very much. I could have put the water in play there if I wanted to, but I felt like with 15 and 17, I didn't think that they needed it that much in play on the second shot, felt like it needed to come out. It's always a good, strong hole. But the wind conditions always make it so because if you miss the fairway the second shot becomes very awkward."


17th hole...

The 17th is a par 3 that has been lengthened to 190 yards over the water and into a very small green that is bunkered left. This is a par 3 that will present a lot of problems; it always has in the past.

Jack Nicklaus - "17 is just a little flip, nothing. All of the sudden, putting it on the water -- it might have been on the water before, but putting it on the water and again with the conditions, and that wind coming in your face an awful lot, and if you miss it left, of course, I did that on purpose obviously. I did that one on purpose. I felt like you could play from that bunker but you had to be a little careful. And the whole segment there is not length. It's not about length. It's about precision. It's about guts. It's about can you get down -- what do you have between here, in your chest, that you can finish those holes."

You would normally think a run of 3 holes where a par 4 is sandwiched by two par 3's wouldn't cause much drama but the openness of the course, the elements and the fact that this is where you could win or lose the tournament. This ends up makes it great viewing for all the viewers and spectators at the time...


So which golfer will prevail in Miami this year...?

Last years winner Michael Thompson was a 200/1 shot before a ball was struck in a field which included Woods, Rory, Schwartzel Rose and G-Mac to name but a few. To find another player like this will take some doing but it can be done. Geoff Ogivly - 150/1, came 2nd, Luke Guthrie - 100/1, came 3rd, David Lynn - 150/1, came 4th with Erik Compton who was 250/1...!!!

So it might be wise to give the top players a miss this year but the top 7 in the years rankings are here plus 13 of the top 25 so its going to be hard to be confident of any of the really outside ranked players doing well. But that's the challenge...!!!


Keegan Bradley @ 28/1...
Ryan Palmer @ 70/1...
Matt Every @ 80/1...
Brian Harman @ 90/1...

The usual £2.50 e/w with PadPow... 1/4 odds the top 6...

 

After the first round...

Leader - Rory McIlroy @ -6


T6 - Matt Every @ -4
T11 - Brian Harman @ -3
T22 - Ryan Palmer @ -2
T31 - Keegan Bradley @ -1

All within striking distance after day 1...

 

After the second round...

Leader - Rory McIlroy @ -11

T6 - R. Palmer @ -6
T23 - K. Bradley @ -3
T52 - M. Every @ -1
T52 - B. Harmon @ -1

Looks like im relying on Ryan Palmer...

 

After the 3rd round...

Leader Rory McIlroy @ -12

T5 - K. Bradley @ -7
T5 - R. Palmer @ -7
T9 - M. Every @ -6
T42 - B. Harman @ -2

With the top 6 getting paid out I must have a chance of one of them breaking into that target position and an e/w return as I don't think Rory will give up his position at the top too lightly now...

 

Hope Palmer takes it down for ya now red be a lovely priced winner for ya, McIlroy not pulling away like most thought and look's very open at the top now as I type goodluck

Woods out with a gammy back again too

 

He nearly did win it, or should have won it in my eyes... None of them wanted to win the event and the Honda Classic turned out to be a classic in the end with a 4 way play-off...!!!

But Ryan Palmer had a chance to post -10 under if he birdied the last, missed putt... That's fine, just make your par and set the clubhouse target at -9 then, missed putt... Right you bleedin idiot, you better not miss this putt or im going to come over there and give you a right belt up the backside... Made putt, thank god...!!!!

But the shot ot the weekend from what I saw of this tournament was Rory's second into the 18th green from 240yards(ish) out and just ping it into 15 feet from the pin for an eagle chance and to take the tournament win. He didn't make the putt but what a shot. Just simply awesome...


Anyway, I up for the tournament, though £223.75 would have been better than the £46.25 I got, thank you Mr Palmer, I can go into the next event looking forward and not backwards...