Spaniard Sergio Garcia heads a three-pronged betting portfolio for this week's Honda Classic.
The PGA National this week serves up the Honda Classic in what usually turns out to be a very watchable event. The course is one of the more tougher tests on the tour and more often than not the leaderboard produces an array of superlative talent. Nicklaus has re-designed this layout twice down the years and it features plenty of tests. Heavy rough awaits any errant drives while plenty of water hazards meander throughout the course to give the golfer plenty to think about on his journey from tee to green. The Bear Trap (holes 15,16 & 17) form a very formidable task over the weekend for anyone in contention. Disasters are aplenty on these holes and almost nobody avoids some kind of blow there. Weather usually plays a factor also. Wind is often forecast and will play a part over the weekend. Overall, golfers with above average temperament, a solid tee to green game and a spot of experience under battle will be the ones we look at here to come out on top.
Defending champion Adam Scott heads the market at a general price of 12/1 but hasn't totally convinced me of late. His results have been extremely solid and his first outing on the PGA Tour this year resulted in a tied 11th place last week at Riviera. A couple of consistent but ultimately disappointing results in Australia over the winter haven't convinced me he is ready to win yet. However, his price of 12/1 is tempting and I certainly wouldn't put anyone off. It was a toss up between him and Garcia for my top bet.
The 18/1 about SERGIO GARCIA isn't speaking too politely to me however as I keep bleating about, this game isn't always about value. Sometimes a more likely winner determines your bet. This is the case here. Sergio always comes with risks attached however a solid performance should be on the cards at PGA National. A win on both tours in the last 8 months show Garcia is one of the form players outside the top bracket. That top bracket doesn't turn up this week and I certainly feel Sergio should be closer towards Scott in the market, albeit the Australian is a shade short. 8th and 2nd here at this event in the last three years show he certainly has a taste for it, in fact he hasn't missed a cut here. Last week was a shade disappointing as he had a solid enough start but with the shambolic weather situation I don't look too deep into it. The Spaniards long game is extremely solid and that is just what you need around here. He is also capable of coping with the wind that may materialise throughout the event. The list of champions here down the years feature a host of Open Championship winners and specialists. Leonard. Hamilton, Harrington, Els and McIlroy have all tasted success here since the turn of the century. Certainly there is an element of Open play needed here. A decent long game, steady scoring, and ability to play in the wind. Garcia is better equipped than most.
RICKIE FOWLER equally has all it takes to win an Open Championship and with solid finishes on those types of tests before should not be discounted here at the Honda. Last time out we saw Rickie finish 4th at Phoenix, one of his favourites on the schedule. Apart from that there hasn't been anything too noteworthy but he will be working as hard as ever with Harmon to perfect his game in the run up to the majors. 4th at last years Wells Fargo and 10th at Firestone is a reflection of how he can play these tough courses here. He has posted 13th, 6th and 7th placed finishes here down the last few years so clearly this a venue where he has every chance of ending up in the winners enclosure. A lot is being written about the top 4 in the game. I'm also a firm believer that the 2nd tier of the golfing superpowers are also lightyears ahead of the rest. The 2nd tier is on show this week and Garcia and Fowler hold all the aces for me.
Finally we'll have a small wager on BRANDEN GRACE. His chance is being slightly underestimated by the layers this week. 33rd at the CIMB last October is his worst finish in his last 9 starts. He is playing consistent enough stuff and that is exactly what we're looking for this week at the Honda. Truth is he has the ability to play the harder courses well and has a perfect ball flight for breezy conditions. His win last season at the Heritage is a testament to that and his 9 under par total there is a lower score that will it will take to win this one. The risk here is I'm not totally convinced if he is 100% at it at this time of year but I'm hoping for the best as he has plenty of the aspects needed to go well at this venue.
