After a run of events out west, the PGA Tour packs its bags for the Sunshine State with this week’s Honda Classic kicking off the four-tournament Florida Swing. Many of the game’s biggest names didn’t make the trip, however, leaving a wide open field to contend for the hardware. And we’ve seen a few longshots emerge victorious in recent years with defending champ Sepp Straka going off at 100/1 last year. Straka surged over the final round making up five-shots to earn his first PGA Tour title. He’s back to defend but looking up at outright betting favorite Sungjae Im, who was in the same position last year. There are a number of intriguing matchups available, especially if another dark horse climbs the leaderboard. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
The Honda Classic Matchup Odds
Sungjae Im -172 vs. Shane Lowry +142
Min Woo Lee -105 vs. Billy Horschel -115
Alex Noren -110 vs. Aaron Wise -110
Chris Kirk -125 vs. Matt Kuchar +105
Denny McCarthy -130 vs. Thomas Detry +109
Harris English +105 vs. Cameron Davis -125
J.T. Poston -105 vs. Jhonattan Vegas -115
Taylor Pendrith -120 vs. Adrian Meronk +100
Sepp Straka +107 vs. Lee Hodges -128
Robby Shelton +103 vs. Hayden Buckley -123
Danny Willett -115 vs. Garrick Higgo -105
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +106 vs. Stephan Jaeger -127
Justin Suh +105 vs. Aaron Rai -125
Nick Hardy -105 vs. Joseph Bramlett -115
Ryan Palmer -115 vs. Padraig Harrington -105
S.H. Kim -105 vs. Byeong Hun An -115
Ben Taylor +125 vs. Ben Griffin -150
Charley Hoffman -130 vs. Webb Simpson +109
Erik Van Rooyen +120 vs. Brandon Wu -144
Will Gordon -135 vs. Russell Knox +113
Matt Wallace -115 vs. Matthias Schwab -105
Luke Donald -105 vs. Zach Johnson -115
Dylan Frittelli -128 vs. Peter Malnati +107
Adam Long +107 vs. Adam Schenk -128
Callum Tarren +100 vs. Mark Hubbard -120
Harry Hall -120 vs. Harry Higgs +100
Aaron Baddeley -132 vs. Ryan Moore +110
Eric Cole +120 vs. Sam Stevens -144
Pierceson Coody +116 vs. Ben Martin -139
Carl Yuan -123 vs. Satoshi Kodaira +103
Kramer Hickok +100 vs. Kevin Tway -120
MJ Daffue -129 vs. Matthias Schmid +108
Chesson Hadley -110 vs. Danny Lee -110
David Lingmerth +105 vs. Henrik Norlander -125
Need to Know
PGA National Champion Course hosts this week as it’s done every year since 2007. And while it’s not particularly long at 7,125 yards, it consistently ranks as one of the most difficult par-70 tracks on Tour. In the previous 16 editions only five winners reached 10-under or better. Straka hit that number last year finishing one swing better than Shane Lowry. The course length isn’t intimidating, but water and sand make this an iron and woods approach. A conservative game doesn’t always win tournaments, but it will help get you to the weekend. The legendary “Bear Trap” of holes 15-17 also creates plenty of drama and will leave players sweating to the very end.
The Honda Classic Matchup Picks
Shane Lowry +142 vs. Sungjae Im
I don’t always go against the outright favorite, but when he’s paired with the second favorite there’s some wiggle room. And I have to believe Lowry is still frustrated with how last year’s tournament ended when the skies opened and he missed a putt that would’ve forced a playoff. Lowry also got some good production last week at Riviera with help from his coach leading to better iron shots and a top-15 finish, his first payday in three starts. He’s 5 for 5 at PGA National with restored confidence and a nice price.
Harris English +105 vs. Cameron Davis
We saw the pre-hip surgery English last week with solid putting keeping him among the leaders. And it came just in time for his return to the south and Bermuda grass, which he’s admittedly fond of. English is back at this event after a few years looking to continue the mild run of success he enjoyed previously with a pair of top-20s in his last two appearances. And he’s another player with value at plus-odds in this matchup.
Sepp Straka +107 vs. Lee Hodges
It’s not easy to repeat in this tournament since it’s never happened in the time at PGA National and occurred just once by Jack Nicklaus in the late 1970s. So history isn’t on Straka’s side for a repeat. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not backing him for the outright. Straka slumped early in the season but snapped back at the unofficial events in December and he’s been solid in his last two starts. Tack on a decent record here and I like the value attached to the defending champ.
Matt Kuchar +105 vs. Chris Kirk
This is an interesting matchup between players with a strong history in this event. I wanted to back Kirk, who finished T7 last year and also has two podiums this season. Kuchar hasn’t competed here in several years, but his game relates to the layout and he comes in with a pair of top-10s already this season. Another Floridian, Kooch thrives in conditions that only his state brings and at plus-odds he’s another value pick.
Robby Shelton +103 vs. Hayden Buckley
Going off the whole underdog theme of this event, Shelton is another matchup underdog at plus-odds. He’s played a lot of golf this season going 9 for 11 with six top-25s. He last played in Pebble Beach earning a T20 and some of his best performances have come in the south, which isn’t a surprise since he’s a native. He debuted here with a T11 in 2020 carding par or better every round.
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