After saying hello to the Florida Swing last year, the Honda Classic says goodbye with this week’s playing closing the door on four straight tournaments in the Sunshine State. And the field will go out with a bang looking to tame the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa, one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour. Stuck between THE PLAYERS and the WGC-Match Play, a number of big name players are taking the week off. That doesn’t mean a lack of excitement, though. Sungjae Im never takes a week off and he’s back to defend his title as the second favorite on the odds board. Only Pebble Beach champ Daniel Berger is ahead of him in what promises to be tightly-contested tournament. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
The Honda Classic Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Daniel Berger -135 vs. Sungjae Im +105
Joaquin Niemann -150 vs. Adam Scott +120
Lee Westwood -105 vs. Shane Lowry -125
Russell Henley -135 vs. Brendan Steele +105
Chris Kirk -105 vs. Cameron Tringale -125
Cameron Davis -125 vs. Doug Ghim -105
Matt Wallace -120 vs. Martin Kaymer -110
Ian Poulter -125 vs. Byeong-Hun An -105
JT. Poston -125 vs. Mackenzie Hughes -105
Brandon Wu -115 vs. Aaron Wise -115
Keegan Bradley -120 vs. Kevin Streelman -110
Matthew Jones -125 vs. Michael Thompson -105
Harold Varner III -115 vs. Jhonattan Vegas -115
Richy Werenski -105 vs. Adam Hadwin -125
Alex Noren -115 vs. Zach Johnson -115
Patton Kizzire -135 vs. James Hahn +105
Luke List -155 vs. Will Gordon +125
Henrik Norlander -110 vs. Maverick McNealy -120
Erik Van Rooyen -160 vs. Rafael Cabrera Bello +130
Matthew NeSmith -110 vs. Adam Long -120
Lucas Glover -115 vs. Rory Sabbatini -115
Patrick Rodgers -105 vs. Nick Taylor -125
Cameron Percy -125 vs. Mark Hubbard -105
Tom Hoge -120 vs. Chez Reavie -110
Kristoffer Ventura +145 vs. Denny McCarthy -175
Adam Schenk -130 vs. Bronson Burgoon +100
Jason Dufner -105 vs. Stewart Cink -125
Sepp Straka -150 vs. Chesson Hadley +120
Grayson Murray +100 vs. Nate Lashley -130
Brian Stuard -105 vs. Scott Stallings -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 14 editions only three winners reached 10-under or better. The last to do it was Rickie Fowler at -12 in 2017. The length isn’t intimidating but the water and sand is, making this an iron and woods approach. A conservative game plan doesn’t always win tournaments, but it will help to get you to the weekend here. The legendary “Bear Trap” of holes 15-17 also creates plenty of drama and will leave players sweating to the very end. For the first time PGA National will close the Florida Swing.
The Honda Classic Matchup Picks
Lee Westwood -105 vs. Shane Lowry
The big question is how much does Westwood have left in the tank? After consecutive runner-up finishes at the API and THE PLAYERS, he heads to a venue that’s been good to him over the years. He even commented about his comfort level at PGA National, which is a reason why I’ll back him at this price. He’s made the cut in all seven starts with a four top-10s, including a fourth at last year’s edition. Getting to Saturday is half the battle and Westwood is already there.
Chris Kirk -105 vs. Cameron Tringale
Kirk has the goods to be successful on this layout and while he hasn’t done much here since a T12 in 2014, I like his chances. His consistently strong ball-striking has led to four top-20s in six starts this season and he uses every stick in his bag expertly. Plus, the field is diminished somewhat with a new slot on the schedule, another item working in Kirk’s favor.
Richy Werenski -105 vs. Adam Hadwin
He’s alternated good and bad over his last few starts, so after a MC at THE PLAYERS it’s time to grab Werenski. That’s not the best betting strategy, but the recent trends are hard to overlook. He was T4 at the API and during his ‘good’ events since the start of the year he has four top-25s. The ‘bad’ weeks resulted in two MCs and nothing better than T57. Werenski had his best showing at the Honda Classic last year with a T17.
Sungjae Im +105 vs. Daniel Berger
Oddsmakers are smarter than me, but I nearly hit the floor when I saw Im offered at this price. The defending champ just churns out good performances and none was better than at PGA National last year. He battled the elements and checked all the boxes on the appropriate stat columns to claim his first and so far only Tour victory. He’s made the cut in all eight starts this year and is coming off a T17 at THE PLAYERS, and I don’t expect fatigue to be an issue so I’ll jump on Im before the betting markets catch up.
Adam Scott +120 vs. Joaquin Niemann
I’m always looking for value in matchups and Scott offers plenty at his current price. He’s been as steady as they come since the start of the season making all nine cuts. He has only one top-10 over that stretch, but he does have a history at PGA National. He won the Honda in 2016 and has three other top-15s in his last five starts.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Honda Classic is scheduled for March 18-21, 2021, and can be seen on Golf Channel and NBC.
