After a run of tournaments out west, the PGA Tour packs its bags for the Sunshine State with this week’s Honda Classic kicking off the Florida Swing. Most of the world’s top ranked players are sitting this one out opening the door for golfers further down the rankings to collect valuable FedExCup points. It also sets up some interesting tournament matchups. A winner two years ago on the Champion Course at PGA National, Sungjae Im opened as the betting favorite with a short yet impressive history on this track. Brooks Koepka makes a homecoming of sorts and stands out as one of the bigger names in the field. Matt Jones looks to defend the title he won by a record-tying five shots last year. He’s positioned further down the odds board in the outright market and has plus odds in a few of his matchups. 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 -118 vs. Daniel Berger -112
Sungjae Im -118 vs. Joaquin Niemann -112
Sungjae Im -140 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +110
Daniel Berger -112 vs. Joaquin Niemann -118
Daniel Berger -130 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +100
Joaquin Niemann -137 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +107
Tommy Fleetwood -104 vs. Billy Horschel -126
Tommy Fleetwood -105 vs. Shane Lowry -125
Billy Horschel -130 vs. Shane Lowry +100
Brooks Koepka -143 vs. Matt Jones +113
Brooks Koepka -135 vs. Alex Noren +105
Matt Jones +105 vs. Alex Noren -135
Keith Mitchell -115 vs. Brian Harman -115
Keith Mitchell -124 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout -106
Brian Harman -141 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout +111
Mito Pereira +124 vs. Jhonattan Vegas -155
Matthew Wolff -125 vs. Patrick Reed -105
Mackenzie Hughes -141 vs. Kyung Hoon Lee +111
Cameron Young -148 vs. Aaron Wise +118
Gary Woodland -135 vs. Lucas Glover +105
Lee Westwood +123 vs. Russell Knox -154
Ryan Palmer -106 vs. Chris Kirk -124
Nicolai Hojgaard +115 vs. Ian Poulter -145
Rickie Fowler -162 vs. Zach Johnson +129
C.T. Pan -134 vs. Kevin Streelman +104
Martin Kaymer +107 vs. Garrick Higgo -137
Charles Howell III -134 vs. Brendon Todd +104
Aaron Rai -112 vs. Stewart Cink -118
Lucas Herbert -103 vs. Michael Thompson -127
Greyson Sigg -102 vs. Nick Taylor -128
Sepp Straka -142 vs. Dylan Frittelli +112
Camilo Villegas -142 vs. Henrik Stenson +112
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 15 editions only four winners reached 10-under or better. Jones was one-shot off the course tournament 72-hole record at 12-under last year. 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 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.
The Honda Classic Matchup Picks
Ryan Palmer -106 vs. Chris Kirk
His season stats suggest a good showing at PGA National which is why I’m backing Palmer in this matchup. He’s among the best on Tour in strokes gained: tee to green and he’s been accurate with his driver and irons, a must on this layout with so many hazards. And his play here proved that in the past by making the cut in eight of his last nine starts with a pair of top-5s sprinkled in. I’d be hesitant to back him for the outright, but in this matchup with a decent price I’m all in.
Louis Oosthuizen +110 vs. Sungjae Im
It’s hard to go against the favorite, especially when he’s played as well as anybody on this course. But Oosthuizen isn’t your average opponent. His play last season in the major championships still resonates and that should be enough to help him overcome his difficulties here. He has a pair of top-25s in six starts in this event, which explains his plus-odds and he chiseled off some rust with a T14 two weeks ago in Phoenix. In the end I couldn’t resist backing him at this price.
Tommy Fleetwood -104 vs. Billy Horschel
If Fleetwood is going to earn that first PGA Tour win this is a good week. The field has cooperated with many of the big name players taking a sabbatical. And Fleetwood enters on a run of nice form closing out his visit to the Middle East with a T8 in Saudi Arabia and before that a T12 in Dubai. And this course has yielded him some fancy results with a pair of top-5s in his two tries.
Martin Kaymer +107 vs. Garrick Higgo
I contemplated this matchup for a while before finally settling on Kaymer. Nothing the former world No. 1 has done recently screams pick me, but I find his short game in better shape than that of his matchup partner’s. Higgo is a talent but this course can give him a hard time. He tends to get frustrated if things don’t go his way and bombs off the tee aren’t the best way to attack this layout. That’s why I’m backing the veteran, who’s been around and can handle the pressure. And the plus odds price was a bonus.
Matthew Wolff -125 vs. Patrick Reed
His hot start to the season hasn’t carried over once the calendar flipped to 2022, but I’m still a big fan of Wolff and like his chances for a bounce back this week. He was on fire at the start of the new campaign with four top-17s in as many starts that included a pair of top-5s. The time off over the Holiday’s may have affected him with a MC-64 in his last two starts. But I’m counting on his game returning this week on a course that plays to his strengths.
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