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2022 Honda Classic Key Stats and Betting Card

By Matt Hupfer

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen watches his drive from the 17th tee during his first round on day one of The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 15, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen watches his drive from the 17th tee during his first round on day one of The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 15, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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The tour heads to PGA National in West Palm Beach, Florida, this week for the Honda Classic, in what is the first of four consecutive stops in the Sunshine State.

The top 12 players in the world are taking the week off but The Honda Classic isn’t going to be lacking any excitement.

Par is a great score on this course. The two-day cutline has never been under par here and has been as high as +6 in 2011. The average winning score on this course is -8.66 and has never been lower than -13. The 17th hole at the Honda Classic is essentially the little brother of the 16th at TPC Scottsdale’s. With stadium seating and a maximum capacity of 17,000, The Honda Classic is increasing security to prevent a repeat of the beer showers from a couple of weeks ago.

“I’d like to see the beer showering down on him.” Be careful what you wish for.

PGA National (Champion Course)

The Honda Classic has been held in South Florida since 1972 under a few different names and on a handful of courses. PGA National, a resort with five different courses, is the host this week. PGA National’s Champion Course has been the annual home of The Honda Classic since 2007. The course was designed by George and Tom Fazio and later redesigned by Jack Nicklaus. The Champion Course opened in 1981 and has hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup, 1987 PGA Championship, and Senior PGA Championship from 1982-2000. The par-70 course measures 7,125 yards and has Bermudagrass fairways and greens.

The Champion Course at the Honda Classic is a par-72 for members, but the 6th and 10th are converted to par-4s for the pros. The two par-5s on the course are the easiest holes on the course. Players need to take advantage of these because the rest of the course is unforgiving. This is one of the hardest annual stops on tour thanks to water threatening on most holes and a tendency for high wind gusts.

There were 270 balls in the water here last year. A tour-leading 339 balls found the drink in 2020.

In 2013 Rory McIlroy walked off the course in the middle of his second round. Rory was +7 through 8 and shook hands with his partners after pulling his second shot on 18 (his 9th hole of the day) into the bunker. He later cited wisdom tooth pain as the reason for his withdrawal.

The 15th-17th holes, known as the Bear Trap, are the most interesting holes on the course and are one of the toughest three-hole stretches on tour. The par-3 15th green is a peninsula guarded on three sides by water with a bunker on the fourth. This hole is susceptible to four club swings dependent on the wind.

The 16th hole is a dogleg right where players will take less than driver before hitting their approach over water into a two-tiered green. The17th is a downhill par-3 surrounded by water with a bunker behind the green. The green slopes towards the water so anything long is a tough up and down. The stadium seating makes it difficult to judge the wind speed and direction. If you survive the Bear Trap, you’re rewarded with the par-5 18th, which plays the second easiest on the course. With the potential for a multi-shot swing on each of the final four holes, no lead is safe at The Honda Classic.

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