PGA Tour moves east for Honda Classic
IN: News | US PGA | The Honda Classic (2007) | Preview | 28 Feb 2007
With the West Coast swing behind them, the USPGA Tour heads east to Florida for this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens on Florida's east coast and the prospect of a new venue awaits a field depleted in strength as many of the leading players take a break after the rigours of recent weeks.
The event begins the Florida Swing which incorporates this event, the PODS Championship in Tampa next week, The Arnold Palmer event at Bay Hill and the World Golf Championship event at Doral in consecutive weeks.
The tournament moves to the Champion Course at the PGA National Resort and Spa, a golf course layout originally designed by the family team of George and Tom Fazio but renovated by Jack Nicklaus in 1990 and again in 2002.
The course has been the venue of Ryder Cup, PGA and PGA Senior Championships over the years but this year sees the arrival of the Honda Classic, which has been played at the TPC at Heron Bay and the nearby Country Club at Mirasol over the last ten years. The event or its equivalent was first staged back in 1972 when Tom Weiskopf beat Jack Nicklaus by two shots in one of their many duels during that era.
This year the defending champion is Luke Donald who beat Geoff Ogilvy by two shots in 2006. This year Ogilvy has taken a break after the demands of Tucson last week and the favourite is likely to be Jim Furyk, who has been inside the top ten in his last four starts in the event, albeit at different venues. Furyk made it to round three last week at the Accenture World Match Play before being bundled out by Chad Campbell. Furyk has proven himself capable of wining anywhere but he has a good record on Bermuda.
Luke Donald has not been all that impressive since his runner up finish at the Sony but he might bounce back this week. He often plays well in Florida including his win in this event and when runner up at the Players Championship two years ago.
Padraig Harrington won this event two years ago and has played well in the few events he has played in 2007. His 7th place finish at the Nissan gives a better indication to his game than his second round loss to Stewart Cink last week in Tucson and if he was to win two of three Honda Classics it would not be the surprise it was two years ago.
David Toms appeared to be closing in on some good form prior to the Accenture and was not disgraced in difficult conditions on Friday when beaten by Chad Campbell. He has recorded top fives in each of his last two times in this event, albeit at Mirasol. He stands a good chance this week.
Robert Allenby was playing beautifully prior to his first round loss at the Accenture to Tim Clark but his game is in good enough shape for him to challenge this week. He has made arguably his best start on the PGA Tour since the year he won the Nissan early in the season in 2001 and given the level of consistency he has found it could even be his best. He was very much in the thick of things at the Nissan once again this year before finishing third.
Nick O'Hern's sensational win over Tiger Woods last week bodes well for what will be a concerted campaign in the US this year. Now with a base in Florida, O'Hern is better placed to tackle the USPGA Tour than was the case last year and it is perhaps important to remember that his only two victories in professional golf have been on Bermuda greens. This will be an interesting test to see how he shapes up after the confidence of a win against the world number one. O'Hern has recorded three top fives in his last five starts and is the fourth highest ranked golfer in this field.
Peter Lonard said yesterday that his ball striking was getting better and better each week and that it was now a case of getting used to being in contention once again. "Last week was a course that suited me but I felt that I played pretty good."
Other Australians in the field are Andrew Buckle, Nathan Green, John Senden, Gavin Coles, Mattie Goggin, Paul Gow, Jarrod Lyle, Stephen Leaney and Steve Allan.
Photo - Anthony Powter
