by David Barwise.
Here we are – the south side of February – as we see form
beginning to settle a little bit and we make the East Coast switch. First up –
the Honda Classic! Who is going to win? Well, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth
imploded last week… I don’t know what to think anymore…
* A-List
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| Photo: www.smh.com |
I was excited as anyone for Adam Scott’s 2016. Considered by many one of the finest putters of
the modern game with or without the broomhandle, Scott underwhelmed at the Sony
Open after he’d promised so much from the tail end of last season. Of course,
everyone was forced to do a lot of head-scratching when, at the Northern Trust
Open, Adam Scott played like… well… Adam Scott. He hasn’t shot outside the 60s
so far this season; I see him doing well this week against a slightly weaker
field.
Probably one of the most popular picks this week, but if Rickie Fowler plays you better pick
him. Excluding the tumultuous Farmers Insurance Open, Rickie hasn’t finished
outside the top-5 since the start of the year (5th & 2nd
in the US, and winner in Abu Dhabi). What’s more, he’s a demon in the wind. One
need only remember his successes at the Scottish Open (he won it last year – I
was there dammit!!!).
* B-List
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| Photo: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk |
Sure the PGA National (Champion) Course may only be a mere
par 70 with only two par 5s, but I still expect this to be a big week for Rory McIlroy. Strong here in the past,
Rory won here in 2012 (fending off a resurgent Tiger Woods) and came T2 in
2014. I’m not saying he’s perfect here – one needs only remember the infamous
“tooth pain” incident three years ago when he walked off the course part way
through his second round – but he was strong last week with only his final
round betraying him (Rory’s not the sort of player that allows this mistake in
back-to-back tournaments).
Ryan Palmer has
had mixed fortunes here in the past (T25, T2, T41, T26 for the last four years)
but overall this is a course that he performs well on. Add to the mix that he’s
only had one finish outside the top-25 so far this year, Palmer becomes a very
solid pick this week.
Relatively speaking, Brooks
Koepka is still a newbie to the PGA Tour. But in an event such as this
where European Tour players tend to excel, I can see the high-flying Floridian
building on his two top-10 finishes in three appearances in 2016.
It’s a bit of a punt as he hasn’t broken the top-25 so far
this season, but I have to give Luke
Donald a place on my roster this week. A former winner (admittedly on a
different course in Florida), his recent performances at the PGA National have
been very encouraging – T7 & T8 in his last two appearances after a lengthy
break. Plus he’s English, and the English seem to do well here for some
unexplained reason.
* C-List
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| Photo: www.irishtimes.com |
Making his 2016 PGA Tour debut, Branden Grace still walks into this tournament as one of the hot
favourites. I need hardly do more than state his European Tour finishes for the
year so far (T4 in Ekurhuleni, T5 against that
field in Abu Dhabi, and 1st
in the Qatar Masters) to stress why he’s unequivocally my first pick this week.
Although he hasn’t quite set the world alight in 2016, Paul Casey has had successful outings
to the Honda Classic for the last two years he’s attended (finishing T3 last
year). Casey has made the switch to play on the PGA Tour exclusively, but he
brings with him the traditional European Tour skillset that tends to come in
handy on this wind-beaten course. He’s my C-list safety net.
*
Of course, there’s enough quality uncertainty in this week’s
field that I may change it. Daniel
Berger was runner-up last year, losing out only on a playoff. The course
suits Jamie Donaldson’s game very
well (he came 6th last year). Phil
Mickelson is on fire right now after owning his swing changes. Gary
Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama have been very good to me so far this season, and
I’m eagerly anticipating big things for Matthew Fitzpatrick this year (I just
don’t know when)…
Good luck this week!
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