Doc’s top-5 Best Bets: The Honda Classic

Donal 'Doc' Hughes
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Shane Lowry (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Donal 'Doc' Hughes

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2020 Honda Classic Betting Preview and Tips
February 27th – March 1st, 2020
PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Par: 70 / Yardage: 7,125
Purse: $7 million with $1,260,000 to the winner
Defending Champion: Keith Mitchell

Favourite Watch

Tommy Fleetwood heads the betting around the 10/1 mark with Brooks Koepka just behind. The forgotten man of the win only market is a well rested Rickie Fowler who is available at 14/1 and better across all the bookies. Winner here in 2017, T2 last year and nobody in the field has earned as much money at the Honda Classic as Rickie.

Doc’s Top 5 Best Each Way Bets

Billy Horschel 30/1

Another pair of T9 finishes in Phoenix and Mexico bring Billy Ho’s top-10 tally for the 2020 season to four and he has to be full of confidence heading home to Florida this week. First in fairways and second in greens hit at Chapultepec and when you need a man to guts it out on a brutally tough course like PGA National, Billy has to be on your shortlist. Best of T4 in 2017.

Shane Lowry 33/1

No course form in two starts but I get the feeling that there’s a big performance in Shane this week. There’s always a big Irish connection with the Honda Classic (Harrington won twice here) and the Offaly man comes in off a T11 in Dubai, T13 in Saudi and T29 in Mexico all three of which turned up consistent greens in regulation numbers. It’s always windy at The Honda and I think this year Shane can contend.

Daniel Berger 33/1

Scarred by that playoff loss to Padraig Harrington here in 2015, Daniel Berger has never hit the heights in four visits to the Honda since but five years on he brings in serious form. T9 in Phoenix where he topped the total putts numbers and T5 at Pebble last time out where he paid out for us.  In the form to emerge unscathed from the treacherous Bear Trap.

Erik Van Rooyen 50/1

After a couple of missed cuts Erik finally found form in Mexico finishing T3. That was helped by a brilliant 62 on Friday and an overall T4 in the putting stats. Now at a career high 40th in the World, the talented South African will be looking to capitalise this week. Debutant here, good in wind, 50/1 is fair but a solid each way look.

Charl Schwartzel 80/1

I always jump up and take notice when a guy comes from a bunch of missed cuts to score a big result and that was Charl Schwartzel last time out at Pebble Beach where he finished T5. Returned after three years away from the Honda to record a T16 in 2019 and overall has four top-20’s (and two top-10’s) from six visits. Now 199th in the World rankings from a career high of sixth, Charl must be chomping at the bit to get going and is worth keeping an eye on this week.

Long Odds Glory Shot
Kyoung Hoon Lee finished T7 last year and is playing some good golf of late. T14 in Puerto Rico last week and T13 at the Genesis. Overpriced at 250/1.

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