Honda Classic preview: Steve Palmer's best bets, free golf tips & course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Honda Classic at PGA National on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm Thursday

Best bets

Tommy Fleetwood
4pts each-way 12-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Gary Woodland
3pts each-way 25-1 Sky Bet

The Honda Classic has suffered from a poor spot in the calendar, with a WGC just gone and the Players Championship looming large, and Brooks Koepka is the only member of the world's top ten lining up at PGA National.

Koepka has been struggling to get over a knee injury which has been hampering his progress this season and form figures of MC-WD-34-17-43 do not encourage interest for the Honda. Koepka and his fellow Palm Beach resident Rickie Fowler tied for second place last year, but neither is begging to be backed this time.

Fowler is in the midst of swing changes, having switched coaches going into autumn last year, and there is no evidence yet that it is working. He loves the Honda, which he won by four shots in 2017, but others represent better value this year.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Tommy Fleetwood 12-1

The Honda Classic seems like an ideal opportunity for Tommy Fleetwood to land a maiden PGA Tour title, affirming his position as a member of the golfing elite. The course sets up perfectly for the popular Southport man and he can take advantage of the fact that so many world-class players have dropped this event from their schedule.

PGA National rewards tee-to-green consistency – those who can keep a clean scorecard through not making many long-game errors – and Fleetwood has become one of the most solid operators on the planet. The Bear Trap typically delivers big numbers which have destroyed many a Honda title challenge, but Fleetwood rarely makes serious mistakes and can avoid the troublespots.

• Honda Classic first-round tips

The five-time European Tour champion was probably a little rusty in the Mexico Championship last week – it was his first PGA Tour appearance of the year – but he still carded four under-par rounds for a share of 18th place. Expect better this week at a track where he finished fourth in 2018, his only previous Honda start.

Fleetwood loves tough assignments, highlighted by his runner-up effort in the 2018 US Open, and his two tournaments in Florida last year yielded third place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and fifth spot in the Players Championship.

Prior to Mexico last week, his European Tour form figures were 1-2-2-11, meaning he became England's highest-ranked player for the first time. Fleetwood is his country's finest but his ball-striking quality means he can be a regular factor on the world stage too and a Stateside breakthrough at the age of 29 appears on the cards.

Next best bet

Gary Woodland 25-1

The US Open champion can give Fleetwood most to worry about this week. Gary Woodland understandably had a spell of adjustment after becoming a Major champ in June – he has since spoken about how he found the extra attention and added commitments a challenge – and he paid the price for devoting the vast majority of his reduced practice time to his short-game.

Woodland neglected his swing for a while, briefly losing the tee-to-green quality which made him a PGA Tour star, but over the last four months he has rediscovered that ball-striking brilliance. There are few better drivers in the world, so dangerous venues like PGA National set up well for him, and last week in Mexico he dropped a strong hint that he is ready to go close to Honda success.

Woodland had previously struggled badly at Club de Golf Chapultepec, but he finished 12th in the Mexico Championship on Sunday, indicating his A-game was reappearing. His Honda record is strong, highlighted by sixth place in 2011 and second spot in 2017, and he has lived in Florida for four years. His maiden PGA Tour title came in the Sunshine State and his fifth could easily arrive there this week.

Players to note

Billy Horschel
The Floridian loves competing in his home state and he has arrived in form, having finished ninth in the Phoenix Open and ninth in Mexico. His Honda record is strong and the course suits.

Daniel Berger
The former Presidents Cup star had success on this course as a junior, then lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington for the 2015 Honda. Form figures this year of 38-29-9-5 are encouraging.

Viktor Hovland
The Norwegian youngster won his maiden PGA Tour title in fine style on Sunday, holing a long birdie putt at the 18th in the Puerto Rico Open. Further success is almost inevitable.

Sungjae Im
The Korean has lost his form slightly in recent weeks but it will probably not be long before he rediscovers the swagger which made him such a hit at the Presidents Cup last year. The Honda presents another decent opportunity for a PGA Tour breakthrough.

PGA National course guide

Course PGA National (Champion Course), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Prize money $7m ($1.224m to the winner)
Length 7,125 yards
Par 70
Field 144
Course records- 72 holes 267 Camilo Villegas (2010) 18 holes 61 Brian Harman (2012)

Course winners taking part Camilo Villegas, Rory Sabbatini, Michael Thompson, Russell Henley, Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell

When to bet By 11.45am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm Thursday

Time difference Florida is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - WGC-Mexico Championship 1 P Reed (45-1), 2 B DeChambeau (28-1), T3 J Rahm (10-1), E Van Rooyen (150-1), 5 R McIlroy (13-2), T6 H Matsuyama (20-1), T Hatton (80-1), J Thomas (11-1); Puerto Rico Open 1 V Hovland (11-1), J Teater (150-1), T3 K Stanley (66-1), S Ryder (70-1), E Grillo (28-1)

Course overview The Champion Course is one of the toughest layouts on the US Tour and was designed by George Fazio with a view to staging major professional tournaments.

The 1983 Ryder Cup and the 1987 USPGA Championship were held there, before Jack Nicklaus oversaw a 1990 redesign. The Honda Classic has been at this venue since 2007 and 72-hole totals of just six under par or worse have been enough to top the leaderboard on three occasions.

The back nine is particularly difficult and making par is a strong showing. The famous Bear Trap – a trio of brutal holes from the 15th to the 17th – are where the event is often won and lost. The two par-fives – the third and the 18th – are where players will expect to pick up shots on the card. The 373-yard, downhill par-four first is another golden birdie opportunity.

Story of last year Keith Mitchell courageously repelled two world-class operators – Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler – to claim his maiden PGA Tour title by a shot.

Weather forecast Clear, but relatively cool by Florida standards, with moderate breezes throughout. A pre-tournament thunderstorm is due to soften the course.

Type of player suited to the challenge The Champion Course, with heavy bunkering and plenty of water hazards, is a strong tee-to-green test where only crisp ball-striking will produce results. Accurate grinders typically flourish.

Key attribute Accuracy

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