Steve Palmer's Honda Classic predictions and free golf betting tips

When to bet

By noon on Thursday

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm on Thursday

Best bets

Adam Svensson
3pts each-way 33-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
1pt each-way 50-1 BoyleSports

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The thrills and spills of back-to-back 'elevated' PGA Tour events, which were won by two of the best players in the world, will be followed this week by a more low-key affair. The main lure for the viewing public may be the difficulty of the course as PGA National has the potential to humble anyone.

Sungjae Im has been chalked up at 7-1 in places to win a second Honda Classic title, but he missed the cut at PGA National last year and a miserable five-over-par weekend at Riviera has not sent him to Florida in high spirits.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Adam Svensson 33-1

The Champion Course at PGA National is a grind – a place for finding fairways and greens, loading your scorecard with pars, and hoping to keep your scorecard as clean as possible. Adam Svensson is well equipped for the challenge and the most appealing Honda Classic investment.

Svensson has built a career on accuracy – a tidy player growing in confidence at the age of 29 – and PGA National holds no fears for him. The Canadian went to university in Florida and he lives in Palm Beach Gardens, so knows every inch of the Champion Course.

That comfort at the venue counted for plenty in the 2015 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School there. Svensson won that event by seven shots, kickstarting his professional career, and he made his Korn Ferry Tour breakthrough in 2018. Two more Korn Ferry Tour victories followed in 2021, before an upgrade to the main circuit.

In last year's Honda Classic, Svensson opened with rounds of 69 and 65, dropping to ninth place over the weekend, ending up first for strokes gained tee to green. Those late nerves were understandable given his inexperience at the highest level, but better can be expected in contention this time.

Svensson landed a maiden PGA Tour title in fine style in November last year – a two-shot triumph in the RSM Classic – where his trademark accuracy meant he found 61 greens in regulation. And he further established himself on the PGA Tour by performing well in last week's elevated event.

Ninth place in the Genesis Invitational meant a cheque for $545,000. Svensson rediscovered his A-game at the perfect time to make the most of this week's home-city opportunity. Coral and Ladbrokes are offering best price and ten places.

Next best bet

Christiaan Bezuidenhout 50-1

The fact that the PGA Tour is moving to Florida for a few weeks will delight Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who has quickly shown a liking for courses in the Sunshine State.

The 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational was his first Tour start in Florida and he finished 18th. Bezuidenhout was seventh at Bay Hill in 2021, then 20th last year, and he was 25th on his Honda Classic debut. He has not missed a cut in his seven Tour starts in Florida and it is also worth noting that he was second after the first round of the 2020 Players Championship at Sawgrass, which was abandoned due to Covid on the Thursday night.

Bezuidenhout, a three-time DP World Tour champion, finished second in the John Deere Classic last year. Given his typical accuracy, PGA National could be the venue where he makes his PGA Tour breakthrough. He finished 11th in The American Express a month ago and handled himself well in a high-pressure Riviera threeball alongside Tiger Woods last Saturday.

PGA National course guide

Course PGA National (Champion Course), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Prize money $8.4m ($1.512m to the winner)
Length 7,125 yards
Par 70 – two par-fives; 12 par-fours; four par-threes
Field 144 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Sungjae Im (18), Billy Horschel (19), Shane Lowry (20), Sepp Straka (31), Aaron Wise (39)
Course records - 72 holes 267 Camilo Villegas (2010) 18 holes 61 Brian Harman (2012), Matt Jones (2021)

Course winners taking part Camilo Villegas, Rory Sabbatini, Padraig Harrington, Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka

When to bet By noon on Thursday

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

Time difference Florida is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week – Genesis Invitational 1 J Rahm (15-2), 2 M Homa (22-1), 3 P Cantlay (25-1), 4 W Zalatoris (35-1), 5 K Mitchell (100-1), T6 S Theegala (66-1), C Morikawa (22-1), 8 M Kuchar (200-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The Champion Course, created by George Fazio and redesigned by Jack Nicklaus, is one of the toughest layouts on the PGA Tour. The Honda Classic has been at this venue since 2007, with 72-hole totals of just six under par or worse enough to top the leaderboard four times

Story of last year Sepp Straka edged Shane Lowry by a shot in a tight duel

Weather forecast Sunny and warm throughout, temperatures reaching 30C. Light to moderate breezes, peaking on the opening afternoon

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 accurate ball-striking will produce results

Key attribute Accuracy