Honda Classic
Well last week was absolutely bonkers. Last week Justin Thomas added a Players Championship win to his incredible resume. JT has been battling with some personal issues surrounding his crude gesture a few months ago, the loss of his Polo sponsorship, and the passing of his grandfather. JT has worn his heart on his sleeve the past few months and has overcome numerous troubles in his personal life. It’s extremely comforting to see a player at that level overcome some really difficult struggles to pull out an absolutely incredible win. However JT’s win did not come effortlessly. JT rallied to shoot 64-68 over the weekend to edge out Lee Westwood and Bryson Decahmbeau. His Sunday round 68 really sealed the deal. He rattled off 3 birdies and an eagle between holes 9-12. This gave him the boost he needed. However JT had a close call on 18 off the tee. JT hit a rope-hook 5-wood that narrowly missed the water to the right of 18 by mere feet. In an interview after his round JT told reporters that “Grandpa must have pushed that ball a little further to the right,” One of the best things about JT is his respect and love for his family. That's one of the qualities I most admire about JT. Nevertheless hats off to JT on his Players Championship win this was most definitely a big one for him. Before we move on to the next leg of the Florida Swing there was one story that really stuck out to Tyler and I this past week. Scott Harrington played in his first Players Championship. However the road he took to get there wasn’t your typical pathway. Scott Harrington has been trying to make it to the PGA Tour for 17 years. He’s been grinding and working towards this goal for almost half his life. He finally made it. This is one of those stories of true grit, dedication and determination. As a professional golfer who is chasing those very same dreams, it gives myself and the rest of us fighting and clawing our way to the top hope that we too one day will without a doubt make it to the top. Best of luck Scott there are so many people out there rooting for you continued success.
As we continue on with the Florida Swing the PGA Tour heads to PGA National’s Champions Course in Palm Beach Gardens for The Honda Classic. The Honda Classic is such a fun event that always provides great golf and incredible finishes. On top of the solid field this week PGA National always proves to add its own challenges. The Bear Trap got its name from Jack Nicholas otherwise known as The Golden Bear. “The Bear Trap'' which is described as the hardest stretch of three holes in golf. The Bear Trap starts on holes 15 and spans through 17. 15 is a 180 yard difficult par 3 surrounded by water on three sides and protected by bunkers on the left. 16 is a dong leg left par 4 with water all up the right side. The tee shot required for this hole needs to be extremely precise. On top of the difficult angle of the tee shot the whole spans 440 yards as well. Finally the last hole of The Bear Trap is number 17 a 190 yard par 3 completely over water. The green is guarded by water almost entirely and protected on the left with another perfectly positioned bunker that finds the balls of players unwilling to go directly at the pin. With this stretch of holes the golf course shows its teeth and separates the boys from the men. If you aren't doing anything this week tune in because the PGA National and The Bear Trap will bring the drama. On top of the course being phenomenal, the field this week is pretty solid as well. This week fans have the chance to watch Lee Westwood, Rickie Fowler, Joaquin Niemann, Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Phil Mickelson and much more. Although we are missing a lot of the bigguns this week, The Honda Classic will provide fans the opportunity to see the tour’s up and coming youngster looking to make a name for themselves. (Mike)
The big golf news for me this week was Tiger agreeing to terms with 2K to feature in their golf video game. I think this is the easiest way to grow the game. Many people, like myself, spent hours and hours playing the EA Sports Tiger Woods video game series. I am not sure 2K can rival those old games, but I am hopeful this will bring a new element to the game and fingers crossed we see something similar to those Tiger Woods games, but with modern technology.
Another great story in the world of golf was Scott Harrington not only appearing in his first Players Championship, but also making the cut. Scott has been trying for over seventeen years to make The Players and in one of his practice rounds last week there was a nice video put together for him by his wife. The sacrifice and mental strength to get ready for the 17th season trying to make it on tour has to be indescribable. It was the feel good story of the week for me and proof that not all of the guys out here on tour are swimming in pools of cash. https://twitter.com/scottyglf/status/1369465536132825099?s=20 (Tyler)
Pick’s of the Week:
Mike: As always the picks of the week are back. This week I have a chance to make some really risky picks. This week my winning pick goes to Joaquin Niemann. This kid can play let me tell you. Currently he's ranked #12 in FedEx Cup points, through 11 starts this year he’s already got 3 top 10 finishes and one runner-up. On top of that he ranked in the top 15 on tour in driving distance, green is regulations, and scoring average. He's ready for another big win and PGA National is the perfect venue.
My notable to miss the cut is none other than Rickie Fowler. It’s the same song and dancer every week, he’s just flat out struggling. It sucks to watch as a fan of Rickie but it happens golf is hard and struggling like this is just par for the course.
My sleeper-underdog pick for this week is going to be fun. This week the underdog pick goes to none other than Harry Higgs. Harry Higgs is an absolute fan favorite. While his numbers are nothing out of this world he does already have a top 10 this season through 11 events. He's also coming off a strong weekend at The Players Championship. He’s a young guy who's hungry to make a name for himself. I believe this is going to be his week to do just that. (Mike)
Tyler: Seems like my pick’s this year have really been pretty bad outside of a handful of weeks. Last week was downright terrible again. Hoping this is a week that I can turn it around. After a few really strong weeks on tour, this week is a solid field, but missing a lot of the big names. My pick as well as the betting favorite is Daniel Berger at 11-1. He should be able to take advantage of a weaker field and find himself back in the winners circle on Sunday afternoon. His game is well rounded and he is due for another win soon with how well he has been playing over the last six months or so.
My sleeper this week is Will Gordon at 80-1. I know I have picked Will before, but the talent is all there. It is just a matter of putting it together for four days in a row. I think he will win a handful of times out here on tour and this week seems like a good week to get a win. Like I said, this is not the best field the tour will have all year so I like the chances of a younger guy with less experience to find himself at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
My notable to miss the cut is Phil Mickleson. I think Phil is in an interesting spot in his career. He could go play on the champions tour full time now and win a lot as we have already seen or he could continue to grind it out on the tour. He appears eager to keep teeing it up against the best in the world, but I think he will miss a lot of cuts doing this. However, I think there will be weeks still where he shows up and it just clicks for him and he has a decent showing. Those weeks will be few and far between I believe, including a missed cut this week at The Honda. (Tyler)