The PGA Tour heads west for the first leg of the Florida swing but it does so without some big names.
The 144-strong Honda Classic field will be missing all of the world's top ten golfers, who have decided to take a breather after taking part in last weeks Phoenix Open, while only 12 of the world's best 50 players have decided to take their chance.
That makes life a bit tougher when it comes to finding the winner of the 2022 Honda Classic because the list of potential victors is much longer.
The PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens is regarded as one of the toughest venues on the tour, with winners rarely reaching the double-digit mark. 'Green in regulation' rates are generally between 5% and 10% lower than the tour average.
The key to the PGA National course is a high-quality approach game and the emphasis on control over power is greater here than at any other course on the PGA Tour.
Grosvenor Sport's Honda Classic odds are headed by Sungjae Im , winner of this event in 2020 and a solid eighth in 2021. Im has generally performed very well on this type of course and has finished in the top 30 in nine of the 11 tournaments he has played in Florida.
Im has ranked in the top 10 in strokes-gained tee-to-green in eight of his last 12 starts and that is a major feather in his cap because the last four Honda Classic champions have led that particular category. This quality all-round golfer looks a major player in California this weekend.
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However, Im's 10/1 odds won won't appeal to many in a 144-runner race and there are plenty of bigger-priced chances throughout this line-up.
Aaron Rai is one of the most accurate players on the tour and his approach game looked in good shape at Riviera last week. It's easy enough to make a case for the Englishman, who is one of the few golfers in the world to wear two gloves, opening his PGA Tour account at rewarding 90/1 odds.
The pick, though, is former US Open winner Lucas Glover who won his first PGA tournament in over a decade in last year's John Deere Classic.
The tougher the course, the more the American excels and his record at this tournament is hard to knock given he has finished in the top 21 golfers in four of the last five years. He rates a solid each-way play at 66/1 with six places on offer.
Two South Florida locals, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, are also worth considering. Berger finished T4 in the 2020 Honda Classic and was runner-up in 2015, whilst Koepka, a four-time Major champion, showed glimpses of his best at the Phoenix Open before missing the cut at the Genesis Invitational the following week.
Recommended bet: 0.5 pts each-way Lucas Glover - 66/1
The Honda Classic odds with Grosvenor Sport
- Sungjae Im - 10/1
- Daniel Berger - 14/1
- Joaquin Niemann - 18/1
- Louis Oosthuizen - 18/1
- Tommy Fleetwood - 20/1
- Brooks Koepka - 20/1
- Billy Horschel - 22/1
- Shane Lowry - 25/1
- Cameron Tringle - 28/1
- Brian Harman - 33/1
- Keith Mitchell - 33/1
- Alexander Noren - 33/1
- 40/1 bar
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