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The Honda Classic Odds, Predictions & Picks

Michael Harrison

by Michael Harrison in Golf

Updated Feb 20, 2023 · 7:50 PM PST

Sungjae Im watches a shot
Sungjae Im watches the ball after he plays his second shot at the 10th hole during round two of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Feb. 10, 2023. Pga Wm Phoenix Open Round 2
  • The Honda Classic from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida tees off Thursday, February 23rd
  • Sungjae Im is the +850 favorite over Shane Lowry
  • Below, see the Honda Classic odds to win, plus picks and the best-value bets

After Jon Rahm won the Genesis Invitational as the betting favorite to ascend to number one in the world, the PGA Tour begins their Florida swing at the Honda Classic. With the last two tournaments a part of the elevated event series, this championship has failed to attract a lot of star power. Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry and Billy Horschel are the only trio of top-20 golfers teeing it up.

PGA National resort and spa is a very demanding test of golf, with it being a par-70 layout. Holes 15-17 are dubbed ‘the bear trap’, with water swallowing up plenty of errant shots. Just one player (Camilo Villegas, 2010), has shot better than twelve-under-par en route to the title. Sepp Straka, who won his first PGA Tour title here last year, is defending champion.

2023 The Honda Classic Odds

Golfers Odds
Sungjae Im +850
Shane Lowry +1400
Aaron Wise +2200
Alex Noren +2500
Min Woo Lee +2500
Chris Kirk +2500
Matt Kuchar +2800
Denny McCarthy +2800
Billy Horschel +3000
Sepp Straka +3500
J.T. Poston +3500
Thomas Detry +3500
Adam Svensson +3500
Taylor Pendrith +3500
Harris English +4000
Cam Davis +4000
Adrian Meronk +4000
Jhonattan Vegas +4500
Lee Hodges +5000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5000

Odds as of February 20th at DraftKings. Claim a DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to make your the Honda Classic bets

Sungjae Im, who made this his maiden PGA Tour triumph in 2020, is the betting favorite at +850. He’s followed by 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, who fell just short by one stroke here a year ago to Sepp Straka.

 

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Sungjae Im a Worthy Favorite

While there may not be a ton of value in racing out and wagering on the favorite for the event, Sungjae Im makes sense based on recent play and his course history. After winning the Honda Classic for his first title in 2020, he followed that up with a T-8th in his defense the following year. In his last 24 rounds on tour, he’s been solid in a lot of key areas.

Sungjae Im’s Strokes Gained Stats In Last 24 Rounds

Tee-To-Green Total Off-The-Tee Ball Striking Approach Around-The-Green
1 2 7 7 20 25

In his two starts prior to an average showing at the Genesis, Im was T-4th at Torrey Pines and T-6th at the Phoenix Open. He gained 17 shots tee-to-green on his competitors those two weeks. Given his solid play and love for PGA National, he’s a natural fit this week.

Past Five The Honda Classic Winners

Year Winner
2022 Sepp Straka
2021 Matt Jones
2020 Sungjae Im
2019 Keith Mitchell
2018 Justin Thomas

2023 The Honda Classic Picks and Value Bets

  1. Billy Horschel (+3000): When you can get the second highest ranked golfer in the field at odds longer than the top-eight players on the betting board, there’s significant value there. Horschel has been rather ho-hum in 2023 thus far, which is why he sits at +3000. The seven-time PGA Tour winner had a pair of top-tens here in 2016 and 2017 (T-4th and T-8th), and top-20’s in 2019 and last season. In the last 24 rounds at PGA National, he’s fourth in total strokes gained and fifth in ball striking
  2. Harris English (+4000): Last week at Riviera, Harris English finished in a tie for twelfth, where he gained nearly nine shots on the field on the greens. He’s had decent success at this track in his last two spins, with a T-12th in 2019 and T-17th in 2020. For those two starts, he was seventh in total strokes gained and eighth in putting.
  3. Joseph Bramlett (+6500): In his last two tourneys, Joseph Bramlett has tied for 13th at the Farmers Insurance Open, then tied for seventh at Pebble Beach. In those eight rounds, nobody has gained more total strokes gained (18) than he has, of those competing. He’ll be an interesting player to monitor in the top 5/10/20 markets.

 

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