Defending champion Justin Thomas headlines the field for this week’s Honda Classic at PGA National. Here is everything you need to know. Click here for full-field tee times.
How to watch:
Thursday, Rd. 1: Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m. ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
Friday, Rd. 2: Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m. ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
Saturday, Rd. 3: Golf Channel, 1-3 p.m. ET; NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
Sunday, Rd. 4: Golf Channel, 1-3 p.m. ET; NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
PGA Tour Live schedule (Click here to watch)
Thursday, features groups: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
- Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, 7:35 a.m. ET
- Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Jhonattan Vegas, 7:45 a.m. ET
Friday, featured groups: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
- Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, 7:45 a.m. ET
- Group 2, TBD by Twitter poll
Saturday, featured groups: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET
- TBD
Saturday, featured holes: 3-6 p.m. ET
- Nos. 15, 17
Sunday, featured groups: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET
- TBD
Sunday, featured holes: 3-6 p.m. ET
- Nos. 15, 17
Purse: $6.8 million ($1,224,000 to winner)
Course: PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Par 70, 7,125 yards)
Defending champion: Justin Thomas, defeated Luke List with a birdie on the first playoff hole for his eighth career PGA Tour win and his second win of the 2017-18 season.
Miscellaneous notes:
- Playing in the field this week: three of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking (No. 3 Justin Thomas, No. 4 Brooks Koepka and No. 9 Rickie Fowler).
- This is the 13th year for the Honda Classic at PGA National Resort and Spa, having moved across PGA Boulevard from the Country Club at Mirasol.
- Only one player has successfully defended his Honda Classic title: Jack Nicklaus (1977-78).
- Only four players have won the Honda Classic multiple times: Jack Nicklaus (1977-78), Johnny Miller (1980, 1983), Mark Calcavecchia (1987, 1998), and Padraig Harrington (2005, 2015).
- Other than Tom Weiskopf’s win in the inaugural event in 1972, only five players have won the Honda Classic in their first try: Kenny Knox (1986), Tim Herron (1996), Matt Kuchar (2002), Todd Hamilton (2004), and Harrington (2005).
- Twenty-six of the 46 previous Honda Classics have been won by major champions – that’s 57 percent.
- Nine of 46 Honda Classics have been decided by playoffs.
- When Knox won the Honda Classic in 1986, he did so after going through Monday qualifying and despite an 80 in the tournament’s third round (course average was 79 that day). No player has since shot a round in the 80s and won a PGA Tour event.
- The course record at PGA National is 61 (9 under), shot by Brian Harman in 2012’s second round.
- In 12 years on this course, only five players have finished 72 holes double-digits under par.
- The Champion Course ranked as the second most difficult course to par on the 2017-18 PGA Tour as players averaged 72.30 (+2.30).
- Last year, the par-3 17th ranked as the most difficult hole on the course at 3.53 average with more balls in the water (74) than birdies (34). It was the third toughest hole on the entire PGA Tour last season.
– Stats provided by Golf Channel Editorial Research Department
Source: Internet
