PALM BEACH GARDENS (Fla.) — Shane Lowry is more grateful to Sepp Straka than he is to the unanticipated deluge that caused him to walk off the Champion Course soggy a year ago as the runner up.
Lowry’s spirit was literally drained after he played the Honda Classic final hole in driving rain. Lowry entered tied for second and left in second. Straka was one shot ahead of him, having the good fortune to hit his tee shot at the par-5 18th hole just before the torrential rains arrived.
The difference between tee shots is 90 yards.
Lowry, an Irishman who moved to Jupiter (don’t they all?), was distraught at that time.
Lowry won the race on Wednesday, the day prior to the start of another Honda. Straka won that victory.
Lowry stated Wednesday that if you have a lead of two shots with five holes to play on this course, and you play them at level Par, you usually get the job done. “Sepp played five of the last five holes in 3-under which was quite good for this area. He won the tournament.”
In 2022, the figurative cloud of death that has been hanging over Honda Honda in recent years became real. It opened at the worst time.
Honda was heading towards a classic finish, and a possible playoff with Lowry & Straka tied as the last group reached 18. Then, everything changed.
Steve Weagle (chief meteorologist at WPTV Channel 5) recalls that “that was the only rain cell” in South Florida on Sunday afternoon. It really only affected Palm Beach Gardens.
Straka knew he was lucky to hit his tee shot (a 330-yard laser down center) before it started raining. Lowry had just stepped onto the teebox when fans began to run off the course in search of cover. Lowry was only trying to hold onto his club.
Straka stated Tuesday that “it was crazy.” It never occurred to me that it would rain. It’s been a perfect week. As I stand on the 18th tee, I see a huge dark cloud over me. I thought, “Oh, boy, we have to get moving to accomplish this.” It’s a par-5 so it’s a bit slower. It was a good shot, and it didn’t rain.
“But then, when I got to the second shot it started flooding. It was insane.
Straka thought he was only 7 irons away. It was a rainy day. He switched to a 6-iron by the time he reached there. He said, “Pull it off.”
He said, “There was a lot up in the atmosphere out of my control with weather.”
A simple two-putt resulted in a Straka soaking-wet lifting the trophy.
Lowry stated, “Yes, it was possible that I would have made birdie if it hadn’t rained, but it wasn’t a God-given right for me to win.” It was a terrible break, but these are the breaks you get in golf.
Lowry believed that the golf gods owed his after Honda and he collected the majority of the money. Lowry ranked No. 50 in the world when he entered Honda, and No. 35 coming out. He was 20 this week. After Honda, he finished in the top 20 at four of his five next events, including a tie at the Masters. This was his best result in a major since he won the 2019 Open Championship.
Lowry, who missed the cut in Phoenix two week ago, rebounded by scoring a T14 at Genesis Invitational.
Straka’s Tuesday trip around Champion Course Tuesday was a fond memory.
His win at Honda was one of the most significant lessons. He is now very popular in Austria, his home country. Straka is the only Austrian to win the PGA Tour. However, when asked if he was known in his native country, Austria, he replied, “No, not.” For the most part, I keep a low profile.”
He’s ready for anything after last year.
What can we expect from a tournament in 2022 where the top players had played 71 holes of Chamber of Commerce weather, and one with torrential rainfall?
We asked the expert.
Weagle warned that record highs are possible every day of the weekend. And gusty winds make the Bear Trap even more difficult.”
In 2022, the figurative cloud of death that has been hanging over Honda Honda in recent years became real. It opened at the worst time.
Honda was heading toward a classic finish, and a probable playoff with Lowry & Straka tied as the last group reached 18. Then, everything changed.
Steve Weagle (chief meteorologist at WPTV Channel 5) recalls that “that was the only rain cell” in South Florida on Sunday afternoon. It really only affected Palm Beach Gardens.
Straka knew he was lucky to hit his tee shot (a 330-yard laser down center) before it started raining. Lowry had just stepped onto the teebox when fans began to run off the course in search of cover. Lowry was only trying to pass on his club.
Straka stated Tuesday that “it was crazy.” It never occurred to me that it would rain. It’s been a perfect week. As I stand on the 18th tee, I see a huge dark cloud over me. I thought, “Oh, boy, we have to get moving to accomplish this.” It’s a par-5 so it’s a bit slower. It was a good shot, and it didn’t rain.
“But then, when I got to the second shot it started flooding. It was insane.
Straka thought he was only 7 irons away. It was a rainy day. He switched to a 6-iron by the time he reached there. He said, “Pull it off.”
He said, “There was a lot up in the atmosphere out of my control with weather.”
A simple two-putt resulted in a Straka soaking-wet lifting the trophy.
Lowry stated, “Yes, it was possible that I would have made birdie if it hadn’t rained, but it wasn’t a God-given right for me to win.” It was a terrible break, but these are the breaks you get in golf.
Lowry believed that the golf gods owed his after Honda and he collected the majority of the money. Lowry ranked 50th when he entered Honda, 35th when he came out, and No. He was 20 this week. Four of his five next Honda events saw him finish in the top 20, including a tie for third at the Masters. This was his best result in a major since he won the 2019 Open Championship.
Lowry, who missed the cut in Phoenix two week ago, rebounded by scoring a T14 at Genesis Invitational.
Straka’s Tuesday trip around Champion Course Tuesday was a fond memory.
His win at Honda was one of the most significant lessons. However, his popularity in Austria has soared. Straka is the only Austrian to win the PGA Tour. However, when asked if he was known in his native country, Austria, he replied, “No, No.” “I keep a low profile for most of the time.”
He’s ready for anything after last year.
What can we expect from a tournament in 2022 where the top players had played 71 holes of Chamber of Commerce weather, and one with torrential rainfall?
We asked the expert.
Weagle warned that record highs are possible every day of the weekend. And gusty winds make the Bear Trap even more difficult.”
