PALM BEACH GARDENS (Fla.) — Who stole the Champion Course?
Who snuck in to PGA National this week and swapped the Champ for the Plantation Course at Kapalua Or Torrey Pines North?
Who, or, even more important, who turned off their fans?
The Honda Classic’s final year has seen everything go right, keeping the scores low. A combination of calm winds and clear skies, plus the elimination of many bunkers, suddenly you’re seeing scores full of red numbers.
The final round will begin with 57 players under par. 15 golfers finished below par a year ago.
What is the opposite of the perfect storm The perfect peace? The perfect tranquility?
The Champion Course was the 7th-toughest course on the PGA Tour last year. It played to an average score of 1.341 above par. It’s been more than one stroke easier this year, which may not sound like much, but it is significant.
After shooting a 62 Friday, Chris Kirk, the leader of the team, described the course as “Target Practice”.
Once you have hit the target… “The greens will be a lot more receptive this season,” said Andrew Miller, a PGA Tour rules official who was there to set up the course about two weeks ago.
“They aren’t as firm as the week we started last year.” It was quite firm.”
Since the Honda moved to PGA National, Billy Horschel will be playing his 11th Honda. He was a total of 28-over par in his 10 previous rounds, missing the cut four times.
Horschel is currently 4 years old when he enters the final day.
He said, “The course was really receptive.” It’s not as firm or as fast as in the past. They have made that conscious decision.
There is certainly something there. To make the Champion Course a little more accommodating, we had to make some changes before Honda was finally blessed by the weather gods.
Scores were improved by changes to the PGA National Champions Course
Nos. 6, 10, and 16 were cleared of bunkers. The bunker left of the par-3 17th green was cut in half.
The 479-yard par-4 No. 6 is the most difficult hole on the course, and the 15th toughest of the 900 holes on Tour in 2022. It has an average score of 0.378 over par.
Two bunkers on the right-hand side of the fairway were taken out this year. This is a huge deal, as there’s water all the way to the left.
The best week stat comes from No. 6.
One eagle was achieved in the Honda Classic’s move to PGA National in 2007. Curtis Thompson will be entering the hole in 2022.
This number was nearly doubled in just two days.
The feat was duplicated by Andrew Landry and Aaron Wise. Wise was able to get in the shot from 179 yards on Thursday, while Landry did it from 194 yards on Friday.
Shane Lowry stated that the course was set up well this year. It’s in excellent condition. It will make mistakes, but it is important to make as few as possible mistakes and get as many birdies when you can.
Birdies have been made. On average, 390 birdies are recorded each day. An average of 316 birds were recorded per day in 2011
17 is a slightly easier hole this year. The chances of hitting the bunker with a watery grave on the other side have been reduced.
Miller stated that the 17th hole is very difficult and there’s no way to miss it. You still have that collection area. It’s still quite difficult to hit. We made the bunker smaller so it’s not a layup. It’s still a very, very difficult hole.”
Miller identified the main reason why golfers have a more enjoyable time strolling their 7,125 yards this weekend.
Where did the wind go anyway?
He said, “The wind plays a major role.” “We get significant winds here, but it is not often.”
Anyone who has had to drag their straw hat half the way down the ropes knows Miller’s point. Honda’s average day is 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph on many days. Saturday’s winds were between 4- and 8-mph.
After his 66-mile race, Sepp Straka stated that “you’ve got to so precise on the course, and when you’re blowing 15, 20 MPH that’s really difficult to do.” The wind is down a bit makes it more scorable.
We did, however, get to see the Ol’ Champ we duffers love every Honda week.
- Akshay Bhattia takes off his shirt, shoes, and socks on Saturday. He then rolls up his pants and almost gets swallowed in the mud behind the 15th green. It took him two attempts to clear the swampy mess.
- Adam Long takes two whacks at the water on No. 11, before finally taking a single drop.
- Padraig Harrington pulled out a raincoat to take his second shot at No. 17 from the water.
Those moments were, however, rare, at least for a year. It was as rare as one of our world-class players actually taking the time for the Honda Classic.
