This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
PGA TOUR STATS: The Honda Classic
Each week we'll list the statistical breakdown of the upcoming PGA Tour event. Below are the results of recent tournaments, not including last week's Match Play event, and a look ahead to this week's event, The Honda Classic.
2012 full-season results
2011 full-season results
2013 PGA Tour Events
| EVENT | WINNER | DRIVE | DRIVE | GIR | PUTTS | PUTTS | EAGLE/ | BOGEY/ | |||||
| %of56 | RANK | DIS | RANK | %of72 | RANK | PER GIR | RANK | PER RND | RANK | BIRDIE | DBL BOGEY | ||
| TOC | D. Johnson -16 | 57.8 | 28 | 278.3 | 2 | 82.0 | 14 | 1.63 | 2 | 28.4 | 2 | 2/17 | 4/1 |
| Sony | Henley -24 | 55.4 | 8 | 293.1 | 51 | 83.3 | 2 | 1.62 | 4 | 27.7 | 17 | 0/26 | 2/0 |
| Humana | Gay -25, P1 | 81.5 | 2 | 279.7 | 75 | 83.3 | 4 | 1.65 | 38 | 27.8 | 35 | 0/27 | 2/0 |
| Farmers | Woods -14 | 57.1 | 17 | 307.2 | 2 | 69.4 | 34 | 1.66 | 1 | 28.5 | 11 | 2/21 | 7/2 |
| Phoenix | Mickelson -18 | 57.1 | 55 | 298.8 | 11 | 87.3 | 1 | 1.57 | 2 | 27.6 | 15 | 1/29 | 1/1 |
| AT&T | Snedeker -19 | 78.2 | 14 | 277.4 | 41 | 77.8 | 6 | 1.64 | 6 | 28.0 | 15 | NA | NA |
| No. Trust | Merrick -11 | 53.6 | 27 | 298.6 | 20 | 63.9 | 23 | 1.67 | 8 | 27.5 | 10 | 2/17 | 10/0 |
| TOUR AVG | 63.0 | 21.6 | 290.4 | 28.9 | 78.1 | 12.0 | 1.63 | 8.7 | 27.9 | 15.0 | 1.0/15.4 | 2.7/0.3 |
This Week's Honda Classic
The Honda starts the Florida swing that presents demanding courses, strong fields and winning scores being low in relation to par.
Five-year averages, 2008 to 2012, of winners' scores at each event:
Honda Classic (par 70): 9.8 under
WGC Cadillac (72): 17.2
Tampa Bay (71): 10.6
PGA TOUR STATS: The Honda Classic
Each week we'll list the statistical breakdown of the upcoming PGA Tour event. Below are the results of recent tournaments, not including last week's Match Play event, and a look ahead to this week's event, The Honda Classic.
2012 full-season results
2011 full-season results
2013 PGA Tour Events
| EVENT | WINNER | DRIVE | DRIVE | GIR | PUTTS | PUTTS | EAGLE/ | BOGEY/ | |||||
| %of56 | RANK | DIS | RANK | %of72 | RANK | PER GIR | RANK | PER RND | RANK | BIRDIE | DBL BOGEY | ||
| TOC | D. Johnson -16 | 57.8 | 28 | 278.3 | 2 | 82.0 | 14 | 1.63 | 2 | 28.4 | 2 | 2/17 | 4/1 |
| Sony | Henley -24 | 55.4 | 8 | 293.1 | 51 | 83.3 | 2 | 1.62 | 4 | 27.7 | 17 | 0/26 | 2/0 |
| Humana | Gay -25, P1 | 81.5 | 2 | 279.7 | 75 | 83.3 | 4 | 1.65 | 38 | 27.8 | 35 | 0/27 | 2/0 |
| Farmers | Woods -14 | 57.1 | 17 | 307.2 | 2 | 69.4 | 34 | 1.66 | 1 | 28.5 | 11 | 2/21 | 7/2 |
| Phoenix | Mickelson -18 | 57.1 | 55 | 298.8 | 11 | 87.3 | 1 | 1.57 | 2 | 27.6 | 15 | 1/29 | 1/1 |
| AT&T | Snedeker -19 | 78.2 | 14 | 277.4 | 41 | 77.8 | 6 | 1.64 | 6 | 28.0 | 15 | NA | NA |
| No. Trust | Merrick -11 | 53.6 | 27 | 298.6 | 20 | 63.9 | 23 | 1.67 | 8 | 27.5 | 10 | 2/17 | 10/0 |
| TOUR AVG | 63.0 | 21.6 | 290.4 | 28.9 | 78.1 | 12.0 | 1.63 | 8.7 | 27.9 | 15.0 | 1.0/15.4 | 2.7/0.3 |
This Week's Honda Classic
The Honda starts the Florida swing that presents demanding courses, strong fields and winning scores being low in relation to par.
Five-year averages, 2008 to 2012, of winners' scores at each event:
Honda Classic (par 70): 9.8 under
WGC Cadillac (72): 17.2
Tampa Bay (71): 10.6 under
Arnold Palmer (72): 12.6 under
The Honda had several names and courses until PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens took over in 2007. Jack Nicklaus has reworked and improved the course, making it a fair challenge that tests a broad range of talents. Needs: Total driving (distance and accuracy), GIR (both from fairways and rough), scrambling, par-4 success and careful putting. Wind problems are probable.
Last year's winner, Rory McIlroy, who was runner up at the WGC Match Play in 2012, said "the course isn't about making tons of birdies ... it's about keeping big numbers off the card."
The signature holes of PGA National are the par-3 15th, Par-4 16th and par-3 17th, dubbed "the bear trap." These three are the most difficult holes, producing bogeys and double bogeys or more. Having three collar-tightening among the four closing holes is a test for the nerves of a leader trying to close out a win after four tough days.
Not only becoming the youngest player to win here, McIlroy's win put him into the No. 1 slot in the Official World Golf Rankings moving ahead of Luke Donald.
2012 Low Rounds
Round 1: 6-under 64, Davis Love III
Round 2: 9-under 61, Brian Harman (course record)
Round 3: 4-under 66, Rory McIlroy
Round 4: 8-under 62, Tiger Woods
Last Five Winners and Runners-Up
2012 - Rory McIlroy, 12-under 268; Tiger Woods, Tom Gillis, 270
2011 - Rory Sabbatini, 9-under 271; Y.E. Yang, 272
2010 - Camilo Villegas, 13-under 267; Anthony Kim, 272
2009 - Y.E. Yang*, 9-under 271; John Rollins, 272
2008 - Ernie Els, 6-under, 274, Luke Donald, 275
*Yang went on to win the 2009 PGA Championship over Tiger Woods.
There have been five consecutive International winners after Mark Wilson's win in 2007. Eighteen players at this year's WGC Match Play Championship are in the field of the Honda. All above players are in the 2013 field except Love III, Kim, Rollins and Donald.
