The Honda Classic
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Overnight leader and World No. 14 Rickie Fowler submitted a 1-over-par 37-34=71 after the final round of The Honda Classic to finish off his eighth appearance on 12-under 268, good for a 4-shot win over runners-up Morgan Hoffmann and Gary Woodland.
Four was the magic number for the Jupiter, Florida, resident this week.
He entered the final round leading by four – and won by four – for a fourth PGA TOUR title in 179 career starts (174 pro), first since the 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship 77 weeks (and 29 starts) ago.
After kicking off in 66-66 to sit solo 3rd, same scores as last year where he was the 36-hole leader by one, the 28-year-old passed the test this time with a bogey-free 65 in the third round, compared to 74 in R3 last year.
His 65, one of only six blemish-free rounds all week, gave him the 4-shot cushion over Sunday playing competitor (and European Tour member) Tyrrell Hatton, six clear of five players, including Woodland.
In the finale, the Oklahoma State product conjured seven (of 14) fairways and 11 greens in regulation, losing 2.086 strokes tee-to-green but gaining 2.929 with the flat stick.
He went out in 2-over, outbalancing birdies at Nos. 3 and 8 (from 30 feet), with bogeys at 4 and 9, and double bogey-6 at six (tee ball in the water), trimming his margin to two.
He got back in the red with circles at 12 (38'5"), 13 (23'2") and 16 (3’2”), building his lead back to five, before ending with a pair of inconsequential bogeys, relevant only to the margin of victory.
This is Fowler’s fifth top 25 and third top 10 at PGA National’s Champion Course, eclipsing a previous-best T6 last year (66-66-74-71).
He crossed the finish line for the first time as 54-hole leader/co-leader, improving to 1-for-5, and bags his third top 10 of the season in four starts, joining T6 at the WGC-HSBC Champions and T4 in his last start three weeks ago at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Fowler’s 4 wins:
2017 Honda Classic: 54-hole leader by 4; won by 4.
2015 Deutsche Bank (now THE NORTHERN TRUST): came from 1 back w/ 3-under 68; won by 1.
2015 THE PLAYERS: came from 3 back w/ 5-under 67; won 3-man 3-hole aggregate playoff.
2012 Wells Fargo Championship: came from 3 back w/ 3-under 69; won on first hole of 3-man playoff.
This was the 45th playing of The Honda Classic and 11th consecutive at PGA National’s 7,140-yard par-70 (35-35) Champion Course.
Scoring average:
R1: 70.331; R2: 70.612; R3: 69.614; R4: 71.843
Total: 70.556
Note: Due to wet conditions, Rounds 1 and 2 were played with preferred lies in effect.
Fowler posted rounds of 66-66-65-71 for 14.400 SG: Total.
Fowler’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 70 players):
Birdies: 21 (1st)
Bogeys: 7 (T9)
Doubles: 1 (T18)
Par-3 Scoring: 2.94 (T7)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.90 (T5)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.25 (T2)
Driving Distance (all drives): 284.0 yards (7th)
Driving Accuracy: 38/56 (T17) at 67.86 percent
Greens in Regulation: 48/72 (T18) at 66.67 percent
Proximity to hole: 32’5” (T11)
Putts per GIR: 1.667 (T10)
Total Putts: 109 (T9)
Putts by Round: 29-27-26-27
Scrambling: 16/24 (T9) at 66.67 percent
SG: Off-the-Tee: 3.225 (10th)
SG: Approach-the-Green: 3.665 (16th)
SG: Around-the-Green: 0.108 (37th)
SG: Tee-to-Green: 7.000 (10th)
SG: Putting: 7.401 (2nd)
Fowler deposits 500 FedExCup (FEC) points for the victory and jumps 48 places to No. 10 in the standings, 978 points behind leader Hideki Matsuyama, who was idle.
Top 10 in FEC standings (points):
1. Hideki Matsuyama (1,697)
2. Justin Thomas (1,627)
3. Jordan Spieth (947)
4. Pat Perez (934)
5. Brendan Steele (891)
6. Dustin Johnson (803)
7. Gary Woodland (794); UP from 12th
8. Jon Rahm (771)
9. Mackenzie Hughes (719.221)
10. Rickie Fowler (718.833); UP from 58th
Top 10 not already exempt get into this week’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Three players GOT IN: Pat Perez, Brendan Steele, Mackenzie Hughes.
Two players were BUMPED OUT:
Charles Howell III: T52 dropped him from 9th to 11th. Streak of consecutive top-15 finishes on TOUR ENDS at SEVEN.
Hudson Swafford: MC dropped him from 10th to 12th. Since breaking through at CareerBuilder Challenge, he’s now missed three cuts in a row.
With a Strength of Field rating of 387, Fowler collects 54.00 world-ranking points and bumps from 14th to 9th. He was 5th-ranked entering last year’s edition and his career high in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is 4th after the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Top 10 in OWGR (this week’s finishes):
1. Dustin Johnson (idle)
2. Jason Day (idle)
3. Rory McIlroy (idle)
4. Hideki Matsuyama (idle); UP one, career high
5. Henrik Stenson (idle); DOWN one
6. Jordan Spieth (idle)
7. Adam Scott (T14)
8. Justin Thomas (CUT)
9. Rickie Fowler (Won); UP five
10. Sergio Garcia (T14)
Note: Alex Noren (idle) dropped from No. 10 to No. 11
22 of the top 50 in OWGR were in the field. THREE finished in the top 10:
No. 14 Rickie Fowler (Won); No. 18 Tyrrell Hatton (T4); No. 41 Gary Woodland (T2)
Honorable Mention(s):
No. 7 Adam Scott (T14)
No. 9 Sergio Garcia (T14)
No. 16 Paul Casey (T11)
Other Notables:
No. 8 Justin Thomas (CUT)
No. 13 Danny Willett (CUT)
No. 17 Branden Grace (WD after first-round 77)
No. 19 Russell Knox (CUT)
No. 21 Brooks Koepka (CUT)
Runners-Up:
Morgan Hoffmann: Playing out of the eighth-to-last twosome, the World No. 394 styled a 2-under 68 to conclude his fourth appearance on 8-under 272, up six places to a career-best T2, four back of champion and fellow Oklahoma State product Fowler. He was the ONLY player to put all FOUR rounds in the 60s.
This was the Jupiter resident’s 120th career start (119 pro) and supplants a pair of third-place finishes (T3, 2016 John Deere Classic; 3rd, 2014 BMW Championship).
It’s his fifth cash in 11 starts on the season, first inside the top 50 (T50, Sanderson Farms), and his first finish in the top 60 at PGA National after a T61 last year (75-65-72-75).
After opening in 68-67-69, the 27-year-old began in a 12-way logjam on 6-under (T8), seven shy. He found seven (of 14) fairways and 10 GIR, erasing a lone bogey-5 at six with two conventional birdies at 11 and 12, from 24'5" and 35'6", respectively, adding a 42-yard hole out for birdie-3 at eight.
For the week, the New Jersey native carded 18 birdies versus five bogeys, one double and one triple.
Gary Woodland: The World No. 41 handed in a 1-under 69 to wrap on 8-under 272, up one spot to joint second, four shy. It’s his eighth career runner-up in 182 events, second this season.
This was the 32-year-old’s fifth Honda, second top 25 and second top 10 (T6/2011). After beginning 71-66-66, he kicked off in a five-way T3, six back.
Playing out of the third-to-last twosome, the Kansas alum striped 11 (of 14) fairways and hit 13 GIR, gaining 2.439 strokes tee-to-green but just 0.006 approaching-the-green.
He played his first half in 1-under, outpacing bogey-5 at nine with birdies at Nos. 1 and 3, trimming Fowler’s lead to two. Woodland circled the 11th and climbed within one after birdie-3 at 13, but stalled out from there, finishing with a 3-putt bogey at 17 (from 21'6") and a walk-off 6 at the par-5 18th after putting his second into the drink.
For the week, he carded one eagle and 16 birdies against six bogeys and two doubles. It’s his fifth top 25 this season in eight starts, fourth top 10, and second runner-up, joining solo 2nd at the OHL Classic in November, where he was the 54-hole leader.
Yahoo! Low Rounds:
R1: Cody Gribble; Wesley Bryan (64)
R2: Ryan Palmer; Brendan Steele (65)
R3: Brandon Hagy (64); career low
R4: Jhonattan Vegas (64)
Leader/co-leaders by round:
R1: Cody Gribble (co): finished 70th (last); drops to 0-for-1 as 18-hole leader/co-leader
R1: Wesley Bryan (co): finished T4; drops to 0-for-1 as 18-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Ryan Palmer (co): finished T37; drops to 2-for-5 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Wesley Bryan (co): finished T4; drops to 0-for-2 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R3: Rickie Fowler: Won; improves to 1-for-5 as 54-hole leader/co-leader
Draw:
A total of 70 players from a field of 144 pros made the 36-hole cut of even-par 140:
35 (of 67) EARLY/late; 5 WD
35 (of 72) LATE/early
Exactly 10 players finished in the top 10. Six were LATE/early, including the champion and both runners-up:
Rickie Fowler (Won); Morgan Hoffmann (T2); Gary Woodland (T2); Billy Horschel (T4); Chad Collins (T4); Martin Kaymer (T4)
Did You Know?
It’s been 33 events since the last pre-tourney odds-favorite(s) won. Jordan Spieth is the most recent, winning the 2016 DEAN & DELUCA as a 6/1 outright. In fact, the Texan owns the last two wins in this regard, claiming the 2016 Hyundai TOC as a 4/1 favorite.
Adam Scott: At No. 7 in OWGR, the defending champ was the top-ranked player and the bookmaker’s fave at 12/1. He was never a factor but finished a respectable T14 on 4-under 276 (68-69-71-68), though eight shots back of Fowler, who won as a 16/1 outright.
The 36-year-old climbed 25 spots on the leaderboard with the closing 68 and posted his EIGHTH straight top 15 on TOUR dating back to T4 at The Barclays in late-August. He also extended his Consecutive Cuts Made streak to 24 (TOUR leader).
First-timers and/or Rookies:
First-timers at Honda: 24
Top-10 finishes: 2
Wesley Bryan: The PGA TOUR rookie patched together an even-par 70 to wrap his tourney debut on 7-under 273, down one spot to a career-tying-best T4.
After opening in 64-67, the 26-year-old co-led after each of the first two rounds, before wrapping in 72-70. For the week, he tallied 17 birdies against six bogeys and two doubles to finish five back. (More on him below).
Tyrrell Hatton: Paired with Fowler in the final twosome, the sponsor invite and World No. 18 carved out a 2-over 72 to wrap his tourney debut on 7-under 273, down two places into a career-best T4.
This was the 25-year-old’s 12th career PGA TOUR event (11 pro) and third top 10, clipping a previous-best T5 at the 2016 Open Championship, where he was T13 thru 54 holes.
After opening in 68-67-66, he began in solo 2nd on 9-under, four back. The Englishman wobbled at the beginning, squaring three bogeys in his first seven holes and turning birdie-less 3-over, but righted the ship enough to play his inward half with two birdies versus one bogey.
Hatton, a one-time winner on the European Tour in 91 career events, had a chance for one better, but missed birdie at 17 from 38 inches. Besides the new career mark on the U.S.-based circuit, he racked up his eighth straight top 25 worldwide, dating back to his win at the Alfred Dunhill Links in October (as 54-hole leader).
Rookies: 16
Top-10 finishes: 1
Wesley Bryan: Coming off a career-low 63 in R3 of the Genesis Open – leading to a career-best T4 – the World No. 96 takes top-rookie honors for a second straight week. It’s his third top 10 in 14 career starts (10th as a member), and jumps another 19 places to a career-best 77th in OWGR.
With the consecutive top-5 finishes, the 2016 Web.com Tour Player of the Year has gained 64 spots in the world rankings the last two weeks.
Special Mentions:
Chad Collins: The World No. 450 enjoyed a 1-under 69 to conclude on 7-under 273 (70-67-67-69), up three spots into a six-way T4.
This was the 38-year-old’s eighth appearance and third cash, supplanting a previous-best T56 in 2010. It’s only his third deposit this season in 10 starts, and first finish inside the top 50 (T50, Sanderson Farms).
The Indiana native and resident bags his seventh top 10 in 164 career starts, first since a career-best solo 3rd at the Valero Texas Open last April. For the week, he carded one eagle and 15 birdies, versus six bogeys and two doubles, and led the field in SG: Putting with a cumulative 7.710.
Jhonattan Vegas: The World No. 68 aced the 179-yard par-3 15th en route to a season-low 6-under 64 to finish on 7-under 273, up 46 places to season-best T4 and tying the low round of the week with three others.
This was the 32-year-old’s fifth appearance and second top 15 (T12/2014). After making the cut on the number (67-73), the Venezuelan tacked on 69 to begin T50, 12 back of Fowler and five off the overnight top 10.
He striped 13 (of 14) fairways and pelted 15 GIR for 2.141 SG: Off-the-Tee, leading the field in the latter with a cumulative 5.881. The Texas resident has cashed eight times in nine starts this season with three top 15s, two for top 10s, joining T10 at the OHL Classic.
Season Trends:
11 of 15 winners this season are in their 20s (73.3 percent):
Safeway: Brendan Steele (age: 33)
CIMB: Justin Thomas (age: 23)
WGC-HSBC: Hideki Matsuyama (age: 24)
Sanderson Farms: Cody Gribble (age: 26)
Shriners: Rod Pampling (age: 47)
OHL: Pat Perez (age: 40)
RSM: Mackenzie Hughes (age: 25)
SBS TOC: Justin Thomas (age: 23)
Sony: Justin Thomas (age: 23)
CareerBuilder: Hudson Swafford (age: 29)
Farmers: Jon Rahm (age: 22)
WMPO: Hideki Matsuyama (age: 24)
AT&T: Jordan Spieth (age: 23)
Genesis: Dustin Johnson (age: 32)
Honda: Rickie Fowler (age: 28)
12 of the 15 winners have emerged out of the FINAL group on Sunday/Monday. The three outliers:
Hideki Matsuyama: Penultimate threesome: erased 4-shot deficit with 5-under 66; won WMPO in playoff.
Jon Rahm: Fifth-to-last threesome: erased 3-shot deficit with 7-under 65; won Farmers by 3.
Brendan Steele: Third-to-last threesome: erased 4-shot deficit with 7-under 65; won Safeway by 1.
54-hole leaders/co-leaders are now 7-for-15 converting. Hideki Matsuyama (WGC-HSBC), Mackenzie Hughes (The RSM Classic), Justin Thomas x2 (SBS TOC and Sony); Jordan Spieth (AT&T Pro-Am); Dustin Johnson (Genesis) and now Fowler have been successful.
NOTE: Matsuyama also won the unofficial Hero World Challenge as 54-hole leader.
Patton Kizzire (Safeway), Anirban Lahiri (CIMB), Luke List, Chris Kirk (Sanderson Farms), Lucas Glover (Shriners), Gary Woodland (OHL), Adam Hadwin (CBC), Patrick Rodgers, Brandt Snedeker (FIO) and Byeong Hun An (WMPO), all failed to convert.
Consecutive top 10s on TOUR:
Rickie Fowler: (1st-T4)
Gary Woodland: (T2-T5)
Wesley Bryan: (T4-T4)
Dustin Johnson: (1st-3rd)
Rory McIlroy: (T4, WGC-HSBC; P1, 2016 TOUR Championship)
Up Next:
The TOUR heads to Mexico City for the inaugural WGC-Mexico at the 7,330-yard par-71 Club de Golf Chapultepec.
Overall, this is the 18th playing of the WGC event, formerly the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Technically, Adam Scott is the defending champion. He won last year’s edition at the 7,543-yard Trump National Doral (par 72), erasing a 3-shot deficit with 3-under 69 to beat Bubba Watson by one, and two better than Danny Willett and 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy.
Stay tuned to this space for all the latest player news and analysis as the TOUR plays its 16th tournament of the season (of 47).
