Dustin Johnson’s victory at the Genesis Open gave us a second winner in three weeks after Hideki Matsuyama’s triumph in Phoenix, with Jordan Spieth’s win at Pebble Beach meaning the last three PGA Tour events have been won by players in the world’s top six.
However, none of the top six are contesting this week’s Honda Classic at PGA National, which could offer the opportunity for some bigger priced contenders to shine.
Defending champion Adam Scott, who made this the first of back-to-back wins on the Florida Swing last year, heads the betting at 11/1 and has not finished worse than 14th in his last six worldwide starts.
That includes a tie for 11th behind new world number one Johnson last week but our first selection is Spanish star Sergio Garcia at 16/1.
Garcia climbed back into the world’s top 10 for the first time since July 2016 with his victory in the Dubai Desert Classic and will have few fears about dealing with the blustery conditions which are common at PGA National, where he has made the cut in all six previous appearances and was second to Scott 12 months ago.
Another player with a perfect record at the venue is Scotland’s Russell Knox, who was third in 2015 and lost out in a four-man play-off the year before. Knox missed the cut in his last start but was 11th and 17th in the season-opening events in Hawaii and can be backed at 28/1.
In contrast, Kevin Kisner’s recent course form is nothing to write home about but the world number 47 does come into the event on the back of encouraging form figures of 4-25-10 in 2017. Kisner has made no secret of the fact that he prefers the East Coast swing to the West Coast, so odds of 45/1 could prove somewhat generous.
After winning the title in 2014 in that aforementioned play-off, which also featured Rory McIlroy, Russell Henley has finished 44th and missed the cut at the Honda. However, signs are that the 27-year-old is rounding into form with two top-20 finishes in his last three events, which makes 50/1 an attractive each-way proposition.
The likes of Graeme McDowell (60/1) and Paul Casey (35/1) have solid course form at a windswept venue which often suits European players, but the final selection is former amateur star Ollie Schniederjans at 50/1.
Schniederjans turned professional after finishing 12th in the 2015 Open and claimed his first win in the paid ranks on the Web.Com Tour last year. The 23-year-old also has two top-10 finishes in his last three events.
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