TOUR Insider: New venue, new winner?  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent Jack Nicklaus didn't win the first Honda Classic, but he'll get the last word in the latest edition, which begins Thursday at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. As in most events he entered, Nicklaus was a dominant figure at the tournament begun in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, winning it twice and finishing second three times, including the inaugural competition in which he was edged by Tom Weiskopf. Honda became title sponsor 12 years later, and in the intervening 25 years the tournament has motored to three Florida cities and seven courses. This year it moves to its eighth, the Champion Course at PGA National Resort, which features the design signature of -- what do you know? -- Jack Nicklaus.  Could this be Brett Quigley's week to breakthrough and grab his first TOUR win? (Messerschmidt/WireImage)
Founder and host of the Memorial Tournament near his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, the Golden Bear three times has reworked the layout Tom Fazio and his uncle, George, designed in 1981. The major renovation was completed in 1990, giving birth to a seriously cerebral and skill-taxing test best exemplified by a late three-hole stretch of water-accentuated mischief known as the "Bear Trap." Further upgrades in 2002 and last year bring new greens and other strategic enhancements to a layout that measures 7,251 yards with a readjusted par of 70. Nicklaus, who won the 1971 PGA Championship at PGA National and captained the U.S. to victory in the 1983 Ryder Cup on the Champion Course, leans towards creating second-shot examinations, but with water in play on 16 holes, pressure is brought to bear on nearly every full swing. Or, maybe, we should say that pressure is brought by the Bear. Worth knowing: For the first time since 1986 a tournament other than the PGA TOUR stop at Doral kicks off the Florida Swing. Doral anchors the four-week string with the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. The Honda Classic began the Florida run in '86. Kenny Knox was the winner at TPC Eagle Trace. Digging further through the archives reveals nine players in this week's field participated in the last PGA TOUR event at PGA National's Champion Course, the 1987 PGA Championship. The nine men in, and their finishes, in order: Jeff Sluman (tied for 14th), Bernhard Langer (T-21), Fred Funk (T-47), Bob Tway (T-47), Paul Azinger (missed cut), Mark Calcavecchia (MC), Davis Love III (MC), Corey Pavin (MC) and Joey Sindelar (MC). Americans have won 27 of 33 editions of The Honda Classic, but foreign-born players have captured six of the last 13, including the last two by Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington (with runner-up finishes by internationals Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy). Five of the last 11 winners of The Honda Classic hadn't previously won a PGA TOUR event, including the last two: Harrington and Todd Hamilton. The others are Matt Kuchar (2002), Stuart Appleby (1997) and Tim Herron ('96). Only Appleby is absent this week. Who might be the most likely breakthrough winner this week? How about Joe Ogilvie, who tied with Singh for second place in 2005. Brett Quigley might be another good candidate, who has finished in the top eight twice in the event while making 5 of 6 cuts. Davis Love III and Mark Calcavecchia each have five top-10 finishes in The Honda Classic, most among the 144 players in the field. Calcavecchia collected his in 21 starts and has two wins and two seconds among them. Love has never missed the cut in 12 appearances, and was runner-up in 2003 and '04. Jeff Maggert invites scrutiny this week. He is attempting to rejoin the TOUR after withdrawing from the FBR Open because of a nagging rib injury he sustained the week before the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. The Texan has one top-10 finish in five previous starts in The Honda Classic, and he missed the cut last year. Australia's Nick O'Hern, who vanquished Tiger Woods in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, is likely to play more than the 15 TOUR events he entered last year; he has decided to establish a residence in Florida. He makes his debut in The Honda Classic, his third start of '07. PING's 25 PGA TOUR players on staff include the recent addition of three rookies who earned their cards via Q-School: Chris Stroud, who is in this week's field, Matt Hendrix and Kyle Reifers. |
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