By Sean ODonnell
If you're seeking a star-studded event on the PGA Tour, look no further than the 2015 Honda Classic. This year's field is the "best in the modern history of the tournament," according to the tournament's website, as 16 of the world's top 25 golfers are in action.
From world No. 1 Rory McIlroy to the always-popular Phil Mickelson, PGA National will be chock-full of golf's most talented and entertaining players—but they won't have it easy. This a skilled field, and The Champion course at PGA National features one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf, infamously known as The Bear Trap.
When golf legend Jack Nicklaus redesigned the course, he masterminded three of the most intimidating holes any player—amateur or professional—would face consecutively. Here's a look at the treacherous stretch:
As we wait to watch the field attempt to navigate these dangerous holes, let's take a look at the tournament's essential viewing information to ensure you don't miss a moment of the action.
2015 Honda Classic
Dates: Thursday, Feb. 26 - Sunday, March 1
Where: PGA National (The Champion course) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Purse: $6.1 million (winning share: $1.098 million)
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to winner
TV Info:
Thursday and Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Saturday and Sunday: 1-3 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 3-6 p.m. ET, NBC
It's incredibly difficult to distinguish a handful of players from such a stacked field, so this week, let's take a look at the two most intriguing trios to hit the course Thursday.
The first group to watch is Lefty, Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia. This all-star cast will provide onlookers with plenty of entertainment for a variety of reasons.
Mickelson enters the tournament ranked 19th in the world. Luckily, the season is in its infancy, because that would be his worst year-end rank since 1995 (24th). In three tournaments so far this year, Lefty has finished tied for 24th and missed two cuts, most recently at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Perhaps some favorable history will finally get Lefty headed in the right direction. As the Golf Channel noted, Mickelson's first PGA Tour win came during this week back in 1993:
Garcia began 2015 in turbulent fashion, finishing tied for 46th in his first tournament and missing the cut the following week. Well, after taking a little time off, he returned with a vengeance at the Northern Trust Open, finishing tied for fourth after a disappointing finish tarnished an otherwise brilliant showing.
The golfer tweeted this statement following the completion of the tournament:
Rest assured, he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder at PGA National.
Kaymer enters the Honda Classic ranked 10th in the world. He tied for second in the Thailand Golf Championship to finish the 2014 season, and he's continued that momentum into 2015, placing third in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and tying for fourth in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He's on a roll, but this will be his first action on American soil since the Tour Championship.
After taking in that early trio Thursday, you can shift your focus to a later group featuring McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy is on an absolute tear once again this season. He began the year with a second-place finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and went on to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic by three strokes over Alexander Noren.
The world No. 1 finished tied for second at the Honda Classic in 2014, and he treated us to shots like this in the process:
With the way he's playing right now, expect more of the same this time around.
Johnson has been one of golf's best stories this year. He took a long break from the game to deal with some personal issues, and he returned to the tour on a mission. After stumbling out of the gate at the Farmers Insurance Open, he finished tied for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and tied for second after losing in a playoff in the Northern Trust Open.
PGA National will have a hand in answering that question.
Rounding out the trio is Koepka. Ranked 20th in the world, he began the season with a bang, emerging victorious in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The only year he's won multiple times on the PGA Tour was 2013, but he has a chance to duplicate that feat after a great start in 2015.
There's plenty of diversity in this year's field. We have veterans looking to get back on the right track, some of the world's best players aiming to separate themselves from the pack and young golfers looking to make their marks on the PGA Tour. That's going to make for one thrilling Honda Classic.
