2022 Honda Classic: Latest Betting Odds, Favorites, Sleeper Picks for PGA National Resort
At last week's Genesis Invitational, run by the Tiger Woods Foundation, Joaquin Niemann channeled his inner Woods by blitzing the field from start to finish.
In a wire-to-wire winning performance, the Chilean was powered by a pair of 63s in the first two rounds, making it difficult to catch him on the weekend. Many of the big names gave it their best shot, but Niemann showed why he is now the best current player from South America.
As for the picks, we hope you began fading them weeks ago. Mid-range pick Brooks Koepka burned us again by missing the cut along with sleeper Kevin Na. We thought Cam Smith would contend after two rounds, but he stumbled on the weekend.
We now begin the Florida Swing in hopes of a fresh start for our fortunes. We arrive at PGA National Resort for the Honda Classic where there will not be as many stars as last week but should still offer plenty of drama when the pros take on its famous “Bear Trap.” The Champion Course has been notoriously one of the most difficult layouts on the PGA Tour with no winner finishing better than 12-under par over the past decade.
According to SI Sportsbook, the clear favorite is 2020 champion Sungjae Im at +1100, followed by Niemann and Berger, who played at Florida State, at +1600. Next are a foursome of contenders at +2000: Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen, Tommy Fleetwood and Billy Horschel.
For our favorite, we’ll take Berger, a local Jupiter, Fla., product, at +1600. His odds are short for having recently missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, but he’ll be motivated to assert himself as one of the game’s best after not being present at the Genesis. At 7,125 yards, the Champion Course requires players to be accurate on approach and no one has been more lethal than Berger in those key metrics. Over the past 24 rounds, Berger ranks first among the field in strokes gained: approach and ball-striking. Look for Berger to kick start his 2022 in a familiar place.
For a high mid-range pick, it’s hard to ignore Keith Mitchell at +3300. The 2019 Honda Classic champion has been very steady as of late. Mitchell has finished in the top 12 in four of his last five starts. With plenty of momentum, he arrives in Florida where he generally plays better than he does on the West Coast. In his last 24 rounds, he ranks in the top-5 in strokes gained: total, off-the-tee, tee-to-green and ball-striking. Mitchell should be full of confidence arriving at the site of his only win on Tour.
For a sleeper, Ryan Palmer at +6000 is the play. Palmer missed the cut in his last two starts, but he finished in the top 30 in the prior four. Like many players this week, Palmer will enjoy the jump to Florida and the return of Bermuda greens. Tee-to-green, he’s been one of the best players in the world over the past three months, but his putter has held him back on results. Palmer has finished in the top 30 in six of his last nine starts at the Honda Classic, including two in the top five. If Palmer’s putter can get hot, look out.
2021-22 picks scoreboard:
Winners: 1
Top 5s: 4
Top 10s: 1
Top 20s: 1
Here are some notable odds, according to SI Sportsbook:
Sungjae Im +1100
Daniel Berger +1600
Joaquin Niemann +1600
Shane Lowry +2500
Alex Noren +3000
Matthew Wolff +3300
Keith Mitchell +3300
Matt Jones +3300
Mito Pereira +4000
Brian Harman +4000
Patrick Reed +4000
Aaron Wise +5000
Denny McCarthy +5000
Taylor Moore +5000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee +5000
Mackenzie Hughes +5000
Jhonattan Vegas +5000
Gary Woodland +5000
Cameron Young +5000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5000
Nicolai Hojgaard +5000
Russell Knox +5500
Ryan Palmer +6000
C.T. Pan +6000
Lee Westwood +6600
Ian Poulter +6600
Lucas Glover +6600
Chris Kirk +6600
Martin Kaymer +6600
Rickie Fowler +6600
Brendan Steele +8000
Aaron Rai +8000
Zach Johnson +8000
Lucas Herbert +8000
Charles Howell +8000
Michael Thompson +8000
Brendon Todd +8000
Taylor Pendrith +9000
Sam Ryder +9000
Dylan Frittelli +10000
Greyson Sigg +10000
Kevin Streelman +10000
Hudson Swafford +10000
Adam Svensson +10000
Stewart Cink +10000
Sepp Straka +10000
Garrick Higgo +10000
Nick Taylor +10000
Beau Hossler +10000
Padraig Harrington +12500
Charl Schwartzel +12500
Camilo Villegas +12500
Matthew NeSmith +12500
Mark Hubbard +12500
Henrik Stenson +12500
Patrick Rodgers +12500
Davis Riley +12500
Harry Higgs +12500
Chad Ramey +12500
Matthias Schwab +12500
Alex Smalley +12500
Satoshi Kodaira +15000
Adam Schenk +15000
Lee Hodges +15000
Hayden Buckley +15000
J.T. Poston +15000
Doug Ghim +15000
Kramer Hickok +15000
Doc Redman +15000
J.J. Spaun +15000
John Huh +15000
Rory Sabbatini +15000
Nate Lashley +15000
Danny Willett +15000
Vincent Whaley +17500