Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Calm conditions open Honda Classic
Honda Classic gives players first look at refurbished PGA National putting surfaces
As the Honda Classic began with its opening round, players got their first glimpse at the resurfaced greens at The Champion Course at PGA National.
The project for the renovation left the course closed for four months ahead of a reopening in early November. Fast forward to Thursday, and they are primed for PGA Tour use — and appreciated by players after a significant push from the Tour after other comparable courses had received the same upgrade.
“Big difference, big difference,” said Brooks Koepka, who shot a 3-under 67 in the Honda’s opening round. “It’s nice to finally be on Bermuda, No. 1 — and No. 2, these greens, they’re firm but they’re not overly firm.”
Said Rickie Fowler, who also was 3 under on Thursday, “It’s nice, and obviously, it was time for them to be redone after they were a little sandy last year. It’s a little soft out there right now — fairways and stuff — but it’s in great shape.”
The resiliency of the greens is bringing positive vibes in Palm Beach Gardens for Ernie Els, who shot 66 on Thursday.
“It’s more like when I won now,” said Els, the 2008 Honda Classic champion, after his early round. “I remember back in ’08 the course was very dry and the ball was running and the greens were very firm, and it’s kind of similar now.”
“They’re not very receptive … but I like that. It means you’ve got to hit it on the fairway. You don’t necessarily have to try and bomb it down there and wedge it on. You’re not going to stop it out of the rough. You’ve got to hit fairways, and you’ve got to hit it properly to stay on the green.”
As the Honda Classic begins the fourweek stretch of the Florida swing, golfers were pleased to play in calm conditions on Thursday after the morning clouds passed through north Palm Beach County.
“We’re not quite used to this this time of year — at least 15 or 20 mile-an-hour winds, and that really makes it very difficult — so it was nice to get a round under the belt when it’s calm,” said Els, who has 19 PGA Tour wins and four majors to his name. “When it’s like this, you’ve got to take your chances when you can.”
Els, 49, had six birdies, but the infamous Bear Trap at The Champion Course got to him. He double-bogeyed the par-3 15th hole, which begins the brutal three-hole Bear Trap stretch.
The leader after the first round is Venezuela’s Jhonattan
Vegas, who shot a 64 on Thursday, good enough to stand two strokes ahead of the field.
Vegas did it with the help of one baseball compatriot following him around the course to show his support and will have another on Friday. He had former power-hitting first baseman Andres Galarraga with him Thursday with Washington Nationals and former Florida/Miami Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez on deck.
“That’s the great thing about Venezuelans, especially here in Florida,” said Vegas, a 34-year-old who lives in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas. “They’re always around right now, and there’s so many good ones, especially baseball players around this area. It’s cool.”
Vegas had six birdies, four on the back nine, where he started his Thursday.
“I felt like I was in control pretty much all day long,” Vegas said. “Every time you can do that around this golf course, these fairways, these greens, you can leave the ball in the right places, not sweat it out as much, it’s always good because, obviously, over the years this course has given me a few gray hairs.”
While Vegas finished in a tie for fourth in 2017, earning him $232,000, he was 72nd last year. His finish two years ago was his only top 10 at the Honda.
Of note: Reigning Honda Classic champion and Jupiter resident Justin Thomas, the world’s thirdranked golfer, shot a 68. He started hot at 4 under through the front nine, but he fell victim to the Bear Trap, with a double-bogey on 15 and a bogey on 16 that followed a bogey on 10. He would bounce back to birdie the last two holes.
“Probably wasn’t exactly how I had it envisioned in my head, but I don’t know, I just had a hard time getting focused and kind of getting into it,” said Thomas, who hit his 15th-hole tee shot into the water. “Two bad swings there on 15 and 16 cost me, but at least we had a good finish there.”
Fowler, another Jupiter resident and world No. 9, had six birdies but triplebogeyed the par-4 sixth hole, sending his first two shots into the water before eventually sinking an 11-foot putt.
Joining Els in a four-way tie for second at 4 under are Zach Johnson, Ben Silverman and Lucas Glover. Silverman, a 31-year-old Canadian, attended FAU.
Koepka, the West Palm Beach native and Cardinal Newman grad, is one of 14 players at 3 under through the first round. It’s a solid start considering he didn’t make the cut last time he played in the Honda in 2017. He said the 11th hole, the second one of his morning round, got him rolling.
“It’s a difficult hole. Starting in the morning the ball wasn’t flying very far with the wind being off to the right,” he said. “To get that close and make that putt was kind of momentum-building for the rest of the week.”
Kyoung-Hoon Lee appeared primed for a run at the top of the leaderboard in the early evening until reaching the Bear Trap, where his round was marred by a double-bogey on 15. It brought him down from 5 under to 3 under. Glover also got to 5 under late but bogeyed the ninth hole, his last of the round.
Jupiter resident Richy Werenski shot 1 over on Thursday. Delray Beach resident Gary Woodland and Dwyer grad and Plantation native Daniel Berger were 2 over and in a tie for 86th. St. Thomas Aquinas alum Jason Dufner was 3 over and in a tie for 109.