WEAK FIELD FOR THE FINAL HONDA

Someone will be getting a big check this week at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Garden, Fla.

And then someone will be writing a big check to take over the Honda Classic.

It’s expected that there will be a tournament at PGA National in 2024 and beyond, but this weekend will mark the last time someone wins the Honda. The automaker’s 42-year sponsorship — the longest-running continuous deal on the PGA Tour — ends with this event, and potential successors will be in Palm Beach Gardens to decide if they want to buy the naming rights.

“It’s disappointing on many aspects of it,” Florida native Billy Horschel said. “I’m sort of disappointed in the PGA Tour in the sense that — I’m not going to say they didn’t prioritize the Honda Classic, they prioritize every sponsor that we have. But, you know, when I was out on tour early in my career, this was a hot event. I mean, you had all-top 20 players in the world playing here.”

This week’s event has three top-20 players — No. 18 Sung jae Im, Horschel is ranked 19th and No. 20 Shane Lowry. Scheduling has been a challenge for Honda for years; it was preceded by the Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational, and gets followed by Bay Hill and The Players Championship.

Those events all have $20 million purses, except for $25 million at The Players. Honda’s purse is $8.4 million.

“This was an event to play at, and then unfortunately over the years, it’s sort of been relegated to not as strong a field anymore,” Horschel said.

Changes are almost certainly coming, in more than just the name. The PGA Tour is trying to find a way for Honda to attract bigger names, and a schedule tweak is expected for next year.

“You’ve got 30 to 40 PGA Tour pros that live within a couple miles of this place, and I think you’ve only got a handful of them playing this week, and that’s disappointing,” Horschel said. “It really is.”

There is much to like. The Honda traditionally draws plenty of fans to PGA National, with a total attendance in recent years — except for the pandemic-limited tournament — going just over 200,000.

Fans show up. The world’s highest-ranked golfers, not so much.

“Do I worry for it? I don’t know,” Lowry said. “Next year, I think hopefully the schedule is going to be a little bit different. It is going to be a little bit different. I don’t know what it is going to be like yet. But hopefully it can be in a nice date because look, I think this is a proper test. It’s a proper championship golf course, and it deserves a good field.”

First, though, comes the finding of a new sponsor. There’s no timetable to get that done, with the tour aiming for something to be finalized in the next few weeks.

“It’s a combination of sponsors and potential sponsors that we’ve talked to over a period of time, trying to find a good fit for them,” said Andy Pazder, chief competitions and tournaments officer for the PGA Tour. “And then in other instances, it’s companies that know that this sponsorship opportunity exists and they come to us and they say, ‘We’d like to learn more.’ We have several active conversations going on. We’re hosting, I’ll just say, a few of those prospects this week.”

Setback for LIV

A federal judge has ruled the PGA Tour can add Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and its governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, as defendants in its countersuit in the ongoing legal fight with LIV Golf.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman was the second setback in the last week for Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which has accused the PGA Tour of monopolistic actions as the rival league gets started.

LIV Golf’s second season kicks off Friday at a Mexican beach resort south of Cancun.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen last week ruled the Public Investment Fund, which owns 93 percent of LIV Golf, and al-Rumayyan are required to give testimony and produce documents related to the antitrust lawsuit.

Hall of Fame

Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, double major winner Dottie Pepper and swing coach Butch Harmon were among 12 finalists for the 2024 Class of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The 31-member nominating panel whittled the list down to four men, four women and four contributors. A 20-member selection panel comprising Hall of Fame members, media and leaders of major golf organizations meet on March 8 at The Players Championship to vote on induction.

Hall of Fame induction is now every two years. The Class of 2024 will be inducted during the U.S. Open next year at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.

Harrington was a finalist last time, the Irishman with 21 victories worldwide, most notably one stretch when he won the British Open in 2007 at Carnoustie and in 2008 at Royal Birkdale. He also became the first European in 78 years to win the PGA Championship when he won at Oakland Hills in 2008.

The other male players nominated as finalists were Jim Furyk, with 17 PGA Tour wins, a U.S. Open, a FedEx Cup title and nine consecutive Ryder Cup teams; the late Tom Weiskopf, the former British Open champion, golf course architect and television analyst; and Johnny Farrell, whose 22 tour wins included the 1928 U.S. Open. Farrell also was a finalist last time.

Pepper retired in her late 30s because of back injuries, but not before capturing 17 titles on the LPGA Tour, two of them at the Nabisco Dinah Shore. She was an early spark in the Solheim Cup, and for the last two decades has worked as one of the top analysts for NBC and CBS.

Joining her from the female division are Sandra Palmer, with 21 wins and two majors; the late Beverly Hanson, with 17 wins and three LPGA Tour majors, along with the 1950 U.S. Women’s Amateur; and Cristie Kerr, who won two majors among her 20 titles on the LPGA Tour. Hanson was a finalist last time.