Horses for Courses: The Honda Classic

The revamped Florida Swing kicks off with defending champ Justin Thomas and a strong field at the 7,125-yard, par-70 PGA National Resort & Spa (Champion), the hardest non-major course on the PGA TOUR. Thomas has five top-10s in seven starts this year and is one of a handful of hot players coming into The Honda Classic. Among the others in the 144-man field are Rickie Fowler, the winner here two years ago and one of at least 12 players who live within 45 minutes of the course; Gary Woodland, at No. 3 the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup; 2016 champion Adam Scott; and newly-minted Puerto Rico Open winner Martin Trainer. THE FLYOVER Positioning is crucial at PGA National, especially at the 434-yard, par-4 16th hole, the midway point at the Bear Trap, the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR. Like the earth itself, 16 appears to be mostly water, so there will be plenty of irons off the tee to avoid becoming a grim statistic. Last year the hole played to a 4.262 average, among the top 50 hardest holes on TOUR, after players made just 34 birdies compared to 106 bogeys, 15 double-bogeys, and 4 dreaded “others.â€�   LANDING ZONE  The 179-yard, par-3 15th hole is often overshadowed by its rowdier neighbor two holes ahead, but as the opening hole of the Bear Trap, it sets the tone for this make-or-break three-hole stretch. With a 3.391 average last year, it was the third hardest par-3 on TOUR. Players must carry the water and hold the diagonal, left-to-right green without over-cooking the tee shot and finding the back-left greenside bunker. The hole can be especially tricky in the wind. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “A relatively quiet weather pattern will set up across south Florida from Thursday through Sunday. Rain chances are minimal through the extended forecast with just a few passing showers possible at times. Temperatures will be above normal with highs in the 80s each day. Lighter winds are also expected.â€� For the latest weather news from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK The three hardest … holes that we see all year, but it’s based a lot on the wind, too, and the wind is supposed to be down this week. BY THE NUMBERS  $8,245 – Average price of a new Accord in ’82, the first year of Honda’s title sponsorship of the tournament, making it the longest-running title sponsor on the PGA TOUR. +2.3 – Field average in relation to par at PGA National (Champion) last season, making it the second-hardest course on TOUR behind only U.S. Open host Shinnecock Hills. 62 – Double-bogeys or worse at the watery, par-3 17th hole last year, the most doubles or worse on any hole all season long. With a 3.53 average, it was the toughest par-3 on TOUR. 6 – Number of top-10 finishes for Gary Woodland, who leads the TOUR in that category. SCATTERSHOTS Thomas aiming for history: Defending champion Justin Thomas has less than two months remaining to join Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Jack Nicklaus as one of the four youngest players in PGA TOUR history to reach 10 wins. Woods was the youngest to reach the milestone at 23 years, 6 months and 4 days. Should he win Sunday, Thomas, who would be 25 years, 10 months, 4 days old, would surpass Rory McIlroy, who was 25, 11, and 29 when he crossed the 10-win barrier. Reading the tea leaves: Since the start of the FedExCup era, eight of the 12 winners of The Honda Classic have made it to the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. Opportunity knocks: Gary Woodland, who has been in the FedExCup top 10 for 13 of 15 weeks so far this season, is currently third but only 314 points behind leader Xander Schauffele. With Schauffele and No. 2 Matt Kuchar taking this week off, Woodland could take over No 1 with a win. Three’s misery: The field has averaged .671 over par at the watery 15th, 16th and 17th holes—the Bear Trap—over the last 10 years. That makes it the third toughest three-hole stretch on TOUR, of courses that have been played continuously over the last decade. Quail Hollow (16-18, +.884) has the hardest three-hole stretch, followed by Pebble Beach (8-10, +.684).

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments. Aside from the experts below, Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at this year’s the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday in this week’s edition of the Power Rankings. For more fantasy, check out Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers and Reshuffle. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below. Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the “LEAGUES” tab. Then click on “FEATURED,” and then on the PGA TOUR Experts league that populates. SEASON SEGMENT

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DP World Tour pro Ricardo Gouveia is making his second career PGA TOUR start at this week’s Barbasol Championship. He jumped to an early lead with an opening-round, 8-under 64 at Keene Trace GC in Kentucky. As part of the PGA TOUR/DP World Tour strategic alliance and joint venture, Gouveia was awarded a spot at the Barbasol Championship based on his position on the DP World Tour Rankings; he currently stands No. 126 on the Race to Dubai. The Portugal native played collegiately at the University of Central Florida and also represented his home country at the 2016 Olympic Men’s Golf Competition. He made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in his college town of Orlando. Gouveia made nine birdies in Thursday’s opening round of the Barbasol Championship against one bogey, punctuating his round with a 15-foot birdie at the par-4 18th hole. Here’s Five Things to Know about Ricardo Gouveia. 1. He’s a five-time winner on the Challenge Tour. The Challenge Tour is the DP World Tour’s equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour, providing a direct path to the DP World Tour for top finishers on the season-long standings. Gouveia has thrived at this level with five career wins, including two victories in 2021, the Italian Challenge and Made in Esbjerg Challenge. He also finished No. 1 on the 2015 Challenge Tour Rankings, winning twice and earning his DP World Tour card. He also finished No. 2 on the 2021 Challenge Tour Rankings to earn back his DP World Tour card. 2. He has featured top-100 in the world and played in the Olympics. After a dominant season on the 2015 Challenge Tour with two wins, three runners-up and two third-place finishes, Gouveia finished the year at No. 83 on the Official World Golf Ranking. He went 3-for-3 in made cuts to begin the 2016 DP World Tour season, including a T7 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, moving to a career-high No. 77 on the Official World Golf Ranking. By way of his world ranking, he qualified for the 2016 Olympic Men’s Golf Competition in Rio, golf’s first Olympics inclusion since 1904. 3. He moved to the United States to play college golf. Gouveia began his collegiate career at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, earning NCAA Division II Ping All-America First Team honors and earning the Phil Mickelson Award as most outstanding freshman in Division II golf. He transferred to the University of Central Florida for his sophomore season and maintained success, earning All-America honorable mention honors with 20 rounds of par or better and also being named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year. He earned runner-up honors at the NCAA Tempe Regional as a junior, and he was named to the American Athletic All-Conference Team as a senior before turning pro. 4. He was pushed to succeed by his college teammates. Gouveia spent three years at UCF alongside Greg Eason, who has competed on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Canada in addition to time as a caddie. The duo enjoyed the offbeat side of college life. Gouveia recalls a time when Eason needed to dry his underwear and had no clear option – so he decided to microwave it. Eason would write motivational quotes on the bathroom walls, and Gouveia credits Eason as an instrumental source of motivation as he refined his game for the professional level. “Every day, he pushed me harder,” said Gouveia of Eason, “and I have to thank him for that.” 5. He has a big opportunity this weekend in Kentucky. Multiple scenarios are in play as Gouveia assumes the spotlight this week at the Barbasol Championship. A victory at Keene Trace would award him a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR, plus the remainder of this season. Additionally, if Gouveia earns enough non-member FedExCup Points to equal or surpass No. 200 on the final FedExCup standings, he will receive a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a three-event series in August and September with 25 PGA TOUR cards awarded. The top-200 threshold is currently 78 points, the equivalent of a solo fourth-place finish or better at the Barbasol Championship.

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