Who can win the men’s golf gold, who can medal and who should just be happy to be at the Olympics

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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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POTOMAC, Md. — Max Homa played solid, steady golf during a week of cold, wet conditions and a back-and-forth Sunday duel with Keegan Bradley, closing with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship. RELATED: Leaderboard | Wells Fargo comeback not to be for Rory McIlroy An emerging star on the PGA TOUR whose only missing achievement is contention in a major, the 31-year-old Homa finished at 8-under 272 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm to move into sixth in the FedExCup standings. He won for the fourth time overall, third in 15 months and second since he gave up his popular podcast. “I just feel like I’m coming into my own. I’m starting to believe in myself a lot and that’s all I can ask for,” said Homa, whose next start will be in two weeks at the PGA Championship. With his win last September in Napa, California, Homa joins Scottie Scheffler (four), Hideki Matsuyama (two), Sam Burns (two) and Cameron Smith (two) as multiple winners on TOUR this season. He also moves to sixth in the Presidents Cup standings, meaning he’s in position to earn a return visit this September to the Wells Fargo’s usual home, Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Homa got his first career win in 2019 at Quail Hollow, which took the year off as Wells Fargo host while it prepares for the U.S.-versus-International team competition. TPC Potomac, which last hosted the TOUR in 2018, filled in ably despite torrential rain on Friday and Saturday and unseasonably cold temperatures most of the week. Bradley started the day with a two-shot lead, gave it away on the par-5 second hole and took it back on the par-4 eighth before Homa finally took command for good on the back nine. A bogey on the closing hole gave Bradley a 2-over 72 and a tie for second with Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick. Homa played conservatively Saturday, the toughest scoring day of the week, but was aggressive right away Sunday while keeping his umbrella stowed in his golf bag for the first time since the opening round. He twirled his 7-iron as he watched his approach on the par-4 first hole settle 8 feet from the hole. A lob wedge to 8 feet on the par-4 fifth was good for another birdie, and a 7-iron inside 10 feet on the par-3 ninth allowed him to turn in 34, 2 under for the day and tied with Bradley, who steadied himself after a nervy start. Seeking to move high enough in the world ranking to secure a spot in the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, the 35-year-old New England native hit a poor shot from a greenside bunker on the par-5 second hole, leading to double bogey. Bradley rallied with a 21-foot birdie and a firm fist pump on the par-4 fifth, a par save from a difficult lie on the sixth, a 14-footer that he walked in for birdie on the seventh and an 8-iron to 4 feet on No. 8 for another birdie. The next two of five two-shot swings between the final pairing belonged to Homa. Bradley found a penalty area right of the green on the 11th hole, the toughest on the course this week, and made double bogey while Homa saved par. When Homa converted another birdie on the par-4 15th, he had a three-shot lead with three to play. Homa had to make a 5-footer for bogey on the par-4 16th as Bradley made birdie to move within one. The pair traded pars on 17 and when Homa lagged his birdie putt to tap-in range on 18, it was finally over. Young made six birdies ranging in length from 8 feet to 6 inches in his closing 66 for his third runner-up finish in the 24-year-old’s rookie season on TOUR. Fitzpatrick birdied the 18th to conclude a bogey-free 67. The largest galleries of the day belonged to Rory McIlroy, who began the day six shots off the lead and was 3 under through 10 holes. But he stalled from there and closed with a bogey for a 68 to finish alone in fifth, four shots back. Jason Day, the first- and second-round leader, closed with a 70 to finish at 1 under. Stewart Cink had the low round on Sunday, a 65 that moved him into a share of ninth place at 2 under

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