Eric Uribe
For better or worse, PGA starts its Florida swing with the Honda Classic in Palm Beach. And even without a loaded playing field — a mere eight of the top 50 players in the world will be teeing it up — there’s money to be made betting on the Honda Classic. You’ll want to keep reading to get a breakdown of the event, plus our free picks to win!
2023 Honda Classic Betting Preview
We can’t preview the Honda Classic without first discussing the PGA National course it’s being played on. It’s one of the most-hated courses by pros, and for good reason — it’s incredibly hard to compete on. It’s a 7,125-yard par 70 featuring Bermuda grass greens. The difficulty, though, comes in the various water hazards featured along the course.
In many ways, playing at PGA National is about not beating yourself more than anything else. Doing the simple stuff — keeping the ball in play from the tee and onto the putting surface are keys to success. By the same token, avoiding three putts on the soggy Bermuda surfaces is a must.
Because of these plating conditions, most big-name pros skip the tournament entirely. The Honda Classic playing field is nothing like last week’s Genesis Open which featured nearly all the top-25 players and even Tiger Woods. The top-ranked player competing this weekend will be No. 18 Sung-jae Im.
Perhaps that’s why Im is favored to win the event, by top-used betting sites for golf. Here are the players with the best odds of winning the Honda Classic, according to the bookies:
| Golfer |  |  |  |
| Sungjae Im | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Shane Lowry | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Aaron Wise | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Billy Horschel | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Matt Kuchar | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Adam Svensson | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Min Woo Lee | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Denny McCarthy | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
2023 Honda Classic Betting Picks
Despite the lack of major names participating, a lot remains on the line in Palm Beach — including an automatic bid to the Masters and over a million dollars in prize money for the first-place finisher. We’ve spread our money with our Honda Classic betting picks on three different players (you just have to with a course this hard). Here’s who we got money on:
Denny McCarthy
If we could only bet on one golfer this weekend, then it would be McCarthy. That’s because he’s proven to be a model of consistency as of late. McCarthy has missed just one cut (Phoenix) in his last nine starts. Not only that, but he’s competing atop the board at many events — Pebble Beach (T-4) and Genesis (T-14). McCarthy also owns a T-3 finish at this event in 2021. All the tell-tale signs are there for a big weekend from McCarthy.
Chris Kirk
The last time we saw Kirk, he missed the cut at the Phoenix Open. But don’t let that bad outing cloud his solid 2023 start, which included a pair of top-3 finishes. With less competition, Kirk has a real shot to break through here. He’s great at scoring on difficult par 4s, which could come in handy in this tricky course. Kirk is a great kid-range pick at +3500 odds.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Alright, you need a few darts throws when it comes to the Honda Classic. That’s because three of the last four tourney winners had never claimed a victory on the PGA Tour before. Welp, Bezuidenhout falls in that same category. But that’s not to say he can’t close — he owns 10 pro wins, including three on the European Tour. Those pro wins, albeit not on the PGA, give us some confidence that Bezuidenhout can keep the trend going of longshot winners at the Honda Classic.
How To Watch 2023 Honda Classic?
The road to the Masters unofficially starts now. If you want to follow along until the major in early April, then you need to tune in to two networks — the Golf Channel and NBC. Both networks will live air the 2023 Honda Classic for those wanting to watch. Here’s the broadcast schedule for those in the United States:
- Thursday, February 23 — 2-6 pm (Golf Channel)
- Friday, February 24 — 2-6 pm (Golf Channel)
- Saturday, February 25 — 1-3 pm (Golf Channel), 3-6 pm (NBC)
- Sunday, February 26 — 1-3 pm (Golf Channel), 3-6 pm (NBC)
For cord-cutters, streaming options exist this weekend too. Both ESPN+ and Peacock will have simulcasts of the Golf Channel and NBC TV coverage.
How To Bet On 2023 Honda Classic?
If you’ve read all the way down here, then surely you’re ready to bet on the 2023 Honda Classic. Welp, you can easily do that at one of the underneath bookmakers. These are the best of the best online sportsbooks around when it comes to golf betting — offering the full gamut of odds all season long.
If you need help picking the best sportsbook possible, just reference the table below. We’ve included bookmaker reviews right there for your convenience. You’ll also want to consider current promotions running. These free-play deals could make your first few sports bets on the bookies free of cost so don’t overlook it.
