The Honda Classic

The Honda Classic

Tournament information
Location	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Established	1972, 50 years ago
Course(s)	PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion Course)
Par	70
Length	7,140 yards (6,529 m)
Organized by	IMG
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$7,000,000
Month played	March
Tournament record score
Aggregate	264 Justin Leonard (2003)
To par	−24 as above
Current champion
Matt Jones
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The Honda Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in south Florida. It was founded in 1972 as Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic,^[1] and prior to a schedule change in 2021 was frequently the first of the Florida events in late winter following the "West Coast Swing."

National Airlines was the sponsor in 1973 with Gleason, and American Motors Corporation (AMC) backed it in 1981. Since 1982, American Honda Motor Company (Honda) has been the title sponsor.

Tournament history[]

The tournament's predecessor, the National Airlines Open Invitational, ran for just three seasons from 1969 to 1971), all in late March at the Country Club of Miami in Hialeah. The Gleason tournament replaced it on the schedule a month earlier in 1972 at the Inverrary Country Club (East course) in Lauderhill, and was among the richest events on tour with an inaugural purse of $260,000 and a $52,000 winner's share.^[2]

The regular event was not played in 1976, as Inverrary hosted the Tournament Players Championship in late February, won by Jack Nicklaus. Gleason's nine-year affiliation ended after 1980.^[3]

The 1981 event was renamed "American Motors Inverrary Classic" as it was sponsored by American Motors Corporation, then the following two years it was known as the "Honda Inverrary Classic" after a switch in sponsor to Honda.^[4][1] In 1984 the tournament moved to TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, where it remained until 1991.

From 1992 to 1995, the event was held at the Weston Hills Golf & Country Club in Weston. It then returned to Coral Springs, first at the TPC at Eagle Trace in 1996 and then at the TPC at Heron Bay from 1997 to 2002. In 2003, the event moved to Palm Beach Gardens, first at the Country Club at Mirasol through 2006,^[5] then to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in 2007.^[6]

Since 2007, the tournament's main beneficiary is the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, chaired by Barbara Nicklaus, wife of hall of fame golfer Jack Nicklaus.

IMG bought the tournament's management company in 2013.^[7]

Player participation[]

Some celebrated players have won this tournament, including Nicklaus in 1977 and 1978, the only consecutive winner in its history. However, the tournament had acquired a reputation for struggling to attract the top players as it moved from course to course in South Florida. Since 2007, The Honda Classic has seen a vastly improved player field, largely due to the decision to make PGA National the tournament's permanent home.

The prize money is comparable to other regular PGA Tour events. The total purse was $6.4 million in 2017, with a top prize of $1.152 million (this can be contrasted to the total purse in 1981 of $300,000 (the equivalent of only $853,990 in 2020 dollars^[8]). The original winner's share of $52,000 in 1972 made it one of the richest stops on tour,^[2] greater than for any of the four majors; it was more than double that of the Masters, which had a first prize of $25,000 in 1972.^[9]

Tournament hosts[]

• No event in 1976, Inverrary hosted TPC.

Winners[]

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Purse ($)
The Honda Classic
2021	Matt Jones	268	−12	5 strokes	Brandon Hagy	1,260,000	7,000,000
2020	Im Sung-jae	274	−6	1 stroke	Mackenzie Hughes	1,260,000	7,000,000
2019	Keith Mitchell	271	−9	1 stroke	Rickie Fowler Brooks Koepka	1,224,000	6,800,000
2018	Justin Thomas	272	−8	Playoff	Luke List	1,188,000	6,600,000
2017	Rickie Fowler	268	−12	4 strokes	Morgan Hoffmann Gary Woodland	1,152,000	6,400,000
2016	Adam Scott	271	−9	1 stroke	Sergio García	1,098,000	6,100,000
2015	Pádraig Harrington (2)	274	−6	Playoff	Daniel Berger	1,098,000	6,100,000
2014	Russell Henley	272	−8	Playoff	Russell Knox Rory McIlroy Ryan Palmer	1,080,000	6,000,000
2013	Michael Thompson	271	−9	2 strokes	Geoff Ogilvy	1,080,000	6,000,000
2012	Rory McIlroy	268	−12	2 strokes	Tom Gillis Tiger Woods	1,026,000	5,700,000
2011	Rory Sabbatini	271	−9	1 stroke	Yang Yong-eun	1,026,000	5,700,000
2010	Camilo Villegas	267	−13	5 strokes	Anthony Kim	1,008,000	5,600,000
2009	Yang Yong-eun	271	−9	1 stroke	John Rollins	1,008,000	5,600,000
2008	Ernie Els	274	−6	1 stroke	Luke Donald	990,000	5,500,000
2007	Mark Wilson	275	−5	Playoff	José Cóceres Camilo Villegas Boo Weekley	990,000	5,500,000
2006	Luke Donald	276	−12	2 strokes	Geoff Ogilvy	990,000	5,500,000
2005	Pádraig Harrington	274	−14	Playoff	Joe Ogilvie Vijay Singh	990,000	5,500,000
2004	Todd Hamilton	276	−12	1 stroke	Davis Love III	900,000	5,000,000
2003	Justin Leonard	264	−24	1 stroke	Chad Campbell Davis Love III	900,000	5,000,000
2002	Matt Kuchar	269	−19	2 strokes	Brad Faxon Joey Sindelar	630,000	3,500,000
Honda Classic
2001	Jesper Parnevik	270	−18	1 stroke	Mark Calcavecchia Geoff Ogilvy Craig Perks	576,000	3,200,000
2000	Dudley Hart	269	−19	1 stroke	J. P. Hayes	522,000	2,900,000
1999	Vijay Singh	277	−11	2 strokes	Payne Stewart	468,000	2,600,000
1998	Mark Calcavecchia (2)	270	−18	3 strokes	Vijay Singh	324,000	1,800,000
1997	Stuart Appleby	274	−14	1 stroke	Michael Bradley Payne Stewart	270,000	1,500,000
1996	Tim Herron	271	−17	4 strokes	Mark McCumber	234,000	1,300,000
1995	Mark O'Meara	275	−9	1 stroke	Nick Faldo	216,000	1,200,000
1994	Nick Price	276	−8	1 stroke	Craig Parry	198,000	1,100,000
1993	Fred Couples	207[a]	−9	Playoff	Robert Gamez	198,000	1,100,000
1992	Corey Pavin	273	−15	Playoff	Fred Couples	198,000	1,100,000
1991	Steve Pate	279	−9	3 strokes	Paul Azinger Dan Halldorson	180,000	1,000,000
1990	John Huston	282	−6	2 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia	180,000	1,000,000
1989	Blaine McCallister	266	−22	4 strokes	Payne Stewart	144,000	800,000
1988	Joey Sindelar	276	−12	2 strokes	Ed Fiori Sandy Lyle Payne Stewart	126,000	700,000
1987	Mark Calcavecchia	279	−9	3 strokes	Bernhard Langer Payne Stewart	108,000	600,000
1986	Kenny Knox	287	−1	1 stroke	Andy Bean John Mahaffey Jodie Mudd Clarence Rose	90,000	500,000
1985	Curtis Strange	275	−13	Playoff	Peter Jacobsen	90,000	500,000
1984	Bruce Lietzke	280	−8	Playoff	Andy Bean	90,000	500,000
Honda Inverrary Classic
1983	Johnny Miller (2)	278	−10	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus	72,000	400,000
1982	Hale Irwin	269	−19	1 stroke	George Burns Tom Kite	72,000	400,000
American Motors Inverrary Classic
1981	Tom Kite	274	−14	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus	54,000	300,000
Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic
1980	Johnny Miller	274	−14	2 strokes	Charles Coody Bruce Lietzke	54,000	300,000
1979	Larry Nelson	274	−14	3 strokes	Grier Jones	54,000	300,000
1978	Jack Nicklaus (2)	276	−12	1 stroke	Grier Jones	50,000	250,000
1977	Jack Nicklaus	275	−13	5 strokes	Gary Player	50,000	250,000
1976: Inverrary hosted the Tournament Players Championship
1975	Bob Murphy	273	−15	1 stroke	Eddie Pearce	52,000	260,000
1974	Leonard Thompson	278	−10	1 stroke	Hale Irwin	52,000	260,000
Jackie Gleason Inverrary-National Airlines Classic
1973	Lee Trevino	279	−9	1 stroke	Forrest Fezler	52,000	260,000
Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic
1972	Tom Weiskopf	278	−10	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus	52,000	260,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:^[10][11]

Multiple winners[]

Four men have won the tournament more than once.

2 wins

• Jack Nicklaus: 1977, 1978 (consecutive)^
• Johnny Miller: 1980, 1983
• Mark Calcavecchia: 1987, 1998
• Pádraig Harrington: 2005, 2015

^ Nicklaus also won the 1976 Tournament Players Championship at Inverrary, which displaced the event.

Tournament highlights[]

• 1972: Tom Weiskopf outdueled Jack Nicklaus by one shot to win the first edition.^[2][12]
• 1974: Leonard Thompson earned the first of his three PGA Tour wins, one shot ahead of Hale Irwin. After his victory, Thompson donated $10,000 of his winnings to the Boys Clubs of America.^[13]
• 1978: Jack Nicklaus birdies the last five holes to defeat Grier Jones by one shot,^[14] for his third consecutive win at Inverrary.
• 1980: Johnny Miller records his first tour win since the 1976 Open Championship, finishing two shots ahead of Bruce Lietzke and Charles Coody.^[15]
• 1981: Curtis Strange had a four-shot lead before the final into the final round.^[16] In the end, Tom Kite won and avoided a playoff because Jack Nicklaus missed a 3-footer for par.^[17]
• 1986: Monday qualifier Kenny Knox wins by one-shot over Clarence Rose, Jodie Mudd, Andy Bean, and John Mahaffey in spite of shooting a third round 80.^[18]
• 1987: Mark Calcavecchia wins his first Honda Classic title.^[19] Only the year before he worked as a caddy at the tournament.
• 1990: John Huston wears three different pairs of shoes in practice and during the tournament after the PGA declared his wedge-soled Weight-Rites illegal.^[20]
• 1991: Steve Pate shoots the worst last-round score by a PGA Tour tournament winner in ten years, a 75, but still holds on to win by three shots over Paul Azinger and Dan Halldorson.^[21]
• 1992: Corey Pavin defeats Fred Couples in a sudden-death playoff only after holing a 136-yard 8-iron shot for eagle on the 72nd hole to tie for the lead.^[22]
• 1996: Tim Herron becomes the first PGA Tour rookie in 13 years to win a tournament wire-to-wire. He defeats Mark McCumber by four shots.^[23]
• 2000: Dudley Hart birdies the last four holes to defeat J. P. Hayes and by one shot.^[24]
• 2004: Thirty-eight-year-old PGA Tour rookie Todd Hamilton wins by one shot over Davis Love III.^[25] Hamilton would go on to win The Open Championship later that same year.
• 2007: Mark Wilson wins the biggest playoff in the history of the tournament.^[26] His birdie on the third hole of sudden death defeats José Cóceres. Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley, the other participants in the four-man playoff, had been eliminated on the second playoff hole.
• 2012: Rory McIlroy wins and claims the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.^[27] Brian Harman shot a course record 61 in the second round.^[28]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site
• PGA National Resort & Spa – Champion course

Coordinates: 26°49′44″N 80°08′28″W / 26.829°N 80.141°W / 26.829; -80.141