The Honda Classic is FULL Of Underdogs!

There are a few tour stops every year the top players just decide to pass on. Usually they include the events like the Greenbrier Classic, the tour stop in New Orleans, and the Puerto Rico Open. The Honda Classic (PGA National in Palm Gardens, FL) is one such event. As a result, we get a full field of underdogs - players clinging to tour status, returning from injuries, as well as those who are just running out of time. Players like William McGirt, Erik Compton, Bronson Burgoon, Brandon Hagy, as well as former household names Hunter Mahan, and Camillo Villegas.

Aaron Wise, on the other hand, is in a very different position. At 24, a past winner, and currently in the Top 50 on the money list, he likely has a bright future.

However, there was a moment for Wise when he no doubt felt like a journeyman and that moment came during a very bad encounter with the 10th green during the final round. Wise, who enjoyed a 6 shot lead going into the weekend, before flopping on Saturday, had managed to play his way back into contention on Sunday.

After landing in a bunker, Wise blasted out to within 27 feet of the pin. His par putt slid 3 feet past the hole, and his tap in for bogey didn’t “tap-in.” Instead it scooted past the hole and he finally four (4) putted for a brutal triple bogey that sealed his fate.

Some advice for Aaron: before you make the turn, replace whatever hat you’ve got with this one, designed specifically for the Back 9.

2020 Golf Season Starts...Then Stops

The 2020 golf season had already delivered surprising finishes, before COVID 19 ground it to a halt. The tournaments conducted during the first two months seemed to represent a changing of the guard, with players such as Nick Taylor and Sungjae Im winning some of the biggest prizes with wins at Pebble Beach and the Honda Classic.

Taylor, at 32, had missed cuts and then, knocked around various tours, and, out of nowhere, inexplicably wins Pebble Beach. As crazy as Taylor’s win was, someone we have never heard of - Maverick McNealy - managed to claw his way into the Top 5.

While Im’s a rising star, finishing behind him at the Honda Classic was Mackenzie Hughes, who somehow managed to sneak into the field, potentially with a falsified “player pass” and post a series of scores that landed him in 2nd, enabling him to cash a $763k check.

We want to be clear that while we do not condone whatever “tactics” Taylor and Hughes have employed to gain access to PGA tournaments, we applaud them for their fine play. Simply put, they kept it together.