The PGA Tour heads to Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for the Honda Classic this weekend. After an exciting Genesis Invitational that saw Tiger Woods make the cut — cashing plus-money tickets for him to do so in the process — bettors will have another chance to make a profit this weekend. These two bets for the Honda Classic should help you net a positive return, including one involving Matt Kuchar.
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Chris Kirk (-110) vs. Matt Kuchar
Let’s give a shoutout to Matt Kuchar for the nice finish at the Genesis last weekend. He finished a solo eighth with a surprising 5.5 strokes gained on approach and 4.2 strokes gained around the green. If he had been remotely competent on the course’s poa annua greens — he lost 2.9 strokes with the flatstick — we could be talking about last week’s champion in this segment.
Kuchar’s other recent starts haven’t gone that well. He lost 4.4 strokes tee-to-green at the Phoenix Open. He also missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am against a similarly-weak field after losing 2.7 strokes in that department. My conclusion? Kuchar’s ball-striking last weekend at Riviera, a course with no water whatsoever, was a bit of an outlier. If Kuchar regresses to his recent form of the past few weeks, he could have a water-filled Honda Classic.
As for Chris Kirk, he took last week off after a missed cut in Scottsdale. However, he showed some seriously strong form with two top-3s to start off his 2023 campaign. He has been sharp around the greens, gaining strokes there and with the putter in every event so far this season. He even dominated from tee to green before falling flat with the irons in the Phoenix Open.
I am well aware that 44-year-old Matt Kuchar is a Hall of Famer playing on a shorter course than normal, which may bode well for his prospects. But Kirk has been stellar during this stretch in the past, proven by his seventh-place showing at this tournament last year. Further, Kuchar has a best finish of 17th in eight appearances at the Honda. That makes Kirk the golfer I prefer in this head-to-head.
Best PGA Honda Classic Bet: Chris Kirk (-110 at DraftKings) vs. Matt Kuchar
J.T. Poston to Top-10 +390 FanDuel
A staple of my betting card in weaker fields, J.T. Poston has the all-around game you’re looking for to compete at the Honda. He is coming off two missed cuts, but those cuts came at the Phoenix and Genesis Opens, two elevated events with insanely strong fields. I’m willing to overlook them.
Simply slide back one extra week to the American Express, and you’ll what Poston can do: a sixth-place finish with 2.5 strokes gained from putting on the Bermuda surfaces in Palm Springs. Plus, Poston has secured five top-10 finishes in his past 24 events, making the nearly 4-to-1 odds for him to do so again a solid bet.
Best PGA Honda Classic Bet: JT Poston Top 10 (+390) at FanDuel
