The Honda Classic Review

03 Mar

In last week’s Honda Classic it’s fair to say that PGA National’s wonderful Champion Course lived up to its reputation as one of the Tour’s tougher tracks.

Conditions were challenging on the first day, particularly for those of us in the afternoon groups, as there was a strong wind gusting across the golf course. Consequently, it was no surprise that three-quarters of the field shot over par. I was among that group, most of the damage done by a few stray tee shots exaggerated by the wind. Things improved markedly the next day and I played well to shoot a solid round of 69, but it just wasn’t enough to elevate me to the right side of the cut-line. It was a shame. As I said last week, the Honda is one of my favourite tournament weeks of the year.

Trump Doral’s Blue Monster layout would undoubtedly have been another good test this week – last year the first round scoring average was 76, with not a single player managing to break 70. Unfortunately, being currently outside of the world’s top-50 means I’m not qualified for this week’s WGC – Cadillac Championship. It’s disappointing, especially having won this tournament twice in my career, most recently in 2010, but I have to look ahead. My game feels pretty good, the desire is strong, and I’m excited about picking up the Florida Swing at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook next week followed by Arnold’s tournament at Bay Hill.

Anyway, back to Doral for a moment. If you fancy teeing it up on one of the toughest courses on the PGA TOUR, we’re proud to say that on May 11 the fearsome Blue Monster will be hosting the first event on this year’s Els for Autism Golf Challenge. What a way to start! The schedule also features Major venues such as Baltusrol, Congressional (the scene of my second US Open win, pictured below), Hazeltine, Atlanta Athletic Club and the host of this year’s US Open, Chambers Bay in Washington, alongside some other PGA TOUR stops including Harbour Town, TPC Boston and Royal Montreal Golf Club. That’s an incredible line-up and these are just the PGA TOUR courses or Major venues! There are some other amazing courses on the schedule that any golfer would be excited to play. Here’s a quick link to make it simple for you to sign up. Thank you so much for your support.

Ernie Els

Finally, a quick word about last week’s Joburg Open, which was the third event in the 2015 Open Qualifying Series, following the Emirates Australian Open in November and the Thailand Golf Championship in December. I’ve said this before, but this is an excellent initiative by the R&A to give guys the opportunity to qualify for the Open at regular Tour events. Congratulations to Andy Sullivan (a tournament winner again for the second time in two months), Anthony Wall and David Howell who claimed the three available spaces. They’re never going to forget playing an Open at the Home of Golf. I’ve been blessed to play in four Opens at St Andrews and trust me there’s nothing else quite like it.

Okay, that’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.

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