2023 Honda Classic Picks & Live Odds: Tracking the Action at PGA National

The Florida Swing kicks off at PGA National for this week's Honda Classic. 2020 champion Sungjae Im (+850) sits atop the board for the third straight year, headlining an otherwise thin field following two weeks of designated events.

Chris Gregory - Publishing Editor at Covers.com
Chris Gregory • Publishing Editor
Feb 23, 2023 • 09:17 ET • 4 min read
Sungjae Im PGA Tour Honda Classic
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The PGA Tour heads East for the Florida Swing, starting with this week's Honda Classic at PGA National and the famous "Bear Trap".

The field takes a step down this week with Sungjae Im topping the board for the third straight year after winning in 2020. Otherwise, we're looking at the likes of Billy Horschel, defending champion Sepp Straka, and a handful of other second-tier PGA Tour players.

We break it all down in our Honda Classic betting preview below, including outright odds, free golf picks, and more. 

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Honda Classic picks and predictions

Shane Lowry over Aaron Wise (-110 at FanDuel)

I like Lowry here partially because I think there’s a discrepancy in the odds with FanDuel listing Wise as a -116 favorite in this matchup. Every sportsbook (including FD) has Lowry listed with better odds to win outright as well as in each of the top finisher markets. 

We’re looking at a guy who not only finished runner-up a year ago but had the lead through 15 holes on Sunday and went 67-67-67 in each of the final three rounds. If not for three Sepp Straka birdies down the stretch, the Irishman very well could be entering the week a defending champion. 

And while his game has been up and down since his win at Wentworth, he appeared to shed back-to-back missed cuts in Dubai and Phoenix with a strong week at Riviera, finishing T14 while ranking 12th in strokes gained tee-to-green. 

Wise finished T13 here two years ago but missed the weekend in 2022 and enters the week following missed cuts in Phoenix and at the Amex. 

Lowry’s got unfinished business and has shown a little more than Wise. Getting him as a slight underdog here is just the cherry on top. 

Harris English to finish 38th or better (-120 at bet365)

English’s return from injury has been a rocky road to say the least but there have been some flashes, one of which came last week at Riviera.

He rode a red-hot putter (gained 8.8 strokes putting, second in the field) all the way to a T12 finish despite so-so ball-striking and this week presents a nice opportunity for him to follow that up with another encouraging result.  

On top of the light field, Harris has finished above this 38th or better threshold in each of his last three starts here at the Honda (2018-2020). Two of those were Top 20s that came largely because of his great putting, something he’s done for much of his career and again at Riv. 

A Top-40 finish is not much to ask of someone who, not long ago, was one of the most underrated golfers on the PGA Tour.     

Live odds to win 2023 Honda Classic

Honda Classic field and favorites

Gone are the elevated events — at least for now — and gone are the major championship fields that come with them. The Honda Classic has routinely become a week off for many of the Tour's top stars and 2023 will be no different, creating an opportunity for others to collect FedEx Cup points and shine.

For the third year in a row, Sungjae Im sits alone atop the board; not only is he clearly the best player in the field but he's also a former champion (2020). Shane Lowry sits second at +1,600 following a T14 at Riviera and is the only other golfer available at less than +20/1.

The next tier features the likes of Chris Kirk (+2,800), who finished third at the Sony and Amex before missing the cut in Phoenix, and Aaron Wise (+2,700). Other notables include Billy Horschel (+2,800) and defending champion Sepp Straka, who enters at a much shorter +6,000 number compared to a year ago (+12,500). 

Honda Classic recent winners and odds history

Let's take a look at some recent Genesis Invitational winners and their closing odds to win:

Year Golfer Closing odds
2022 Sepp Straka +12,500
2021 Matt Jones +8,000
2020 Sungjae Im +3,000
2019 Keith Mitchell +23,000
2018 Justin Thomas +1,000
2017 Rickie Fowler +1,500
2016 Adam Scott +2,000
2015 Padraig Harrington +25,000
2014 Russell Henley +30,000
2013 Michael Thompson +20,000
2012 Rory McIlroy +800
2011 Rory Sabbatini +6,000
2010 Camilo Villegas +2,500

Odds courtesy of GolfOdds.

Honda Classic Odds FAQs

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Chris Gregory Covers.com
Publishing Editor

In his three years on the Covers editorial team, Chris Gregory has helped bolster the site’s PGA Tour and college football coverage, though his love for Rory McIlroy and the Buckeyes is often met with disappointment. He brings a journalism and marketing background to his work as a Publishing Editor and has appeared on Jason Logan’s Sharp 600 to talk about the Masters and golf’s other majors.

His best betting advice? Stay away from betting your favorite teams; it’ll only make the hurt worse.

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