The post ‘Learning experience’: Why Daniel Berger isn’t dwelling on his home loss at The Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Learning experience’: Why Daniel Berger isn’t dwelling on his home loss at The Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.

Daniel Berger had every reason to be mad. The Honda Classic, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is about as much of a home game as he can get, and his five-stroke lead through 54 holes was so big it tied a tournament record.

Of course he had every reason to be mad when he stumbled early, splashed one into the water late and signed for the second-worst score of the day (74) to finish fourth, three back of winner Sepp Straka.

Yet Berger was, at least when facing reporters… reflective?

“Listen, today was a good learning experience,” he said. “I was prepared and ready to play well today, and I just didn’t hit the shots I need to hit. That’s the way golf goes. There are plenty of guys that hit great shots today, and that’s why they’re winning the golf tournament. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the game.”

Berger, 28, was eying his fifth career PGA Tour victory and hoping to check off a win for the third straight season. Instead he’s the first player to lose a five-shot lead through 54 holes since the 2017 WGC-HSBC Champions.

Up until Sunday, Berger cruised all week. He opened with back-to-back 65s and storylines were already brewing about him winning at home and righting a March 2015 loss at the same place, when Berger, a 21-year-old rookie, lost the Honda in a playoff to Padraig Harrington.

He was born an hour away from PGA National Resort, graduated from William T. Dwyer High School five miles down the road and now lives in nearby Jupiter.

“Every tournament I play in I want to win,” Berger said on Friday, when he was up three after 36 holes. “But it would be especially nice to win here having so many friends and family here with me this week. But you just can’t focus on that, you just got to take it a shot at a time and really just stay patient because it is such a challenging golf course.”

Instruction

Berger opened Sunday with a five-stroke lead over four others, was six up on another pro and the next closest group was all at two under. So, no, he didn’t have many players to worry about, but things went south quickly.

After pars on the first two holes, he missed the fairway on the par-5 3rd, laid up and hit his approach into a green-side bunker. That led to a poor out, three-putt from the fringe and double bogey.

Berger said he warmed up fine and felt good, but the putts just never dropped. And it was after his third shot on that third hole, which plugged into the left bunker when the safe miss was right, when he knew he wasn’t as sharp as the previous three rounds.

“So just shots like that that I hadn’t hit the first three days seemed to be more in my game today,” he said.

He added back-to-back bogeys on 5 and 6 before holing a bunker shot for birdie on 7. He moved to four over on the day after a bogey on 12, but again was saved with a birdie chip in on 14.

Playing the par-5 18th and needing an eagle to force a playoff, Berger, from 253 yards out, pulled 3-wood amid pouring rain and found the water guarding the right side of the green. Bogey.

“It was super unfortunate at the end to get the rain,” he said. “Obviously where [Sepp Straka] hit his drive, that’s where we would’ve hit our drives and we would’ve had a 3- or 4-iron in, but that’s how golf goes. You don’t always get the good breaks. You know, I fought hard all day, and so that’s something to be proud of.”

After finishing 16th, 10th and 27th, respectively, in Strokes Gained: Putting over the first three rounds, Berger ranked last on Sunday, losing 3.807 strokes to the field. He didn’t make a putt of over three feet until his seven-foot par save on the 17th.

“Just a poor round,” Berger said. “It can happen at any time. I’m not going to dwell on it too much. Just didn’t hit quality shots at the right time.”

The post ‘Learning experience’: Why Daniel Berger isn’t dwelling on his home loss at The Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro’s deliberate style at Honda Classic raises eyebrows — and questions appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro’s deliberate style at Honda Classic raises eyebrows — and questions appeared first on Golf.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — It can’t be easy, playing the Bear Trap, in the wind, on a PGA Tour Sunday, when your golf is good and a single five-word question dominates your life:

Can I keep my card?

Brian Stuard, 39-year-old pro from Jackson, Mich., and the 272nd-ranked player in the world, is an expert in this subspecialty.

The late Dave Hill of Jackson, Mich., won 13 times on Tour.

His kid brother Mike Hill won three times.

Stuard has one Tour win, in 2016, in New Orleans. 

On Saturday, a clip of Stuard playing his second shot on PGA National’s par-4 9th hole made the rounds on social media. The video begins with Stuard at address, repeatedly gripping and re-gripping his club. Another 29 seconds elapse before Stuard begins his takeaway. It’s difficult to watch but that hasn’t stopped golf fans from doing so. As of this writing, the video (below) has been viewed more than 800,000 times.

On Sunday, in the fourth round of the Honda Classic, Stuard was looking to post his first top-10 finish since the Shriners tournament in the fall of 2019.

He played the difficult, windblown tee shot on the par-3 15th hole in 1:47.

He played the tee shot on the par-4 16th in a tidy 33 seconds.

He played the tee shot on the par-4 17th in 1:05.

It should be noted that the timekeeper (your correspondent) leaned in the direction of generous timings.

There are many stipulations under the Tour’s new pace-of-play guidelines, but the most basic rule is, when it’s your turn to play, get your ball airborne (or rolling) in less than a minute and you’ll avoid the wrath of the Tour’s slow-play police. Of course, when you’re struggling to get comfortable over your ball, those 60 seconds come and go in the blink of an eye. Or so it seems to the golfer with club in hand.

Stuard has a unique waggle by which he moves the clubhead and inch or two behind the ball, then ahead of the ball, again and again, with increasing speed with each of his 10 or 12 waggles.

It almost looks like he’s drawing a perfect C with his clubhead as a pencil in the waggle, starting slightly inside with the face opening as he goes back, the face square when it’s over the ball, and then going left with the face closing for an inch or two past the ball.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat some more.

If that’s what he’s doing, Stuard’s not aware of it.

“I’m just trying to get comfortable over it,” he said when his Sunday round was over.

His Sunday playing partner, Mattias Schwab, said after the round that he found Stuard to be somewhat deliberate over the ball but compensated for it by getting to his ball quickly.

Only one Austrian golfer finished higher at the Honda than Schwab, who finished in a tie for seventh. The winner was Joseph “Sepp” Straka, another likely fan of Viennese Apple Strudel. Sepp Straka was born in Vienna and lives in Birmingham.

As for Stuard, he played the Bear Trap on Sunday in par-birdie-par. His closing 69 gave him a T9 finish and a check for $194,000.

You might want to know what’s in Stuard’s head when he’s making all those waggles, or when he spends a solid three or four seconds over the ball and perfectly still before he pulls the trigger. Stuard might not know himself, and he certainly wasn’t going to share it in a quick post-round interview.

Last year, though, Stuard did offer some color on his thoughts about pace of play, in an interview with Mike Sullivan of Metro Detroit Golfers. When Sullivan suggested that too many amateurs spend too much time deliberating over yardages and carry distances, Stuard replied: “I kind of think that for myself sometimes. If I’ve got a 185-yard shot and the pin’s tucked to the left with water left and a bunker short — I mean, what am I doing? I’m just trying to hit it to the right of the flag anyway. There’s no real discussion.”

Anyway, discussion is not Stuard’s issue. He and his caddie are nothing like Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller, pre-shot. Stuard’s issue is pulling the trigger.

The post Pro’s deliberate style at Honda Classic raises eyebrows — and questions appeared first on Golf.

The post Shane Lowry on Honda Classic’s ill-timed weather: ‘As bad a break as I’ve ever got’ appeared first on Golf.

The post Shane Lowry on Honda Classic’s ill-timed weather: ‘As bad a break as I’ve ever got’ appeared first on Golf.

Shane Lowry stood on the 72nd tee of the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and knew par might not be good enough.

Lowry was tied with Sepp Straka on top of The Honda Classic leaderboard, but Straka, in the pairing ahead, had the first chance to post a score. After hitting a towering 334-yard drive, Straka found the green from 192 yards and would eventually two-putt for birdie and the clubhouse lead.

Back on the 18th tee, with heavy rain pouring down, Lowry was concerned he wasn’t going to be able to clear the bunker Straka did on 18. He didn’t; he made par, and after the round, Lowry was asked about that ill-timed rain, which only started when Lowry was on 17 green and after Straka teed off on 18.

“Yeah, it’s hard to take, to be honest,” Lowry said. “Feel like I’ve got the tournament stolen from me today. You know, [Straka’s] gone three under the last five on this course. I played the golf perfectly to win the tournament, and that’s this game sometimes and that’s this level. He finished well. Yeah, the last hole was — that was as bad a break as I’ve ever got. You know, especially when you’re standing on the tee and you see him over that left bunker, which I would’ve been able to do if there was no rain, because I need a drive and a 4- or 5-iron. Probably would’ve given myself a better chance with a 4.”

Straka’s drive on 18 went 334 yards compared to Lowry’s 241 yards. Lowry, who drew his tee shot into the rough, had no chance of hitting the green from 276 yards out, so he laid up to 114 yards, wedged to 42 1/2 feet and missed his birdie putt. His two-putt par was good for a solo second-place finish. Straka won for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

The below graphic shows how both players played the 18th on Sunday.

Lowry didn’t take on those fairway bunkers in his previous three rounds; he found the fairway right of them all three times. He two-putted for birdie on Thursday, was about 30 yards short on Friday and laid up to 110 yards on Saturday, both resulting in pars.

“It’s a tough one to take,” Lowry said. “There is obviously a lot of positives to take from the whole event. You know, probably played some of the best golf my whole career this week I feel around a very tough golf course.

“… The next 24 hours will be tough, but my kids are here and my family. I’ll get on with my life tomorrow and I’ll be fine.”

In his final question from the media, a reporter told Lowry bad breaks even out.

“Hopefully in about five or six weeks in Augusta,” he said.

The post Shane Lowry on Honda Classic’s ill-timed weather: ‘As bad a break as I’ve ever got’ appeared first on Golf.

The post Daniel Berger blew a 5-shot lead and Sepp Straka pounced on the opportunity appeared first on Golf.

The post Daniel Berger blew a 5-shot lead and Sepp Straka pounced on the opportunity appeared first on Golf.

It was supposed to be a cakewalk for Daniel Berger. And if not that, it surely wasn’t supposed to get as close as it did as fast as it did at The Honda Classic on Sunday.

But here we are, discussing Sepp Straka’s first-ever win on the PGA Tour and Berger’s early implosion that brought the rest of the field back into the mix on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Berger, at 11 under, started the day with a five-shot lead over four others — Straka, Shane Lowry, Kurt Kitayama and Chris Kirk — and was six ahead of Adam Svensson. The next closest competitors were all at two under. But despite owning a tie for the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history, Berger gave it all back in the first 70 minutes. Soon enough it was anyone’s game, and Straka took advantage.

News

The 28-year-old University of Georgia alum birdied three of the last five holes to shoot a four-under 66 and take the clubhouse lead at 10 under. After the final pairing of Berger and Lowry failed to tie him on the 72nd, Straka had his first career Tour victory in his 95th start. He’s the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour.

“The third round I definitely didn’t have my best stuff and just hung in there and grounded out a good round, and I hit the ball really nice today and really took advantage,” Straka said. “Just hanging in there.”

Berger’s troubles started on the par-5 3rd, a hole he birdied twice this week, when he got caught short-sided in a green-side bunker, blasted out and three-putted from off the green for double bogey. Then on the par-3 5th he three-putted for bogey again. Meanwhile, Lowry made birdies on 1 and 4. Five holes in they were tied at eight under, and just like that about a dozen other players had life, too.

News

It got worse for Berger before it got better. He bogeyed the 6th — capping a four-over-in-four-holes stretch — to give Lowry a brief lead, but he rebounded when he holed his bunker shot for birdie on the 7th. After Lowry and Berger both parred 8 and 9, they made the turn in a tie for the lead.

Lowry took his second lead of the day on 11, when he rolled in a 14-footer for birdie to reach nine under, and Straka got within one with a birdie on 14. That was the start of his key run. After parring the 15th, Straka, in the pairing ahead of Lowry and Berger, missed the green on the par-4 16th, but he missed in a favorable spot and drained his birdie putt from 19 feet to tie Lowry for the lead.

Heavy rain poured down for the last 30 minutes of the tournament, making the approach into the par-5 18th even more delicate than usual. Straka found the safe side of the green 48 1/2 feet away and then lagged his eagle putt to within inches to convert the easy birdie and take the clubhouse lead at 10 under.

Lowry (one back) and Berger (two back) prepared for their second shots on 18. After Berger dumped his into the water, Lowry, who had to lay up after driving it in the rough, wedged it to 42 1/2 feet but couldn’t convert the birdie to tie. He shot 67 and finished alone in second, one back.

Berger shot a four-over 74 and finished fourth, three back of Straka.

The post Daniel Berger blew a 5-shot lead and Sepp Straka pounced on the opportunity appeared first on Golf.

The post Why ‘The Bear Trap’ is one of golf’s most treacherous stretches appeared first on Golf.

The post Why ‘The Bear Trap’ is one of golf’s most treacherous stretches appeared first on Golf.

This week’s Honda Classic is known first and foremost for a singular stretch of holes at PGA National. It’s called, simply, The Bear Trap. 

The fate of those who visit the Bear Trap is as ominous as it sounds. It’s one of the most treacherous stretches of holes all season long. Nicknamed for Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear, who redesigned the Championship Course at PGA National, the Bear Trap is inclusive of the 15th, 16th and 17th holes, a pair of par-3s sandwiching a tough par-4. They each rank as some of the hardest holes on the course, with 15 and 17th playing as the second- and third-toughest holes during the Honda Classic.

“It’s not about length,” Nicklaus said about the holes years ago. “It’s about precision. It’s about guts.” 

It starts with the 15th, which plays about 180 yards from the tee, requiring a full carry over a water hazard to the green. On Sunday, the pin is tucked back and to the right, directly between a greenside bunker and the hazard. When Nicklaus says precision, this is what he means. 

The hole had already claimed seven victims with double bogeys or worse Sunday a full hour before the leaders would reach it. One of those was Lee Hodges, who pulled his approach into that back bunker, played a putter from the sand over the green and into the hazard. He’d splash out and two-putt for a crippling double. As he learned quickly, the hole doesn’t get any easier. 

The 16th is the easiest part of the Bear Trap but it still weighs on players as it plays over par on average. Measuring around 430 yards, players play into the fairway and are left with a similar distance into the green as 15. And with a similar carry over the hazard. As the tournament winds down, very few birdie opportunities introduce themselves. Players can try and force the issue on 16. That’s what Nicklaus means by guts. 

Players would be inclined to make moves on 16 if they can, while they can. No. 17 looms with plenty of difficulty as well. It plays shorter than the others, about 140-145 yards, so it’s nothing more than a pitching wedge or 9-iron for the pros. But with where the pin is located on Sundays, getting close is just plain risky. The Sunday pin on 17 is just on the other side of the carry. Coming up short of that is a splash ball. Going long of it, a draw will bound into a tricky bunker shot. A fade hit without conviction can balloon in the wind. 

On paper, there’s simplicity to the Bear Trap. Essentially, players find themselves with three consecutive iron shots, and they theoretically get easier as you move throughout the course. But that’s on paper. Or in a vacuum. Without conditions, without nerves, without the stakes of the moment setting in. Without fans breathing down your neck! One of the best modern aspects of the Bear Trap is that Honda Classic organizers have built the entire stretch into a gladiatorial type setting, with grandstands surrounding the entirety of each hole. Add in some beers, which flow rather well in the Florida heat and humidity, and it’s the kind of place that makes you think … about everything. 

Adam Scott — who saw a 3-shot lead crumble away during with multiple water balls at the Bear Trap in 2016 — captured the difficulty of the stretch rather well a year ago. 

“I think it gets the name for a reason; you know, none of it’s easy out here,” Scott said. “Fifteen and 17 for sure require commitment and precision to the shot. That’s it. You’ve got the green to hit, and that’s all you’ve got. There’s no real bail-out. And 16 becomes very demanding if you miss the fairway. That’s all about the tee shot. There’s plenty of green up there, but once you get in the rough or you get in a fairway bunker, the variables change and a long shot across water, we haven’t seen any horror shows, but a quick trip to the water and a double is very possible. It’s really a matter of survival, and I think it’s probably more so than even last week at TPC [Sawgrass].

“You know, here I can put my hand up and say I’ve made a quad on 15 and I reckon if you went back and had a look, I might have made a quad on 17 in the past as well. It can get away from you pretty quick.”

The post Why ‘The Bear Trap’ is one of golf’s most treacherous stretches appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Tim Rosaforte’s death drew such an emotional response from the golf community appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Tim Rosaforte’s death drew such an emotional response from the golf community appeared first on Golf.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Not many people saw an unexpected and moving moment at the Honda tournament on Saturday afternoon. It unfolded, silently, when Genevieve Rosaforte came into the tournament’s media center, a seemingly ordinary, you might say dull, meeting room off a corridor that connects the hotel lobby at PGA National and the resort’s pro shop.

But if you looked at that room through a certain lens, you could see the life that once, and continues, to percolate in it. Genevieve’s late husband had been a fixture in that room for years. 

Let’s bring in the Golf Channel Insider, Tim Rosaforte.

News

How many times did Bob Costas or Mike Tirico or Dan Hicks pivot to Tim with those words, at Hondas and at Players Championships and U.S. Opens and Ryder Cups and other grand golf occasions? And there was Tim, with his shiny head, striped suit, wide tie and earnest and precise delivery. You felt like you knew him, right?

His putting coach got to FedEx after the last delivery and begged them to ship the putter overnight, which they did, and that’s the putter he used for this first-round, career-best 66.

What Tim had others didn’t. Insider was a title. It became his, quote, brand. But what it really was was a one-word job description for a sui generis position held by a sui generis man.

Mrs. Rosaforte’s main focus was not on the oversized electronic leaderboard at the front of the room or the reporters and photo editors tapping away on their laptops. It was on a large cardboard photograph of her husband standing on re-purposed catering table. The posterboard photo was the first thing you’d see upon entering the Tim Rosaforte Media Center.

A few feet down from the photo, Amanda Herrington, a young PGA Tour media official, sat at her workstation. Earlier that day, she had been remembering her first visit to the Honda press room, seven years ago, in the spring of her rookie year. Tim, battle-tested but not scarred, was seated immediately in front of her, and welcomed her in every way he could. Her eyes welled at the memory. So many others in golf media could share a similar story.

Tim died on Jan. 11. He had been diagnosed two years ago with Alzheimer’s. Still, in a sense, his death was a shocker. He played football in college, and he was a bear of man, fit in every way. You couldn’t imagine that anything could kill him. Not at 66.

In the days and weeks after Tim’s death, the outpouring was extraordinary. Jim Nantz of CBS, his familiar voice and face piped into a massive South Florida church from California for a Feb. 17 memorial service, said he could not recall anybody who, in death, had engendered such an emotional response.

News

Caddies, players, fellow reporters and broadcasters, tournament executives, Tour officials and sponsors all went to Twitter and Facebook and other places to express their sadness and pay tribute to a man who was famous for his fairness, the reach of his multiple cellphones — and his shaved head, funky glasses and fashion-forward suits.

Jack Nicklaus, via Twitter, on Jan. 11: “Many hearts, including Barbara’s and mine, hurt today after the passing of our friend Tim Rosaforte.”

Earlier in the Honda week, there was a ceremony at which Larry Dorman, a former golf writer for the New York Times and the Miami Herald before that, was given the Tim Rosaforte Distinguished Writers Award. Dorman, Craig Dolch, Mike Mayo, Dave George, Greg Stoda, Randy Mell, Larry Bush, Scott Tolley, Karen Crouse, Edwin Pope: There was a long run where West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale and Miami had newspapers that were devoted to covering golf and the papers spent the money to hire the writers who could tell the story of South Florida golf. Long before Tim was a central part of Golf Central, he was a central part of that group of reporters. They were a pleasure to read.

Recently, I re-read a first-round sidebar feature for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel that Tim wrote about a mutual friend of ours, Mike Donald, a fixture of the South Florida golf scene, after the first round of the 1984 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Hubert Green and Hale Irwin and Jim Thorpe had signed for 68s, two under, and the writers on deadline could not have had an easier day. Then Mike came in, practically at sunset, with a 68 of his own, throwing a monkey wrench into dinner plans. Tim wrote up the day with so much insight and understanding. He had Mike, Mike’s mother, Mike’s caddie, the groaning reporters, beer-drinking fans. It had everything. A rules issue. It had depth. Also, it was funny. One day, one story, in Tim’s life.

A friend of mine directed some episodes of The Lou Grant Show, starring Ed Asner. Lou Grant, of course, was Mary’s boss on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. My friend Mel once told me that Asner told him that the key to understanding Grant’s character was that he was a newspaperman at heart who had stumbled into TV news.

And that, I think, is an elemental part of why Tim registered so deeply with so many golf fans. Nobody was fooled by the suits. Did you ever watch The Sports Writers on TV, the ties barely on? Crooked ties, cigars, straight-talk? In spirit, Tim was on that show, all these years later. That’s my take. Also, he had an economy of movement, and with words, that, to me, brought to mind Arnold Palmer. Tim loved Arnold, and I imagine Arnold held Tim in the highest regard.

But I have one last thing to offer, about why so many people were so moved by Tim’s life and times and good work and tragic, way-too-early death, and this is it. He worked in golf. He worked in golf like Joe LaCava works in golf, like Slugger White works in golf, like Jim Herman works in golf. Tim had enough ability and more drive to do what millions of people wish they could do. Find a way to work in golf. Find a way to marry hobby and career. It’s some trick. Tim did it. Tim came right into your house, 200 times a year, reminding you that it could be done. Can’t think of anybody who did it better.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

The post Why Tim Rosaforte’s death drew such an emotional response from the golf community appeared first on Golf.

The post Honda Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown and winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

The post Honda Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown and winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

Daniel Berger has quite the head start at the 2022 Honda Classic, but there’s still plenty of golf left to be played at PGA National Resort on Sunday.

Berger leads the Honda at 11 under, which is five clear of a four-way tie for second place. A win would be the fifth of Berger’s career and mark his third straight season with a victory.

Anything can happen on the Champion Course, though. Its cumulative average of +1.666 through three rounds makes it the hardest non-major course on the PGA Tour since the 2020 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club’s North Course.

Below is the payout breakdown for Sunday’s final round. Here’s how you can watch all of the action.

Honda Classic money: Purse, payout breakdown, winner’s share

The post Honda Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown and winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Honda Classic live coverage: How to watch the final round on Sunday appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Honda Classic live coverage: How to watch the final round on Sunday appeared first on Golf.

Daniel Berger is running away with the Honda Classic at PGA National Resort, but he’s got 18 holes left and one of the most difficult finishing stretches on Tour sitting in front of him on Sunday afternoon.

Previewing Round 4 of the Honda Classic

Berger followed a 65-65 start with a 69 on Saturday, and his 11 under is five clear of the field and tied the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history.

The 28-year-old pro is looking for his fifth career PGA Tour victory; he’s 1 for 3 in converting previous 54-hole leads/co-leads.

As for the chasers, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Kurt Kitayama and Chris Kirk are all tied for second at six under, and Canadian Adam Svensson is five under. No one beyond that group is better than two under.

How to watch Round 4 of the Honda Classic on TV

The final round of the Honda Classic is 1-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. ET on NBC.

How to stream Round 4 of the Honda Classic online

You can stream the final round of the Honda Classic via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ from 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET on Sunday, which includes featured group coverage. Fans can also stream on golfchannel.com.

SIGN UP FOR PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+ TO STREAM THE ENTIRE 2022 HONDA CLASSIC ONLINE

(GOLF.com may receive a commission when you sign up for ESPN+ through the link above.)

How to bet on the Honda Classic

Looking to make a (legal!) wager yourself? We teamed with BetMGM, and the online sportsbook is offering a “Risk-Free Bet” up to $1000 promotion. Sign up for an account to get into the action today.

2022 Honda Classic Round 4 tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

7:30 a.m. – Robert Streb
7:35 a.m. – Peter Uihlein, Austin Cook
7:45 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Bronson Burgoon
7:55 a.m. – Danny Willett, Brett Drewitt
8:05 a.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Vaughn Taylor
8:15 a.m. – Justin Lower, Callum Tarren
8:25 a.m. – Christian Bezuidenhout, Garrick Higgo
8:35 a.m. – Brendon Todd, Martin Trainer
8:45 a.m. – Cameron Young, Lucas Glover
8:55 a.m. – Joshua Creel, Brian Gay
9:05 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Patrick Rodgers
9:15 a.m. – Russell Knox, William McGirt
9:25 a.m. – J.T. Poston, David Lipsky
9:40 a.m. – Denny McCarthy, Alex Smalley
9:50 a.m. – Nick Taylor, Trey Mullinax
10 a.m. – Bill Haas, Davis Riley
10:10 a.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Roger Sloan
10:20 a.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Aaron Rai
10:30 a.m. – Matthew NeSmith, Louis Oosthuizen
10:40 a.m. – Rick Lamb, Rickie Fowler
10:50 a.m. – Mito Pereira, Sam Stevens
11 a.m. – C.T. Pan, Rory Sabbatini
11:10 a.m. – Ian Poulter, Brooks Koepka
11:20 a.m. – Chase Seiffert, K.H. Lee
11:30 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Lee Westwood
11:45 a.m. – Dylan Wu, Keith Mitchell
11:55 a.m. – Kevin Streelman, Curtis Thompson
12:05 p.m. – Andrew Kozan, Billy Horschel
12:15 p.m. – Nick Watney, Mark Hubbard
12:25 p.m. Beau Hossler, Gary Woodland
12:35 p.m. – Brian Stuard, Matthias Schwab
12:45 p.m. – John Huh, Lee Hodges
12:55 p.m. – Dylan Frittelli, Alex Noren
1:05 p.m. – Sam Rydern, Martin Contini
1:15 p.m. – Chris Kirk, Adam Svensson
1:25 p.m. – Sepp Straka, Kurt Kitayama
1:35 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Shane Lowry

The post 2022 Honda Classic live coverage: How to watch the final round on Sunday appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Honda Classic tee times: Final-round pairings for Sunday appeared first on Golf.

The post 2022 Honda Classic tee times: Final-round pairings for Sunday appeared first on Golf.

The 2022 Honda Classic continues on Sunday with the third round at PGA National in Florida. You can find full final-round tee times for the tournament at the bottom of this post.

Featured pairing for Honda Classic final round

Daniel Berger is the man to beat. The south Florida began the third round with the lead and he held steady at the top of the leaderboard throughout Saturday. His one-under 69 gives him a five-shot lead heading into the final round as he will look to earn his fifth PGA Tour title on Sunday.

Joining Berger in the final pairing is Shane Lowry, who carded the round of the day on Saturday with a three-under 67. The former major champ is looking for his first Tour victory since the 2019 Open Championship and will tee off with Berger at 1:35 p.m. ET.

The penultimate pairing will tee off at 1:25 p.m. ET and features Sepp Straka and Kurt Kitayama, both of whom will be looking for their first Tour victory.

SIGN UP FOR PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+ TO STREAM THE ENTIRE 2022 HONDA CLASSIC ONLINE

(GOLF.com may receive a commission when you sign up for ESPN+ through the link above.)

Browse the complete third-round tee times for the 2022 Honda Classic below.

2022 Honda Classic fina-round tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

7:30 a.m. – Robert Streb
7:35 a.m. – Peter Uihlein, Austin Cook
7:45 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Bronson Burgoon
7:55 a.m. – Danny Willett, Brett Drewitt
8:05 a.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Vaughn Taylor
8:15 a.m. – Justin Lower, Callum Tarren
8:25 a.m. – Christian Bezuidenhout, Garrick Higgo
8:35 a.m. – Brendon Todd, Martin Trainer
8:45 a.m. – Cameron Young, Lucas Glover
8:55 a.m. – Joshua Creel, Brian Gay
9:05 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Patrick Rodgers
9:15 a.m. – Russell Knox, William McGirt
9:25 a.m. – J.T. Poston, David Lipsky
9:40 a.m. – Denny McCarthy, Alex Smalley
9:50 a.m. – Nick Taylor, Trey Mullinax
10 a.m. – Bill Haas, Davis Riley
10:10 a.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Roger Sloan
10:20 a.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Aaron Rai
10:30 a.m. – Matthew NeSmith, Louis Oosthuizen
10:40 a.m. – Rick Lamb, Rickie Fowler
10:50 a.m. – Mito Pereira, Sam Stevens
11 a.m. – C.T. Pan, Rory Sabbatini
11:10 a.m. – Ian Poulter, Brooks Koepka
11:20 a.m. – Chase Seiffert, K.H. Lee
11:30 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Lee Westwood
11:45 a.m. – Dylan Wu, Keith Mitchell
11:55 a.m. – Kevin Streelman, Curtis Thompson
12:05 p.m. – Andrew Kozan, Billy Horschel
12:15 p.m. – Nick Watney, Mark Hubbard
12:25 p.m. Beau Hossler, Gary Woodland
12:35 p.m. – Brian Stuard, Matthias Schwab
12:45 p.m. – John Huh, Lee Hodges
12:55 p.m. – Dylan Frittelli, Alex Noren
1:05 p.m. – Sam Rydern, Martin Contini
1:15 p.m. – Chris Kirk, Adam Svensson
1:25 p.m. – Sepp Straka, Kurt Kitayama
1:35 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Shane Lowry

How to bet on the Honda Classic

Looking to make a (legal!) wager yourself? We teamed with BetMGM, and the online sportsbook is offering a “Risk-Free Bet” up to $1000 promotion. Sign up for an account to get into the action today.

The post 2022 Honda Classic tee times: Final-round pairings for Sunday appeared first on Golf.

The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.

We are through 54 holes at the Honda Classic, and storylines abound on the crowded leaderboard. From grizzled veterans looking to recapture a spark to journeymen pros making their first PGA Tour starts, there is plenty to like about the board heading into the final round. Here are three things to know after Saturday’s third round in Florida.

Complete leaderboard here.

Daniel Berger holds a commanding lead

Saturday ended much the way it began — with Daniel Berger at the top of the leaderboard. Following a one-under 69 in Round 3, Berger holds the 54-hole lead at PGA National as he searches for his fifth PGA Tour victory.

“I’ve played some great golf but the challenge is still ahead,” Berger said. “I’ve got to stay focused on playing another great round tomorrow and if I can do that then I’ll be holding the trophy at the end of the day.”

Berger began the day with a lead, and even with difficult Moving Day conditions he was able to maintain separation from the field. He carded two birdies against just one bogey on the day to secure his third consecutive under-par round, and will begin the day five shots ahead of his nearest competitors.

“There’s 18 more holes to go and I have to play great golf tomorrow to have a chance to win,” he said. “I’m just going to stay patient and stay consistent and try to do as much fairways and greens as possible and that should be a good key to success.”

If he can replicate his success over the first three rounds, Sunday could be a coronation for Berger.

Major champ in the mix

Five strokes behind Berger there is a logjam in second place, featuring four players tied at six under, including Shane Lowry, Chris Kirk, Kurt Kitayama and Sepp Straka.

Lowry played his way into the mix on Saturday with a three-under 67, good for the round of the day, which will put him in the final pairing on Sunday.

News

“[I] feel like my game’s in good shape,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of going out trying to win a PGA Tour event tomorrow.”

Lowry is looking for his first Tour victory since the 2019 Open Championship.

“I just need to focus back on myself and worry about what I’m doing,” he said. ” I think if I could shoot another 67 or maybe even one better tomorrow you never know I might not be far away.”

Plenty to play for

Martin Contini finds himself nine shots behind Berger heading into the final round, but he still has plenty to play for. The Monday qualifier is making his PGA Tour debut this week, and if he can finish inside the top 10 will earn a start in next week’s Puerto Rico Open, a fact of which he is well aware.

“It would mean the world,” Contini said. “I’m supposed to be resting this week for the next Korn Ferry Tour event but I’m happy to be here and I would be glad to be in Puerto Rico next week.”

If Contini is able to make a move on Sunday, it will not only mean more Tour starts, but also a huge paycheck to boot — critical for a third-year pro.

“We were talking with my team and I wanted to set some goals for the weekend,” he said. “The cut was great, but I didn’t want it to stop there, so I’m going to try to reach the top 5 tomorrow.”

The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the Honda Classic appeared first on Golf.