There may be no golf course that brings out the yin and the yang of Rory McIlroy quite like PGA National, the site of this week’s Honda Classic.
Advertisement
Padraig Harrington, of Ireland, lines up a putt on the third hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Fowler, who won the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship last month before losing a playoff with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama for the Phoenix Open two weeks later, was delighted with his start despite not producing his best form on the greens.
“So win, lose or what have you, it’s not really affecting the confidence that I have or the direction that I feel like my game is going”, Mickelson said.
The 26-year-old had played his first eight holes in seven over par but later admitted that was “no excuse” for quitting as he struggled to get to grips with his new equipment following his multi-million dollar deal with Nike.
That’s the skill level that it takes to survive out here, and Garcia has been making it work since the young stars of today – Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and more – were small boys. “I would be out on the course, I didn’t know which way the miss was going to be; it could be left, it could be right”. Mickelson made the turn at 3 under, only to drop two shots and miss a pair of good birdie chances.
– Palm Beach Gardens High School is one of the only schools out at the Honda Classic doing fundraising.
Is it the nature of the golf course?
“I probably had to hook it 40 yards”, said Sergio in describing the trouble shot he steered out of the woods and back into position for a gritty par.
McIlroy was one-under par after 13 holes but took six at the 14th after finding three separate bunkers and, after a birdie on the 15th, bogeyed the 16th and 18th, the latter with a three-putt from 10 feet. “I think I did that pretty good”.
The Irishman endured an up-and-down round in the blustery conditions at PGA National, reeling off three straight birdies from the fourth only to bogey the seventh and eighth. “Would have been nice to putt a little better, but still a nice, solid round to start off the week”. “It’s gone through a hard time for a couple of years”.
“This is not the kind of golf course that you’re going to see 10 or 12 guys go out and play a bogey-free round every day”. “I felt very confident working it into the wind and did it a number of times today”. He was in contention at the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open last week at Riviera Country Club, where his opening eagle in the final round gave him a share of the lead but he closed with a 75. “I’ve got a long way to go so hopefully I can get a good night’s sleep tonight and get out there tomorrow afternoon and do something”. That was fun. What happened on the par-4 sixth made him slightly nervous.
Advertisement
“Two eagles definitely helps out the scorecard”, Thompson said.
