Florida Swing Special Report Wednesday 27 February The Honda Classic Preview

The first leg of the Florida Swing takes place this week at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, The Honda Classic has taken on a new stature since its move to the Champion Course in 2007 following a nomadic existence in the South Florida area and this week it will welcome arguably the strongest field it has ever seen. The World's leading two players and top two from the 2012 Honda Classic will once again lead the field and be strong favourites to contend for the title, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will be joined by Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Fredrik Jacobson, Peter Hanson, Nicolas Colsaerts, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley among others in a field which includes 5 of the world's top ten.

Twelve months ago 22-year-old Rory McIlroy held on to win following a final day 62 from Tiger Woods and 63 from Lee Westwood, the win saw him ascend to World Number One and he has spent 36 weeks including the last 29 in the top spot, a period which includes four wins worldwide. The win at The Honda Classic wasn't the launchpad for the season as had been expected as McIlroy struggled in May, June and July before his PGA Championship win in August, which preceded two PGA Tour Playoff wins and the DP World Tour Championship in November. The Ulsterman came into the tournament last year in fantastic form, finishing 3^rd, 3^rd, 2^nd, 2^nd, 4^th, 1^st, 11^th, 2^nd, 5^th and 2^nd in the 10 tournaments coming into PGA National and the win was the culmination of a fantastic period for McIlroy, but this year Rory arrives at the Champion Course with only three rounds under his belt this season following a missed cut in Abu Dhabi and a first round exit in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship last week, questions still remain over the time it will take him to adjust to the new Nike equipment and as much as the bookies may make him favourite along with Tiger Woods I think there are four players who are much greater contenders for the title in 2013.

Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel can now be considered as the best golfers in Africa considering their development as contenders and winners in the Majors and winners worldwide over the last two years, and both are in fantastic form ahead of the Florida Swing. Oosthuizen won the Volvo Golf Champions in the second week of January and has seven top ten finishes in his last ten starts worldwide, Schwartzel won the final two tournaments of 2012 by 11 and 12 shots respectively and has seven top tens in his last eight events played around the world including a third place finish at the Northern Trust Open two weeks ago. Lee Westwood has now moved his family to the South Florida area and I am certain he will benefit from the better weather and the ability to practice more away from tournaments in the winter. His first start of the year was very promising indeed with a 4^th place in Dubai and although he hasn't challenged for a top ten on American soil yet this season he does have a very good record at PGA National with two top tens and a tie for 29^th in the last three years in The Honda Classic. Graeme McDowell played some excellent golf at the Accenture Match Play and following a year-ending win at the Tiger Woods Challenge I expect the 2010 US Open Champion to have a great year, McDowell finished second at Bay Hill in 2012 and 9^th at The Honda Classic, his three finishes in the Florida Swing were all 13^th or better last year and I think the Florida resident will contend once again for the top spot in South Florida.

I have tipped four leading European Tour members to succeed at PGA National because firstly they have all shown signs of form or better than that, they have won recently. Secondly they have the skills to triumph over a course which presents a challenge you are more likely to find in Europe, Asia or Africa than you will in general across America. Thirdly the Florida Swing in recent times and especially The Honda Classic has seen a number of foreign players succeed. Only one American has won The Honda Classic in the last 8 years and only one ever at PGA National. A Northern Irishman, an Englishman, a South Korean, an Irishman, a Colombian and two South Africans have taken the title in the last 8 years in South Florida and this has traditionally been the time in recent years when foreign players have come to the fore ahead of The Masters.

The next blog in the Florida Swing Special Report series will be on Friday as I look back on the first day and look ahead to the second day of The Honda Classic. There will be further blogs reviewing the action on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before a special feature on Tuesday about Golf's animals, namely the Golden Bear, the Great White Shark and the Tiger. Upcoming features on the series include 'The Future of the Florida Swing – Move The Players Championship back to March' and 'The Big Three, Golf's Great Rivals and the dawning of the television age'.