2019 Honda Classic odds: Surprising picks from model that nailed four golf majors

The PGA Tour returns this week with a star-studded field at the 2019 Honda Classic, which tees off on Thursday. Tiger Woods isn’t in the 2019 Honda Classic field, but many of the world’s top golfers will compete at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Defending champion Justin Thomas is the Vegas favorite at 5-1 Honda Classic odds, followed closely by Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka at 10-1. Before locking in any 2019 Honda Classic picks of your own or entering any PGA DFS tournaments or cash games on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, be sure to see the predictions and projected leaderboard from the team at SportsLine. 

SportsLine’s prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed four of the past eight majors entering the weekend and called Tiger Woods’ deep run in the PGA Championship despite being a 25-1 long shot. The model has been spot-on early in the 2018-19 season. Last week, it was high on eventual winner Dustin Johnson at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship, projecting him as one of the top two contenders from the start. It also correctly predicted Brooks Koepka’s (9-1) victory at the CJ Cup earlier this season. Additionally, it correctly called Bryson DeChambeau’s (9-1) seven-shot victory at the 2019 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Anyone who has followed the model is up huge. 

Now that the 2019 Honda Classic field is locked, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times and the results were surprising. One huge shocker the model is calling for: Adam Scott, a former champion of this event and one of the top Vegas favorites, doesn’t even crack the top five.

Thus far in the 2018-19 PGA season, Scott has already racked up three top-10 finishes. Although he has 13 career PGA Tour victories, he’s only finished on top of the leaderboard once since winning the 2016 Honda Classic, which was the WGC-Cadillac Championship that same year.

Plus, Scott enters this week’s tournament ranked 141st on the PGA Tour in greens in regulations percentage (67.99), which could cause major trouble. He’s not a strong pick to win it all and there are far better values in this loaded field. 

Another curveball: Webb Simpson, a 20-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title.

Simpson has been playing extremely well to start the new PGA Tour schedule. In fact, he’s finished 15th or better in three of his five starts this season and enters this week’s tournament full of confidence, ranking in the top 20 on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation percentage (74.17) and scoring average (69.930). He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Look for him to shoot up the 2019 Honda Classic leaderboard in a hurry.

Also, the model says four additional golfers with 2019 Honda Classic odds of 18-1 or longer make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big. 

So who wins the Honda Classic 2019? And which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the Honda Classic odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the full Honda Classic projected leaderboard from the model that nailed the winners of four golf majors, and find out. 

Justin Thomas 5-1
Rickie Fowler 10-1
Brooks Koepka 10-1
Adam Scott 16-1
Sergio Garcia 16-1
Gary Woodland 18-1
Webb Simpson 20-1
Cameron Smith 20-1
Daniel Berger 33-1
Emiliano Grillo 33-1
Luke List 33-1
Byeong Hun An 40-1
Russell Knox 40-1
Alex Noren 40-1
Scott Piercy 40-1