Mar 05, 2021
Star-Studded Field Taking Shape for The 2021 Honda Classic
With a wave of player commitments this week, the 2021 Honda Classic player field is rapidly taking shape.
2016 Honda Classic champion Adam Scott, now ranked 24th in the Official World Golf Ranking, has committed to play in the March 15-21 PGA TOUR event at PGA National Resort & Spa along with 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open champion Zach Johnson and longtime TOUR stalwart Jim Furyk.
They are joining a developing world-class field that also includes four-time major winner and former world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, defending champion Sungjae Im, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion Daniel Berger, 2017 Honda Classic champion Rickie Fowler, and world No. 20 Matthew Wolff.
Other emerging world-ranked players who have entered include No. 26 Cameron Smith and No. 29 Joaquin Niemann.
An impressive International contingent is forming led by world No. 39 Lee Westwood, the winner of last year’s Race to Dubai as the top player on the European Tour, as well as 2005 and 2015 Honda Classic champion and European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, fellow Irishman and 2019 British Open winner Shane Lowry, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, Englishman Ian Poulter, and Swede Henrik Stenson, the 2016 British Open winner.
In addition to Fowler, Im and Harrington, several other past Honda Classic champions have also committed to play including Keith Mitchell (2019), Russell Henley (2014), Michael Thompson (2013), Rory Sabbatini (2011), Camilo Villegas (2010), and Luke Donald (2006).
Other commitments have come in from 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker, and veteran Stewart Cink.
Scott is a former World No. 1 who outlasted Sergio Garcia to win the 2016 Honda and also won the 2013 Masters. He has captured 31 professional tournaments around the world on many of golf’s major tours, including 14 PGA TOUR events.
Woodland is a four-time PGA TOUR winner who outdueled Koepka at Pebble Beach to win the 2019 U.S. Open, his biggest career achievement.
The South Korean Im returns to the site where he made two massive birdies down the stretch on Sunday last March to win his first PGA TOUR event.
The Classic in The Palm Beaches has released an additional allotment of tickets pointing toward reduced daily crowds of about 10,000 this year with the primary focus on the health and well-being for all involved with the tournament and the local community.
Grounds tickets for each day of competition are now available for $60. Public hospitality tickets at the Champions Club on the 18th hole and the Waterford Club at the 17th green are $325.
The Goslings Bear Trap, which usually winds around the 16th green and 17th hole tee box area, is being re-imagined into three sections with limited seating in socially-distanced blocks of two and four seats. Goslings Bear Trap tickets are $200.
Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at thehondaclassic.com along with limited number of on-site parking passes that don’t require shuttles ($100). Nearby parking is also available at the PGA of America lot ($50) and the BallenIsles lot ($25).
There will be no on-site ticket or parking sales this year. All purchases must be made in advance at thehondaclassic.com. Anyone interested in hospitality can email sales@thehondaclassic.com.
There will be social distancing guidelines at all areas. Protocols will be put in place that include the mandatory use of facial coverings, social distancing and other health and safety measures. All permanent and temporary structures will have complete daily sanitation along with all golf carts and vehicles used in tournament operations. All interactions from start to finish including ticketing, admissions, merchandise, and concessions will be contactless and safety measures regarding food preparation and distribution will be in place.
The Classic in The Palm Beaches awarded a record-shattering $5.35 million to 103 South Florida philanthropic organizations in 2020, the 14th consecutive year that the PGA TOUR event has been able to increase its impact on the lives of local children and their families. Honda Classic Cares is also considering additional ways to raise money this year to minimize the impact of a possible reduced charity distribution because of limited crowds and hospitality venues.
The tournament has now surpassed $50 million in charitable contributions as American Honda approaches its 40th year as title sponsor of the PGA TOUR event, including almost $35 million in the 14 years since Children’s Healthcare Charity, Inc. became the host organization and moved the event to PGA National Resort and Spa. The 2020 distribution is impacting more than 91,000 children and their families this year in Palm Beach County.