The Classic in the Palm Beaches brings the world’s best PGA TOUR players to Palm Beach County, providing a week of entertainment for the entire community. Here is all the basic information about the event.
Dates
February 26 – March 3, 2024
Player Field
144 Players – View Player Field
Format
72 Hole Stroke Play
Purse
$9,000,000
Winner’s Share
$1,620,000
FedExCup Points
500 to the Winner
Defending Champion
Chris Kirk (266)
Course
PGA National Resort – Champion Course; Par 70; 7,110 Yards
Volunteers
Over 1,300 volunteers are needed to create a successful event and there are many different volunteer positions available, for people of all ages. Learn more about volunteering at The Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Tickets
Net proceeds benefits South Florida charities through Children’s Healthcare Charity. Learn more about our ticket options: Grounds Passes, Bear Trap Tickets, and Champions Club Tickets.
Television
Check back for next year’s schedule.
Charity
Masked by the excitement and energy surrounding the best players in the game battling the Bear Trap and thousands of spectators enjoying the action and entertainment is our true mission – giving back to the children of our community. While we strive to provide Palm Beach County with a premier professional sporting event, our ultimate goal is to positively impact youth in need.
The Classic Cares
The mission of Children’s Healthcare Charity is to contribute funds to South Florida 501(c)(3) organizations. Through our primary beneficiary Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, CHC supports activities that advance and enhance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders. We also support non-profit programs and projects aimed at health care and community services.
Browse the legendary moments of The Classic in the Palm Beaches and gain insight into the tournament’s storied past over 50+ years
Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event between his fourth and fifth wins, the latter of which cane in dramatic fashion at The 2023 Honda Classic. Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past feisty Eric Cole for the victory. Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But the putt lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his first win since prevailing at Colonial in 2015. Kirk shot a one-under 69 in the final round. He would have won outright in regulation, but he hit his second shot into the water on the 72nd hole.. Cole put the finishing touches on a closing 67 that gave him a chance to win. But he overcooked his second shot to the par five 18th which left him the testy 10-footer that wouldn’t drop. Kirk earned 1,512,000 for the victory.
Champion: Chris Kirk 69-62-66-69 – 266 $1,512,000
Straka, trailed by five shots entering the final round and tapped in for birdie in the rain on the final hole to beat Shane Lowry by one shot to become the first Austrian winner in PGA TOUR history at The Classic in the Palm Beaches. He shot a 4-under 66 on Sunday to finish at 10 under and earn $1.44 million.
Champion: Sepp Straka 71-64-69-66 – 270 $1,440,000
Matt Jones starts the week with a record-tying 61, hovers around par for two days, then holds steady at watery, windy PGA National Champions Course for a closing 68 and a five-shot win over Brandon Hagy (66) at The 2021 Honda Classic.
Jones, 40, wins his second PGA TOUR career victory; taking home the Waterford trophy and the top prize of $1.26M.
Champion: Matt Jones 61-70-69-68 – 268 $1,260,000
Sungjae Im birdied four of his first five holes, then birdied two of the final four to finish off the victory and pick up $1.26 million.
The 21-year-old South Korean started fast and finished stronger Sunday, winning The Classic in the Palm Beaches by one shot over Mackenzie Hughes and Tommy Fleetwood for his first career PGA TOUR victory in his 50th attempt.
Champion: Sungjae Im 72-66-70-66 – 272 $1,260,000
Keith Mitchell overcame two of golf’s biggest stars and local residents, Rickie Fowler & Brooks Koepka, who made critical birdies down the stretch to rise to 8-under-par and take the clubhouse lead late in the day. But it Mitchell who used an incredible shot into the par 3, 15th and a clutch 15-footer on 18 to win his first-ever PGA TOUR tournament at a final score of 9-under par.
Champion: Keith Mitchell 68-66-70-67 – 271 $1,224,000
Justin Thomas birdies 18 the hard way to force a sudden-death playoff, then birdies the same hole to beat Luke List, this time by reaching the green with a daring 5-wood over the water. Thomas, 24, tamed tricky PGA National to salt away his eighth PGA TOUR win and seventh in his last 31 starts
Champion: Justin Thomas 67-72-65-68 – 272 $1,188,000
The more difficult things became for Rickie Fowler in the 2017 Honda Classic, the tougher he dug in and responded. With his lead cut to one on the back nine of the Champion course at PGA National Resort & Spa on Sunday, Fowler responded with huge birdie putts at the 12th (40-feet) and 13th holes (25 Feet) to regain control and went on to a four-stroke victory. It was Fowler’s fourth PGA TOUR win and propelled him back into the Top 10 in the World Golf Ranking.
Champion: Rickie Fowler 66-66-65-71 – 268 $1,152,000
Adam Scott overcame a quadruple-bogey on the 17th hole on Saturday and bogeys on the 9th and 10th holes on Sunday with sensational play all week to outlast Sergio Garcia by one stroke. Scott used his typical great ball-striking to secure the 12th victory of his career and proved that he is too good to be overshadowed by the youth movement on the PGA TOUR. He has more wins than any other player under 40.
Champion: Adam Scott 70-65-66-70 – 271 $1,098,000
Padraig Harrington ended an almost seven-year winless drought dating back to the 2008 PGA Championship by defeating 21-year-old upstart Daniel Berger of Jupiter on the second hole of a playoff in the storm-delayed 2015 Honda Classic. Harrington was more than twice as old as his playoff foe and used that veteran calm to make a routine par on the par-three 17th as Berger hit his tee shot into the water. The dramtic finish was on Monday as a massive storm washed out most of play on Saturday.
Champion: Padraig Harrington 67-66-71-70 – 274 $1,098,000
Russell Henley captured his second PGA TOUR win over the strongest field in the tournament to date, including 8 of the top 10 ranked players in the world. Henley prevailed by way of a four-man playoff against Russell Knox, Ryan Palmer and Rory McIlroy. McIlroy began the day with a two-shot lead, but stumbled with a final round 74. While McIlroy struggled on the final day, he still fought his way into a position to win with an amazing 2nd shot into 18 that set up an 11 foot eagle putt. When his attempt slid by, the stage was set for a thrilling finish, culminating with Henley’s birdie on the first playoff hole for the win.
Champion: Russell Henley 64-68-68-72 – 272 $1,080,000
Michael Thompson won his first PGA TOUR event by closing with a one-under 69, one of only five sub-70 rounds recorded Sunday on PGA National’s Champions course, to seal a two-stroke victory over Geoff Ogilvy (69). Thompson seized control with a 50-foot eagle putt on the third hole and superb par saves early on the back nine. He then made birdie from the bunker on the last hole to secure the victory. His previous best finish was a tie for second at the 2012 U.S. Open. Ogilvy birdied two of his last three holes including a chip-in from off the 16th green for a 69 to finish alone in second.
Champion: Michael Thompson 67-65-70-69 – 271 $1,080,000
Rory McIlroy held strong to a final round lead, managing clutch pars down the stretch to secure a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods and Tom Gillis. With the win, Rory McIlroy ascended to #1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the 2nd youngest player ever to reach the position. Playing The Classic in the Palm Beaches for the first time as a pro, Woods started the fourth round nine strokes back of McIlroy before electrifying tournament crowds, culminating in a birdie-eagle finish to complete a career-best final round 62.
Champion: Rory McIlroy 66-67-66-69 – 268 $1,026,000
Rory Sabbatini held off a valiant final round effort from past Honda Classic Champion Y.E. Yang to win his sixth PGA TOUR event by one shot, finishing at 9-under. High winds swept through PGA National’s Champion Course all week, resulting in a field stroke average of over 2 1/2 shots above par.
Champion: Rory Sabbatini 71-64-66-70 – 271 $1,026,000
Camilo Villegas maintained control of the lead through Sunday highlighted by three straight birdies starting on No. 8 and a finish of the round with a 20-footer for birdie and 5 stroke win over Anthony Kim. Villegas’s 13-under 267 is the lowest score of The Classic in the Palm Beaches since making its new home at PGA National. The Classic in the Palm Beaches win was Villegas’s 3rd PGA TOUR victory.
Champion: Camilo Villegas 66-66-67-68 – 267 $1,008,000
Y.E. Yang stayed alone in the lead the whole way during the final round shooting a 2-under 68 to finish one shot ahead of John Rollins to pick up his first PGA TOUR victory. Just over five months later, Yang came from behind to snatch the 91st PGA Championship from Tiger Woods in a tense, thrilling finish at Hazeltine National.
Champion: Y.E. Yang 68-65-70-68 – 271 $1,008,000
Ending an almost four-year drought between PGA TOUR victories, Ernie Els shot a 67 in the final round to win the tournament. Overcoming a 3 stroke deficit and a hard fought battle with The Bear Trap, Els’ 3-under edged out 2006 champion Luke Donald by one shot and just two ahead of Nathan Green.
Champion: Ernie Els 67-70-70-67 – 274 $990,000
Mark Wilson birdied the third playoff hole to edge Jose Coceres in a Monday playoff that also began with Boo Weekley and Camilo Villegas. Wilson rolled in a 10-footer on the par-3 17th, then watched as Coceres’ putt from the almost identical spot hit the lip and rolled away.
Champion: Mark Wilson 72-66-66-71 – 275 $990,000
Luke Donald used three back-nine birdies on Sunday to record a two-stoke victory over Geoff Ogilvy.
Champion: Luke Donald 72-67-68-69-276 $990,000
Vijay Singh missed a 21/2-foot putt to lose a playoff with Padraig Harrington. Harrington erased a seven-shot deficit with a nine-under 63.
Champion: Padraig Harrington 73-69-69-63-274 $990,000
Todd Hamilton birdied the final two holes to introduce himself to the golfing pubic with a one-stroke victory over Davis Love III, Hamilton went on to win The British Open.
Champion: Todd Hamilton 68-66-68-74-276 $900,000
Justin Leonard grabbed the early lead with an opening round 63 and then outdueled Davis Love III on the back nine on Sunday with steady play.
Champion: Justin Leonard 63-70-64-67-264 $900,000
Matt Kuchar won his first PGA TOUR event in just his 17th try. Kuchar came from four strokes behind Joey Sindelar on the final holes to finish two strokes ahead of Joey Sindelar and Brad Faxon.
Champion: Matt Kuchar 68-69-66-66 – 269 $630,000
Jesper Parnevik held on after losing a three-stroke lead in the final round. He used a closing round 72 to hold off Mark Calcavecchia, Geoff Ogilvy and Craig Perks by a stroke.
Champion: Jesper Parnevik 65-67-66-72 – 270 $576,000
Dudley Hart birdied the final four holes to overcome a three-shot deficit for his second PGA TOUR title. Hart, who lives 20 minutes from the Tournament Players Club at Heron Bay, played the final 10 holes in 6-under-par. He shot 65 to finish at 19-under 269, one stroke ahead of Kevin Wentworth and J.P. Hayes.
Champion: Dudley Hart 65-69-70-65 – 269 $522,000
Champion: Vijay Singh 71-69-68-69- 277 $468,000
Mark Calcavecchia birdied five of the last seven holes on Sunday to break away from the pack and record a three-stroke victory over Vijay Singh. Calcavecchia entered the final round with a one-stroke lead.
Champion: Mark Calcavecchia 70-67-68-65 – 270 $324,000
Mark Calcavecchia birdied five of the last seven holes on Sunday to break away from the pack and record a three-stroke victory over Vijay Singh. Calcavecchia entered the final round with a one-stroke lead.
Champion: Mark Calcavecchia 70-67-68-65 – 270 $324,000
Stuart Appleby pitched in for eagle from 65 yards out on the par 5, 14th hole on Sunday to take command of the tournament and record a one-stroke victory over Payne Stewart and Michael Bradley. Appleby was the survivor of a grueling 36-hole Sunday that was necessitated by heavy rains that washed out play on Friday.
Champion: Stuart Appleby 68-68-67-71 – 274 $270,000
Tim Herron led from start to finish after blistering the TPC at Eagle Trace on Thursday with a 10-under 62. Herron led by multiple strokes throughout the entire tournament and finished with a four-stroke victory over Mark McCumber and Nick Price.
Champion: Tim Herron 62-68-72-69 – 271 $234,000
Mark O’Meara raced to a five-stroke lead after shooting 68 and 65 on Thursday and Friday, then held on after consecutive rounds of 71 allowed Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo to crawl back into it. Faldo and Woosnam needed birdies on the final hole at Weston Hills Country Club to catch O’Meara, but neither could convert. O’Meara finished by parring eight of the final nine holes.
Champion: Mark O’Meara 68-65-71-71 – 275 $216,000
The snapshot of Nick Price leaping into the air on the final day as his winding 35-foot putt on No. 17 dropped into the hole is forever etched into Price’s memory as well as the annals of the tournament. It turned out to be the shot Price needed to escape with a one-stroke victory over Craig Parry, as both players made par on No. 18. John Daly, who returned from a TOUR-imposed suspension, made a run for the top on the final day by making birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, but he finished four strokes off the lead. Price birdied the first two holes the final day on his way to taking home the $198,000 winner’s purse. He took a two-shot lead in the tournament with another birdie on No. 13 and never relinquished the top spot despite suffering a three-putt bogey on No. 15.
Champion: Nick Price 70-67-73-66 – 276 $198,000
Fred Couples won on the second playoff hole by making par after Robert Gamez sank a 6-iron approach into the lake bordering the 18th green. Couples had stormed to a four-stroke lead with five birdies on the first 10 holes on Sunday, then let Gamez back into the tournament with three bogeys and a double bogey on the final eight. The tournament was shortened to three rounds by a Saturday windstorm that leveled corporate tents and many bleacher areas and caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to the facilities at Weston Hills.
Champion: Fred Couples 64-73-NP-70 – 207 $198,000
Trailing leader Fred Couples by three shots after three rounds, Corey Pavin fired a fourth round 68, holing out an 8-iron from 136 yards on 18 to force Couples into a playoff. A birdie on the second playoff hole gave Pavin his 10th career victory.
Champion: Corey Pavin 68-67-70-68 * – 273 $198,000
A 5-stroke leader after the third round, Steve Pate finished the tournament with his worst round, a 75, but held on for a 3-stroke victory over Paul Azinger and Dan Halldorson.
Steve Pate 69-65-70-75 – 279 $180,000
Beginning the fourth round as leader by one stroke, John Huston was able to hold off a late afternoon charge by Mark Calcavecchia to win his first PGA TOUR event. Huston closed with a 71 for a 6-under 282, beating Calcavecchia by two strokes.
Champion: John Huston 68-73-70-71 – 282 $180,000
By making birdies on holes 13,14 and 17, and shooting a final round 64, Blaine McCallister fought off strong challenges by Payne Stewart and Curtis Strange to win by four strokes over Stewart. His 64 was the best fourth round score in the tournament’s history, and his winning total of 266 also set a new tournament record.
Champion: Blaine McCallister 70-67-65-64 – 266 $144,000
Playing the 72nd hole in almost total darkness, Joey Sindelar made a routine par to win the tournament by two shots over Sandy Lyle, Payne Stewart and Ed Fiori. Sindelar, who opened the final 18 with a 1-shot lead and never trailed, closed with a 70 for a 12-under 276.
Champion: Joey Sindelar 68-70-68-70 – 276 $126,000
North Palm Beach’s Mark Calcavecchia, who caddied for good friend Ken Green in the 1986 tournament, outdueled two of the Tour’s top players, Bernhard Langer and Payne Stewart, to win by three strokes with a 9-under 279. Stewart and Langer tied for second.
Champion: Mark Calcavecchia 69-72-68-70 – 279 $108,000
Former Florida State golfer Kenny Knox, a virtual unknown and a non-winner on the Tour, rallied from an 80 in the third round to shoot a 2-under 70 on Sunday and win the tournament by one shot over four others- Jodie Mudd, Clarence Rose, John Mahaffey and Andy Bean. Knox was a Monday qualifier.
Champion: Kenny Knox 66-71-80-70 – 287 $90,000
Curtis Strange, who shared a four-stroke lead with Fred Couples going into the final round, finished tied with Peter Jacobsen despite shooting a two-over 74 in Sunday’s windswept round. Strange parred the first hole of sudden death to defeat Jacobsen and win $90,000.
Champion: Curtis Strange 67-64-70-74 – 275 $90,000
The Classic in the Palm Beaches moved to the Tournament Players Club at Eagle Trace as part of the stadium golf venture being marketed by the PGA TOUR. The golf course and the tournament were both a success, with Bruce Lietzke beating Andy Bean on the first hole of sudden death. Lietzke started the final round four shots back but closed with a 68, including a birdie on the 72nd hole to catch Bean, the third-round leader.
Champion: Bruce Lietzke 72-70-70-68 – 280 $90,000
In the last tournament at Inverrary, Johnny Miller won his second title in four years by beating Jack Nicklaus by two strokes. It was Nicklaus’ third runner-up finish in the 12 tournaments at Inverrary. Miller shot a final-round 69, including a miraculous iron shot on 17, to hold off Nicklaus’ closing 66. Miller started the round two shots back but finished at 278, 10-under-par.
Champion: Johnny Miller 68-73-68-69 – 278 $72,000
After a poor drive on the 72nd hole, two-time U.S. Open Champion Hale Irwin was faced with an improbable shot. Closing the face of a 5-iron, Irwin punched a shot through some branches and onto the 18th green, where he made the birdie putt to beat Tom Kite and George Burns by a stroke.
Champion: Hale Irwin 65-71-67-66 – 269 $72,000
Curtis Strange blew a 4-shot lead in the final round and Jack Nicklaus missed a 3-foot birdie putt to tie on the final hole, allowing Tom Kite to win the tournament with a closing 69 and a 14-under 274.
Champion: Tom Kite 69-68-68-69 – 274 $54,000
Johnny Miller won his first Tour event since the 1976 Bob Hope Desert Classic by shooting 274, 14-under-par. “The best feeling is knowing the people are pulling for me,” said Miller, who wasn’t always a crowd favorite during his success in the 70’s.
Champion: Johnny Miller 70-68-66-70 – 274 $54,000
Larry Nelson shot a 14-under 274 for his first PGA TOUR victory and continued on to a 1979 finish of $281,022, second on the money list. He later became a major tournament winner, taking the 1981 and 1987 PGA Championships and the 1983 U.S. Open.
Champion: Larry Nelson 67-69-67-71 – 274 $54,000
Nicklaus birdied the final five holes to shoot 65 for a 276 total, 12-under-par, and a one-stroke win over Grier Jones. Nicklaus chipped in from 80 feet at No. 14, made a birdie putt of 12 feet on No. 15, chipped in from 18 feet at No. 16, made a birdie putt of 20 feet at No. 17 and, finally, a birdie putt of four feet at No. 18.
Champion: Jack Nicklaus 70-75-66-65 – 276 $50,000
Nicklaus blistered the 7,127-yard East Course with a 13-under 275, good for a 5-stroke victory over Gary Player, the tournament’s largest margin of victory.
Champion: Jack Nicklaus 70-66-69-70 – 275 $50,000
Rain pushed the tournament’s finish to Monday, but nothing stopped Jack Nicklaus as he shot a tournament-record 269, 19-under-par, to walk off with a three-stroke victory over J.C. Snead.
Champion: Jack Nicklaus 66-70-68-65 – 269 $60,000
Delray Beach’s Bob Murphy shot 273, 15-under, to beat young Eddie Pearce by one stroke on the final day. Murphy birdied the 71st hole at the very moment Pearce was failing to birdie the 72nd hole. Murphy celebrated by being the best man at a friend’s wedding the same night on the 18th green of his home course, Delray Dunes.
Champion: Bob Murphy 68-71-66-68 – 273 $52,000
Leonard Thompson finished at 10-under 278 to edge Hale Irwin by one stroke. Thompson contributed $10,000 of his $52,000 first prize to the Boys’ Clubs of South Florida.
Champion: Leonard Thompson 72-69-69-68 – 278 $52,000
Forrest Fezler missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that allowed Lee Trevino to walk away with the title. Trevino finished at 9-under 279.
Champion: Lee Trevino 69-69-69-72 – 279 $52,000
Tom Weiskopf sank a 30-foot putt on the 71st hole to win the first tournament and $52,000. He shot 278, 10-under-par, to defeat Jack Nicklaus by one stroke.
Champion: Tom Weiskopf 69-72-69-68 – 278 $52,000