The conditions at the Honda classic have been brutal. There was a steady 25-30mph wind on Thursday and winds Friday were gusting up to 25. Watching the best players in the world hit shots into lakes can at least make some of us hacks feel a little better. Some players really blow up in the wind, so to speak, while others shine. Who shined and who blew up?
Shined
Rookie Kyle Stanley leads at -6 with rounds of 68-66. Having never been in this position before how will Kyle’s nerves hold up on the weekend?
Rory Sabbatini shot an unbelievable 64 in high winds yesterday, a whopping 8 strokes ahead of the field average. He’s in 2nd place at -5. Players almost never follow up a super low round with another one, so lets see what he does today.
Y.E. Yang is continuing his consistently good year, T8. Ricky Barnes had some very cool pants yesterday which must have helped, 68 to reach T4.
A total of 12 players out of the field are under par, including world #2 Lee Westwood. Lee can regain the #1 ranking with a win this week.
Made the cut
The cut line was an amazingly high +6. Players who barely made the cut include Ernie Els, Jhonnattan Vegas, David Duval, Ian Poulter. Others who made the cut with a little room to spare include Graeme McDowell, 53 year old (amazing) Nick Price, Rory McIlroy, Trevor Immelman.
Blew up
The high winds took their toll, and some players really struggled. Who blew up?
Mike Weir shot 77-85. Put Weir’s 85 in comparison with Rory Sabbatini’s 2nd round, and Rory beat him by 21 shots.
Adam Scott’s great swing wasn’t enough to get him to the weekend, 77-82.
Camilo Villegas continues a puzzlingly bad year, 79-78.
Other big names who missed the cut include Angel Cabrera, Vijay Singh, Boo Weekly and perhaps the biggest name Rickie Fowler.
Weather Report
The temps should be good, in the mid 70’s. But the winds will continue today in the mid 20’s.
Sunday’s weather shows a 50% chance of rain later in the day with reduced winds.
Honda Classic TV Times
Saturday 3/5 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET – Golf Channel
Saturday 3/5 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET – NBC
Sunday 3/6 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET – Golf Channel
Sunday 3/6 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET – NBC
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
