The PGA Tour rounds out the Florida swing with another regular stop as the Honda Classic is ready to tee off from PGA National. This event has bounced around the schedule in recent years and now finds itself directly after The Players Championship. That is unfortunate timing, as a lot of players wanted a week off after the fifth major last week, so this is a much weaker field for our PGA One and Done picks.
For One and Done, that provides an opportunity to take a player not usually in the mix to find a strong payday to close this stretch of golf. Last week’s winner, Justin Thomas, took down the Players for $2.7 million. That amount is a game changer for One and Done pools, and anyone who had Thomas vaulted up the leaderboard. The stakes for the Honda Classic aren’t as high, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity to add significant money to the yearly total.
What is a One and Done pool?
A One and Done pool has some similarities with NFL survivor pools except that you cannot be eliminated early for making a poor pick. Each week you have to select one golfer, and their prize money earned that week become your points. You cannot use the same player twice, just like an NFL survivor contest, so strategy and knowing when to save a top-tier player can make the difference. At the end of the season, the team with the most cumulative earning is in line for a big payoff. Your pool will pay several spots, depending on its size, similar to a GPP structure that we all know from PGA DFS.
The Players Championship One and Done Recap
Jon Rahm
This was my pick, as I was hoping Rahm could right the wrong from the 2019 Players when he gave it away Sunday. He quietly got into position on the weekend and had chances to get in the mix, but he ultimately never threatened the lead come Sunday. A ninth-place finish still took home $339,000, but it felt like a missed opportunity for the quality of golfer I burnt with Rahm.
Patrick Cantlay
A lot of people used Cantlay earlier in the season, and given how he played last week, you probably hope that you didn’t have him available. Cantlay had not missed a cut all year but was unable to get anything going en route to an extremely disappointing missed cut. That means a straight goose egg in One and Done. His withdrawal a few weeks ago parlayed into this result does raise some alarm bells with Augusta looming. If you still have him available, the risk/reward with Cantlay is certainly amplified.
Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood was a popular One and Done choice for several reasons last week, as he was available for almost every team and had fantastic course history at Sawgrass. After showing some form at Arnold Palmer, it was a perfect spot to target him if you didn’t mind taking one of the more popular players. Unfortunately, TPC Sawgrass claimed another victim, with Fleetwood unable to survive the test and finding himself heading home Friday. Similar to Cantlay, that was a huge missed opportunity to not get a piece of a $15 million prize pool. Teams who used him will be looking to rebound this week.
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The Honda Classic One and Done Picks
Sungjae Im
Im has garnered a lot of interest in One and Done early in the season, so you may not have him available to pick. If you do, then it is hard to not consider the defending champ, who is coming off a 17th-place finish last week at The Players and is one of if not the best player in this field. Im’s game fits this course and tournament well, as he is able to lean on his ball striking and will not be forced into aggression off the tee. I assume he will be a popular choice for any One and Done teams that still have him available, but he is the man to beat this week.
Joaquin Niemann
This field is weak, so guys like Niemann are towards the top of the board in outright odds. Niemann comes in with quality form, having finished 29th last week and hasn’t missed a cut since the Northern Trust back in August 2020. His consistency mixed with the upside is an appealing combo, and Niemann is always dangerous anytime he tees it up.
The problem is that this course has caused Niemann some issues in the past; he was 59th in 2019 and missed the cut last year. However, I don’t worry about that at all, as Niemann has proven he can still get the job done at courses that are more technical. He is most likely available to you in One and Done, and he will be garnering a lot of interest this week.
Russell Henley
This is definitely a guy you will have available in One and Done, as Henley isn’t normally in the conversation. The weakness of the Honda field forces us to consider guys that wouldn’t be in the mix in a stronger field, but it also limits the opportunity cost of who we choose. Henley isn’t someone you would care about burning, and even though he didn’t play well last week, he still is a dangerous player in a field like this.
When dialed in, Henley leans on the ball striking and can make his fair share of putts, so this course fits his game. Last year he finished tied for eighth, but the numbers were even more impressive — he led the entire field in strokes gained approach at 10.6. That type of ball striking is not something we see often, and as the 2014 champion of this event, Henley will look to rekindle that form against a subpar field this week.
My Honda Classic PGA One and Done Pick: Joaquin Niemann
Even though this isn’t the ideal course for him, I still find myself drawn to picking Niemann for One and Done this week. He is playing consistent golf no matter what the course looks like, and his tee-to-green stats jump off the page. Niemann has been positive tee to green in 10 straight events, and that type of consistency will translate anywhere. We know he can score, and if he avoids some of the blowup holes, there is no reason he will not be able get firmly in the hunt this week. With only a few marquee names in the field, this is a great spot to target Niemann.
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