Special places - PGA National Resort

The PGA Tour heads to Palm Beach Gardens in Florida for the Honda Classic at the PGA National Resort and Spa. Defending champion Camilo Villegas will be trying to jump start his season at this tournament sandwiched between two WGC events. Headlining the field are former world number one Lee Westwood, US Open champion Graeme McDowell and fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy. A strong South African presence includes Ernie Els, Charl Schwarzel, Louis Oosthuizen and 1994 event winner Nick Price.

PGA National Golf Club is the home of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and boasts four championship courses, all opened for play in the early 1980’s. The Haig, the Squire and the Palmer are named respectively for all-time greats Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Arnold Palmer. The fourth course, the Champion - like the Haig and the Squire designed by George and Bob Fazio - hosted the 1983 Ryder cup less than two years after opening, and later the 1987 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus carried out major redesigns in 1990 and 2002 and the layout has been the home of the Honda Classic since 2007.

For tournament play the Champion Course sets up 6600 metres long with a par of 70. The fairways are Bermudagrass and perennial Ryegrass, the greens are Tifeagle Bermugagrass, and water is in play on almost all of the holes. The challenge of this layout can be seen by its ranking in the top-ten most difficult on the PGA Tour’s 50+ course schedule. The round begins with a short par 4 from an elevated tee, usually played downwind and frequently offering realistic birdie chances. The reachable par 5 3rd and the 340m par 4 4th are also among the easiest holes on the course. The back nine is the more demanding of the two, with patience and strategy required to avoid the pitfalls lying in wait. Holes 15, 16 and 17 – two par 3’s and a par 4 known as the ‘Bear Trap’ after their designer Jack Nicklaus – prove that length is not a prerequisite to create challenging and memorable golf. The picturesque 550m par 5 18th is framed by water from tee to green and offers classic elements of risk and reward to finish the round.

Newly-crowned WGC-Accenture Match Play champion Luke Donald will be teeing it up here at the scene of his last PGA Tour victory five years ago, hoping to continue the momentum that has seen him rocket to third behind new world number one Martin Kaymer.