The PGA Tour’s much-awaited Honda Classic begins today. The event serves as the 18th event in the massive 40-plus event schedule for the 2023 season. With a strong field and high stakes, the tournament will almost certainly entertain the fans with drama-filled and intense moments. It will unquestionably be interesting to see who comes out on top at the 2023 Honda Classic.

2023 Honda Classic power rankings

The Honda Classic begins Thursday this week (today) and will be played over 4 days, ending on the 26th of February. The PGA National Member Club will once again host the 72-hole event this year. There are undoubtedly many stars among the players on the course at the event. But the top 5 contenders as per the PGA Tour’s power rankings are as follows:

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Ranked in 5th place is the American golfer, Chris Kirk. The golf pro has already won four times on the PGA Tour since turning pro in 2007. In 2014, he also won one of the FedEx Cup playoff events. He’s known to be one of the best ball-strikers of his generation and has regularly competed at the PGA National. He tied for 7th place last year, and this year he will certainly be looking for the win.

Moving ahead, Matt Kuchar takes the 4th-place spot. The American has a 4-for-4 record at the PING National, but he hasn’t played on the course in 12 years. This year, the nine-time PGA Tour winner already has two top-10 finishes. and will at least be looking to add to that number.

Taking the third rank is none other than Denny McCarthy. The 29-year-old is still looking for his first PGA Tour win and will certainly be hoping to grab it here. Last week at the Riviera, he tied for 14th and will be looking to capitalize on that recent form. His best finish on the tour came at the PGA National in 2021, where he tied for third. Will he be able to top that this week?

The Irishman Shane Lowry takes the second-highest spot. Having narrowly missed a victory at the PGA National last year, he will undoubtedly be looking for redemption.

The top contender at the Honda Classic this week is Sungjae Im similar to last year. He has already tasted victory at the event in 2020 and is certainly looking to reclaim his title this week. The extremely balanced player has been in top form of late and is looking to end his two-year winless streak on the Tour. But does the South Korean pro have what it takes to beat out the rest of the 143 players? Only time will tell.

The field at the Honda Classic and the prize money purse

The field of this week’s Honda Classic includes three golfers from the top 20: Sungjae Im, Billy Horschel, and Shane Lowry. IM and Lowry are also the two favorites to grab the title this week. But they undoubtedly have their work cut out for them as they’re up against the likes of Matt Kuchar and Denny McCarthy, who are also a part of the 144-player field.

The high stakes at the event come because of the whopping $8.4 million purse. The total prize money has seen an increase of $400,000 from last year. The winner, along with the trophy, will also take home $1.512 million at the event.

Defending champion at the 2023 Honda Classic

Sepp Straka made history at the event last year by becoming the world’s first Austrian golf professional to win on the PGA Tour. He beat Lowry by one stroke to give him the title and the perks. He won with a total score of 10 under par and will undoubtedly be looking to defend his title this year and grab his second win on the PGA Tour.

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