Lee Westwood is hoping to finally break through after finishing as runner-up in consecutive weeks when the 2021 Honda Classic tees off Thursday at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The 47-year-old has 44 worldwide wins but came up just short of his third PGA Tour victory at Sawgrass and Bay Hill. He is listed as the co-third favorite at 20-1 in the latest 2021 Honda Classic odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Daniel Berger is the favorite at 11-1, followed closely by defending champion Sungjae Im (12-1).
Should you expect Westwood to continue his scorching run and make him one of your 2021 Honda Classic Fantasy golf picks? Or would another veteran like Adam Scott (25-1) give you a better chance to win? Before making any 2021 Honda Classic Fantasy golf picks, check out the latest Fantasy golf rankings from data scientist Rick Gehman.
With his expansive database of golf statistics, course data and betting odds, Gehman creates advanced models and back-tests them constantly. These models have produced 12 outright winners in the past year — including 30-1 Webb Simpson at the 2020 RBC Heritage.
At The Players, three of Gehman’s top seven picks made the top 10, including winner Justin Thomas, who came in at 22-1. “He feels close to breaking through again, and TPC Sawgrass just might be the place,” Gehman said before the event.
The result? Thomas went out and shot 14 under par, going 4 under in a tough final round, to get his first tour victory since August.
Gehman has been on fire all season. At the Palmer Invitational the previous week, five of the golf expert’s top 10 picks finished T-10 or better, and at Pebble Beach, three of his top four picks finished in the top five.
The Farmers leaderboard looked like a who’s who of Gehman’s rankings, with five of his top nine picks finishing tied for seventh or better, and at the Sony, the top three in his rankings all finished in the top seven. Anyone who has followed his advice has cashed in huge.
Now, Gehman, co-host of “The First Cut” podcast on CBS Sports, has revealed his top 30 players for the Honda Classic 2021 over at SportsLine so you can crush your Fantasy golf picks.
2021 Honda Classic Fantasy golf picks
Gehman is going all-in on Berger, who is the star of this field and has four career tour victories, including at Pebble Beach last month. He also finished in the top 10 among last week’s stacked field, shooting 5 under on a brutal final day at Sawgrass. The 27-year-old is a West Palm Beach resident, so he’ll be right at home, and at No. 15 he is the highest-ranked golfer in the field. There is no reason to expect him to be anywhere but the top of the leaderboard this week.
On the other hand, the golf expert is fading Rickie Fowler, who barely cracks his rankings at all. The veteran has the name recognition, but his game has been in complete disarray. He has five tour victories, including this event in 2017, and oddsmakers are giving him some benefit by listing him at 45-1, but his T-20 at the Genesis is his only top-50 finish since January. He might find his way eventually, but it isn’t likely this week, so Gehman suggests you stay far away.
How to set your 2021 Honda Classic Fantasy golf lineups
Notably, Gehman is looking for a relatively unknown player who comes in at higher than 30-1 to make a run at his first title. This golfer has been hanging around near the top of leaderboards for weeks and has done great work in some big events. This field is loaded with golfers looking to make a name for themselves, and Gehman believes this could be the week this player breaks through. Gehman is only sharing who it is, and his top 30 golfers in order, right here.
Who wins the Honda Classic 2021? Who are the top golfers to target? And which overlooked player can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Rick Gehman’s Fantasy golf rankings for the 2021 Honda Classic, all from the data scientist who’s called 12 outright winners in the past year.