2021 Honda Classic Predictions: Borgata USA Winner Special, Dark Horses and Best Bets

A watered-down field will brave what are likely to be testing conditions at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, this week as the Honda Classic returns to the calendar on Thursday (March 18 2021). Bet with bonus and free bets with Draftkings and BetMGM in NJ, CO, IN, IL, PA, WV, MA and other states.

The tournament’s unfortunate scheduling between The Players Championship and the upcoming 2021 Masters means the list of contenders is far from elite caliber. Having finished fourth behind last year’s winner, Sungjae Im, it’s Daniel Berger who takes on the pressure of favorite this time around, priced up at +1000 moneyline odds with Borgata for New Jersey customers.

With so many big names selecting a hazardous, risk-ridden trip to Florida for their rest week, Berger stands to profit as he seeks his fifth PGA Tour win (and his second of 2021 so far). As a native of the state, a bet on Berger carries with it some solid reason to believe he can stand up to the elements, with Jason Sobel of Action Network reporting we could expect wins of up to 13 miles per hour and the temperatures only forecasted to decrease as the weekend progresses.

Interest in the Florida-born favorite is high as he leads defending champion Im (+1200) and another promising pick in Joaquin Niemann (+1800), hoping to follow up his other home victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February:

BIG-ASS BET ALERT

A bettor just wagered $10,000 on Daniel Berger to win the Honda Classic this weekend.

Potential Payout: $115,000 pic.twitter.com/ysiK0MQVP9

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) March 15, 2021

Berger finished second in his Honda Classic debut with a playoff defeat to Padraig Harrington back in 2015 and made another run at the podium places with his performance here last year. Par 4 productivity will play a major factor in who we see emerge victor on Sunday, and only Russell Henley (3.90) and Niemann (3.94) boast better averages than Berger’s 3.96 among this weekend’s bigger names.

It never feels like a lot of fun backing the moneyline frontrunner, especially heading into an event where the weather could mean a more speculative pick is the way to go. 

To that end, there’s also a lot to like about +2500 entry Shane Lowry, the Northern Irishman who resides in Berger’s hometown of Jupiter not far down the road from Palm Beach. Lowry’s price is more likeable after an eighth-place finish at the Players, and a weakened field playing on a difficult course is the perfect combination of risk and reward to believe we could see him conjure up some of his best as he seeks to impress ahead of the Ryder Cup.

Prediction: Daniel Berger (+1000)

Best Bet: Shane Lowry each way (+2500)

Dark Horse: Patton Kizzire (+8000)

Top Englishman: Ian Poulter (+300)

Top Continental European: Alex Noren (+400)

2021 Honda Classic: Moneyline Odds Leaders