Honda Classic field receives boost with additions of fan-favorites Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler
Phil Mickelson soon will call the area home. So, it only makes sense the legendary golfer is coming to Palm Beach County to support his hometown tournament.
Mickelson, a 44-time winner of the PGA Tour, will play in the Honda Classic for the first time since 2016. The native Californian confirmed late in 2019 he had purchased property on Jupiter Island to build a home. He is expected to move into his new home sometime this year.
While Mickelson joins the Honda field for just the fourth time in his career, Rickie Fowler, the 2017 Honda champion, also has committed and returns for the 12th consecutive year. Fowler, who lives in Jupiter, started supporting his hometown tournament in 2010 and has entered every year since.
Executive director Ken Kennerly called securing Mickelson and Fowler, “magical” for the tournament.
“Phil is a true legend, a generational player that everybody loves to follow and cheer for,” Kennerly said.
Mickelson and Fowler join a field that is shaping up to top those of the last two years when Honda was caught in a scheduling squeeze and had a difficult time attracting many of the sport’s biggest names.
Among those already committed are four-time majors champion Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, both ranked in the top 15 in the world and both Jupiter residents who were raised in Palm Beach County. Other notables include defending Honda champion and No. 17 in the world Sungjae Kim; Max Homa, the winner of last month’s Genesis Invitational; Lee Westwood, the European Tour’s No. 1 player, and 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry.
The Honda Classic will be held March 18-21 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.
Although Mickelson and Fowler have struggled on the Tour in recent years, both remain among the most popular golfers in the world.
Mickelson, 50, is ninth on the all-time winners list and has won five majors, including the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters; the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2013 British Open. He also has been runner-up at the U.S. Open six times.
Mickelson has played on a record 12 Ryder Cups teams.
“My love of the game of golf is extremely high and my desire to compete and play against the best players is high, and so I find myself just internally motivated because of my love to compete and my love to try to bring out the best in me,” Mickelson said. “I’m excited to see if I’m able to continue playing at the highest level. What’s fun for me is competing, getting in contention, and trying to win tournaments.”
Mickelson has won two events on the main Tour since 2013 and his world ranking has dropped to 98, the lowest since midway through 1993, his second year on the Tour.
In the last two seasons, he has missed 11 cuts in 24 Tour events and has just two top 10 finishes. Last summer, Mickelson became eligible for the Tour Champions and won his first two tournaments. He fell short in his attempt to become the first player to win his first three Tour Champions starts, finishing 20th at the Cologuard Classic last weekend.
Mickelson has played Honda three times, the last in 2016. He missed the cut in 2014, finished tied for 17th in 2015 and tied for 37th in 2016 with an even par 280.
Fowler’s world ranking has plummeted to No. 65, his lowest since 2010, yet he continues to be among the Tour’s more marketable personalities. Fowler spent nearly the entire 2018 season and most of 2019 in the top 10 before his troubles began. Since the 2019 U.S. Open, when he tied for sixth, Fowler has finished in the top 10 twice in 28 starts.
Fowler, who has won five times on the PGA Tour, has four top 10 finishes at Honda. He was 12 under in 2017, winning by four shots over Gary Woodland and Morgan Hoffmann. Two years ago, Fowler was one shot from forcing a playoff, finishing in a tie for second with Koepka behind champion Keith Mitchell. He missed the cut in 2020.
Others who have committed to Honda include 2005 and 2015 Honda champion and European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, Englishman Ian Poulter and Swede Henrik Stenson, among others.
Players have until the afternoon of March 12 to commit to the field.
Grounds tickets for each day of competition are available for $60. Public hospitality tickets at the Champions Club on the 18th hole and the Waterford Club at the 17th green are $325.
Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at thehondaclassic.com. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, daily attendance will be limited.
