Honda Classic

Turn up the Music… The Sounds of the Florida Swing are Here!

Make no bones about it…

The fans are back out in force on the PGA Tour Stop in 2022. After the past 2 years with little or no contact with the players of the PGA Tour… I believe the Florida Swing will prove to everyone that the Fans Are Back. The Honda Classic is first up in the Florida Swing on the easy access PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens. This course allows for most of the crowd to be very close to the action. And for the Quiet Signs… Well, experiencing the Bear Trap at PGA National… the 16th, 17th and 18th… firsthand – Total silence isn’t something that everyone is believing in this year. After the experience at the Waste Management and the Hole in One… it has been proven that quiet, isn’t the old norm. Players have learned to block out all noises to be able to focus on their first priority. Congratulations to Austrian, Sepp Straka on the impressive Championship win, shooting a 4-under par 66 to finish the Honda Classic at 10-under par, 270 total. Tied with Straka at the start of the final round, Ireland’s Shane Lowry fired at 3-under 67, 271 total to finish one stroke back in 2nd.

north florida PGA north florida PGA north florida PGA north florida PGA north fl PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour PGA Tour The Honda Classic Celebrates Women

The CouTOUReClub and their junior members support the tournament and its sponsors and over 100 Children’s charities throughout the year The Honda features various entertainment throughout the week aimed at kids and families and talented women play a large part.

When, Ken Kennerly, the Tournament

Executive Director took over the reigns of one of the longest running events on TOUR, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, with the TOUR’s longest title sponsor partnership, HONDA in its 41st year, he was determined to not only make it the best event on TOUR for the players but for the community as well.

He designed, with a cooperative community, an event that had something for everyone off the course as well as on – spectacular fireworks displays on the weekends, kids programs, nightly bands, grandstand seating to support not only corporate patrons but general admission and a wonderful special program for women – The Women’s Leadership Forum – now in its 10th year.

This year’s Forum, presented by Jupiter Medical Center, was attended by over 300 women and featured a Palm Beach County Proclamation in honor of Barbara Nicklaus by Commissioner Maria Marino and speakers the inspiring, Susie Krabacher, Founder and CEO of HaitiChildren (https:// haitichildren.org – a charity sponsored by the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation) and one of the top women in sports management, Karen Brodkin, Endeavor, Executive Vice President of Content Strategy and Development and Co-Head of WME Sports –the Williams sisters are among

Sepp Straka, the 2022 Honda Classic Champions and lovely wife Paige

Ken Kennerly, Executive Director, Addresses over 300 women attending the Women’s Leadership Forum

their many world-class athlete clients.

Many women in the audience were novice golfers and the forum provided a great introduction to golf and the tournament and all that women can achieve through the sport and the charitable aspects of the PGA TOUR and its players, as the HaitiChildren Foundation, a fascinating success story, can attest to.

Others in the audience, like Elisa Gaudet, the Founder of International Women’s Golf Day are directly involved with promoting the game to women around the world. This year’s event is June 7, 2022 and more information on attending or hosting an event is available at www.womensgolfday.com.

Also in the audience were many members of the CouTOURe Club a women’s organization founded 15 years ago by Ken Kennerly’s wife, Kelly, and other women in the community to support the tournament and its sponsors. The organization has continued to grow to over almost 240 members, including 39 junior members, and along with the assisting the tournament the group now supports over 100 children’s charities with programs throughout the year. The tournament has proudly raised over $5.1 million in support of children’s charities over the years.

Sepp Straka (supported by wife Paige, who braved the pouring rain) may have picked up the $1.44 million dollar winner’s check in a thrilling rain soaked finish to the tournament but it was Barbara Nicklaus who was again honored for all her selfless charitable work (https://nchcf.org) with the State of Florida’s highest honor – The Medal of Freedom – presented to her in a special ceremony by Governor DeSantis earlier in the week.

The Honda Classic is a great week on the PGA TOUR schedule made stronger by the community of women that support it throughout the year, not just tournament week.