Another surprising finish to an event on the PGA Tour this year where a massive underdog, not even on the betting radar, has won. Sepp Straka won the 2022 Honda Classic shortly after some inclement weather that rained on everyone’s parade.
You could argue that this victory should have never happened, especially after the meltdown of Daniel Berger and missed opportunities from other golfers close to the top. Below you can see how history was made.
Who is Sepp Straka?
Straka is the first player from Austria to win on the PGA Tour. The unranked golfer had an excellent iron play and consistent drives that led to his victory.
Finishing with -10, he beat out Shane Lowry by one stroke. Lowry is no slouch, as he won the Open Championship back in 2019 and is ranked 49th in the world.
Straka was seemingly nowhere to be found on betting options, especially ranking 171st in Tour strokes gained/tee to green. However, he was first in those categories for this event.
In addition, he was projected as the 176th best golfer in the world. Now, his rank will obviously rise with the news of his first Tour victory.
His best performance was in his rookie year in the Barbasol Championship back in the 2018-2019 season. In that event, he placed third.
Now, Straka is able to take home $1,440,000 in prize money. If he continues to hit 92 percent of fairways and reach 83 percent of greens in regulation, he could see another big payday soon.
Top Players in the Field Performances
Kurt Kitayama finished third with a -8 and almost tasted victory. Just a few shots here and there and his name would have been called instead. The unranked golfer posted his career-best on the PGA Tour, which should help his chances at a ranking now.
Gary Woodland was a refreshing name to see at the top. He finished at fifth but has been quiet since winning the U.S Open back in 2019. Hopefully, this could give him a spark to perform great the rest of the year, but the nice $309,000 payday should make him happy in the meantime.
Surprising Results
Daniel Berger is ranked 20th in the world golf rankings and was a solid choice to win this event. At one point, he actually had a share of the lead by six strokes but had a terrible final round.
Finishing at -7 and in fourth place, Berger was +4 on the day and should have won this event. A handful of errors within an hour disrupted the golfer’s chance of winning this event.
Brooks Koepka, ranked 15th in the world, had a solid price tag on him for bettors. He was a favorite to win in his hometown and potentially duplicate his success back in 2019.
At that time, he came in second even after a few missed opportunities. But he struggled for a T16 finish this time around, with bettors disappointed by the former world number one golfer.
