Honda Classic 2012 Leaderboard: Results, Updates, Highlights and More

The Honda Classic is an important tournament on the PGA Tour. Players who did well in the early going get their first chance to play outside of Hawaii, California and Arizona, which are all dramatically different than Florida. 

Update: Leaderboard and Notes After Final Round

Rory McIlroy will be No. 1 with a bullet atop the next World Golf Rankings thanks to a solid 69 on Sunday at the Honda Classic to fend off a hard-charging Tiger Woods. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland handled the pressure of Woods' final-round 62 with the mettle expected of the top golfer on the planet.

McIlroy becomes the second-youngest player to ascend to the top spot in golf behind only (you guessed it!) Tiger Woods, who accomplished the feat at the age of 21.

That being said, with the way Woods played at Palm Beach Gardens on Sunday, posting the best final round of his illustrious career, it's difficult to imagine that he won't break his long-running winless streak sooner rather than later.

Here's a look at the final leaderboard:

Player	Score
1. Rory McIlroy	-12
T2. Tiger Woods	-10
T2. Tom Gillis	-10
4. Lee Westwood	-8
T5. Charl Schwartzel	-7
T5. Justin Rose	-7
T7. Dicky Pride	-6
T7. Ricky Fowler	-6
T9. Kevin Stadler	-5
T9. Graeme McDowell	-5
T9. Chris Stroud	-5

Update: Leaderboard and Notes After Third Round

Rory McIlroy has been steadily awesome in this tournament. He fired a 66 to surge into the lead. Harris English also made a nice push on Saturday by firing a 66. He finished the day in second. 

Check out the leaderboard.

Player	Score
1. Rory McIlroy	-11
T2. Harris English	-9
T2. Tom Gillis	-9
T4. Brian Harman	-7
T4. Justin Rose	-7
T4. Keegan Bradley	-7
T7. Dicky Pride	-6
T7. Charl Schwartzel	-6

Tiger Woods was solid, but not spectacular on the day. He shot a 69 to move to two-under and in 18th place. It was his second straight round under 70. 

A lot of noteworthy stuff happened on the first day, but before we get into that, take a look at what the leaderboard looks like heading into the weekend.

Player	Score
T1. Tom Gillis	-8
T1. Justin Rose	-8
T3. Rory McIlroy	-7
T3. Dicky Pride	-7
T5. Vaughn Taylor	-6
T5. Brian Harman	-6
T5. Jimmy Walker	-6
T8. Harris English	-5
T8. Keegan Bradley	-5
T8. Charles Howell III	-5
T11. Bob Estes	-4
T11. Jeff Overton	-4
T11. Ted Potter Jr.	-4
T11. Ken Duke	-4
T11. Ben Crane	-4
T11. Rocco Mediate	-4
T11. Davis Love III	-4
T18. Graeme McDowell	-3

So without further ado, let's take a look at some of the notable storylines to come from the first two days at the Honda. 

Blast From the Past

Did anyone out there predict a course record 64 from the American Ryder Cup captain? Five birdies, one bogey and an ace on the par-three fifth hole to top things off; that is stellar golf from anyone, but for a guy who's going to be 48 in April, it's nothing short of amazing. 

Really, it shows how much physical fitness impacts the modern game, as golfers' bodies just don't break down once they hit 40. 

As for that Ryder Cup team, the PGA Tour's Twitter page had an interesting take when Love was in the midst of things.

"

Another birdie for Davis Love III, who turns in -5 at @TheHondaClassic, where he's playing like he wants a spot on his own Ryder Cup team.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2012"

If he keeps playing like this, that is not a possibility that can be easily discounted. 

Love himself clearly enjoyed his time on the course. 

"

Fun day on the course. Pretty cool to tie the course record at PGA National!

— Davis Love III (@Love3d) March 1, 2012"

Well done, Davis. You're not only the first-round leader, but a real contender. 

More of the Same from Tiger

UPDATE: Second round update for Tiger Woods

If not for two birdies on the 17th and 18th holes in round two, Tiger Woods would not have made the cut at the Honda Classic, which would have been really disappointing for many of the fans planning to attend the weekend's action.

One thing Woods must be better on through the weekend is being consistent, which he certainly was not on Friday.

Via the Palm Beach Post:

"

"Well, I got it going, lost it, got it going, lost it, got it going. It was a little bit of a fight today, probably the worst I've hit the ball in months, but I managed to score," Woods said.

"

Putting is another area of Woods' game that must improve if he is to catch Tom Gillis and Justin Rose sitting atop the leaderboard with a score of -8. Tiger was not as sharp on the greens as he would like to be on such a challenging course.

With the pressure of making the cut behind him, expect Tiger to be a more relaxed and focused player on Saturday.

Tiger battled consistency issues all day long on his way to one-over par. He now sits seven shots back of the lead, and another day like this tomorrow puts him at risk of missing the cut. 

His ball striking was generally on point, but 34 putts is never going to get it done on the PGA Tour. We know that the game is there; he made three birdies. Unfortunately, the consistency is not, as four bogeys in a PGA Tour event are never going to get it done. 

Tiger made only two putts from outside of five feet, and neither of those came on the back nine. If this sounds like a familiar story, know that you're not the only one who feels that way, as this fan named Jared Toops seems to agree.

"

Tiger Woods is in 69th place.. He must feel right at home

— Jared Toops (@TOOPSthereITis) March 2, 2012"

Well, he's tied for 68th, but close enough. Tiger has an early-morning tee time on Friday, which theoretically means that the greens will have gone through less wear and tear.

If he has any chance of winning this tournament, Woods will have to take advantage of that and finish in the mid-60s. 

Young Guns Keep Going

It would be hard for Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley to follow up on their magical 2011 seasons that saw each win a major. But, based on what we've seen from the two in 2012, get used to them winning. 

Paired up, the two of them fed off of each other all day. McIlroy shot a 66 and trails the leader by two shots, while Bradley is one stroke behind. 

McIlroy came away from the round pleased with his performance.

"

Very solid start today! 66 on that course any day is pretty good.

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) March 1, 2012"

We're going to see him contending for a long time on tour. A win could move him to the No. 1 rank in the world, but whether that happens this week or not, it's a mere formality. It will happen sooner rather than later. 

Round 2 Predictions

Davis Love III will level off. Don't look for an implosion or anything, but he'll be closer to even par tomorrow. It is hard to put up rounds like that on consecutive days, and Love is far removed from his prime. 

McIlroy and Bradley will keep going. If I had to pick a golf "Dream Team" right now, this duo would be my first two players taken. They are remarkably consistent, which is amazing when you consider how young they are.

Both play with a brashness not often seen from golfers that young.

Tiger will come back strong. No, I am not picking him to win this tournament, but look for Woods to come back with a round in the high 60s, making the cut with room to spare. 

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