PGA Tour Honda Classic organizers yesterday announced that this past weekend's tournament drew a record 161,700 spectators to PGA National Resort. The number includes attendance from Monday's Fins Cup Pro-Am through Sunday's final round. The total marks an increase of almost 45% from last year's total of 111,950 fans and an almost 60% increase from the 101,200 fans who attended the '10 Honda Classic (Honda Classic). In West Palm Beach, Greg Stoda writes the numbers “substantiate the obvious: The Honda Classic was an overwhelming success.” Tournament officials yesterday said that they are “looking at whether they can add more fan seating and pavilions for next year.” The private hospitality areas at the Bear Trap, the stretch of holes from Nos. 15-17, “sold out Sunday for the first time in the tournament's six years at PGA National.” Honda Classic Exec Dir Ken Kennerly thanked tournament winner Rory McIlroy, noting he “first came here four years ago and has come back every year and brought other top players like Lee Westwood with him." Tiger Woods entered the Honda Classic for the first time as a pro, and Kennerly said Woods "created a buzz on the property and in the community unlike anything that anybody has ever seen" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/6).
MEDIA COVERAGE: YAHOO SPORTS’ Jonathan Wall wrote the Golf Channel’s Saturday and Sunday coverage of the Bear Trap provided viewers with “a unique view of the tournament's famed three-hole stretch at PGA National.” It “was the perfect compliment to NBC's weekend slot, as the networks banded together … to produce some comprehensive coverage from the Honda Classic.” Golf Channel's Gary Williams and Frank Nobilo “did an admirable job keeping viewers engaged during the broadcast -- especially when all they had to talk about was three holes and a bunch players nowhere near the lead” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/5). GOLFWEEK.com’s Martin Kaufmann wrote golf fans this past weekend “finally got a taste” of how the Golf Channel-NBC combination “might improve their viewing experience.” Kaufmann: “With certain reservations, I was a big fan of the simultaneous Golf Channel-NBC weekend coverage of the Honda Classic.” He added, “It won’t be the last. There’s no official word at the moment, but I anticipate that we’ll see another simulcast event soon, and a regular schedule by the time the Tour’s new TV contract kicks in next year” (GOLFWEEK.com, 3/5).
