The PGA Tour Honda Classic broke its all-time attendance record last week at PGA National, with 224,642 fans attending the event across seven days. That number is up 10% over the previous record of 203,815 fans, set for last year's event. This marks the third consecutive year of growth after the '15 event drew just 165,200 due to poor weather. Attendance on Friday alone was up 20% over '17 (THE DAILY). In West Palm Beach, Dave George notes spectators were "out to see Tiger Woods’ return to the Honda for the first time in four years." Not that the numbers "wouldn’t have grown without him." They "always do, and so has the reputation of the only PGA Tour event left in South Florida." Still, the "happy coincidence" of Woods posting the "best finish of his latest career comeback was a magnet" for fans. Meanwhile, next year's event will "fall one week later on the PGA Tour calendar, with Feb. 28-March 3 as the competitive rounds." The new dates "make room for a change that has been talked about at Tour headquarters for some time now, a switch to move" the WGC-Mexico Championship "ahead of the Honda instead of immediately following it" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/27).
