2023 Honda Classic picks, predictions, field, odds: Golf insider fading Aaron Wise at PGA National

Many of the PGA Tour's top players will take a break this week, but there is a title and key FedEx Cup points on the line in the 2023 Honda Classic at PGA National. Sungjae Im, the 2020 Honda Classic champion, and golfers like Billy Horschel, Denny McCarthy and Shane Lowry are among the notable names in the Honda Classic 2023 field. Sepp Straka staged a five-shot comeback on Sunday last year to finish 10 under for his first PGA Tour victory, edging Lowry by one stroke. The event tees off Thursday in Palm Beach Gardens as the PGA Tour Florida Swing kicks off. PGA National is one of the most challenging courses on the PGA Tour, but the weaker field means a longshot could break through and make for a big weekend for bettors.

Im is the 17-2 favorite in the latest 2023 Honda Classic odds from Caesars Sportsbook, with Lowry (14-1) the only other golfer shorter than 20-1, Aaron Wise (22-1), Min Woo Lee (25-1) Chris Kirk (25-1) and Alex Noren (25-1) also are among the top contenders in the Honda Classic 2023 field. Before making any 2023 Honda Classic picks, be sure you .

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. He is up almost 25 units this season, meaning a profit of nearly $2,500 for $100 bettors.

McDonald nailed the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Max Homa (25-1) as his top choice. The expert also just missed a massive 130-1 score at the Sony Open when Hayden Buckley finished as runner-up. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Tony Finau to win. The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a monster 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in.

Now, McDonald has studied the 2023 Honda Classic field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of McDonald's PGA picks and analysis.  

Top 2023 Honda Classic expert picks

One shocker from McDonald: He is fading Wise, the 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and one of the favorites this week. The 26-year-old has finished 22nd or better in four of his seven outings this season but has missed consecutive cuts. He has one top-10 finish in his past 14 PGA Tour events. While he could make noise in a weaker field, McDonald isn't so sure. Wise's driving accuracy and approach game have taken a dive lately. McDonald says he is steering clear of Wise this week "given his lack of winning upside and recent downturn in quality."

On the other hand, McDonald knows Im is "the clear belle of the ball," and the expert knows he is primed for another breakthrough. The 24-year-old has one more victory since his triumph in 2020 at PGA National, and he has three top-10 finishes in nine events. The South Korean finished T-56 at the Genesis but tied for sixth in Phoenix and was T-4 at the Farmers. He was 1 over last week after a 74-73 weekend but was 40 under over his previous three outings. Im is in the top 60 on tour in every strokes gained category this season, 14th in strokes gained total. You can see who he is backing this week at SportsLine.

How to make 2023 Honda Classic golf picks

McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2023 Honda Classic, and he has tabbed five longshots coming in well over 60-1. One of these golfers is "simply elite off the tee" and almost always puts it in the fairway and hits the green in regulation. You can only see who it, and get the rest of the picks, at SportsLine.

So which 2023 Honda Classic players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in the Honda Classic 2023 field could bring a massive payday well over 60-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top prop picks for Honda Classic 2023, all from the expert who is up almost $2,500 on his PGA Tour picks this season.

2023 Honda Classic odds, field, top contenders

Sungjae Im +850
Shane Lowry +1400
Aaron Wise +2200
Min Woo Lee +2500
Chris Kirk +2500
Alex Noren +2500
Matt Kuchar +2800
Denny McCarthy +2800
Billy Horschel +3000
Thomas Detry +3500
Taylor Pendrith +3500
Sepp Straka +3500
J.T. Poston +3500
Adam Svensson +3500
Harris English +4000
Cam Davis +4000
Adrian Meronk +4000
Jhonattan Vegas +4500
Lee Hodges +5000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5000
Will Gordon +5500
Robby Shelton +5500
Patrick Rodgers +5500
Nick Hardy +5500
Garrick Higgo +5500
Ben Griffin +5500
Ryan Palmer +6000
Justin Suh +6000
Danny Willett +6000
Byeong Hun An +6000
Stephan Jaeger +6500
Padraig Harrington +6500
Joseph Bramlett +6500
Hayden Buckley +6500
Aaron Rai +6500
Webb Simpson +7000
Lanto Griffin +7000
Davis Riley +7500
S.H. Kim +8000
Erik Van Rooyen +8000
Russell Knox +9000
Harry Hall +9000
Charley Hoffman +9000
Brandon Wu +9000
Ben Taylor +9000
Callum Tarren +10000
Matthias Schwab +11000
Matt Wallace +11000
Mark Hubbard +11000
Greyson Sigg +11000
Aaron Baddeley +11000
Zach Johnson +13000
Pierceson Coody +13000
MJ Daffue +13000
Michael Kim +13000
Kramer Hickok +13000
Dylan Frittelli +13000
Chesson Hadley +13000
Carl Yuan +13000
Ben Martin +13000
Adam Schenk +13000
Adam Long +13000
Sam Stevens +15000
Peter Malnati +15000
Matti Schmid +15000
Luke Donald +15000
Harry Higgs +15000
Eric Cole +15000
Danny Lee +15000
Austin Eckroat +15000
Akshay Bhatia +15000
Zecheng Dou +18000
Erik Barnes +18000
Dylan Wu +18000
David Lingmerth +18000
Satoshi Kodaira +20000
Ryan Moore +20000
Ryan Armour +20000
Kevin Tway +20000
Vincent Norrman +25000