It was a difficult 2015 for Stuart Appleby after his year derailed by back surgery but a promising Sunday at Riviera will have the former Honda Classic winner quietly confident heading to PGA National this week.

Appleby, who claimed the title in 1997 but also boasts five other top 10 finishes in 13 appearances, has struggled with his game since returning to the TOUR late last year but showed signs of of life in California.

A Sunday 67, his best round of the week, pushed him to T26 and while a win might be optimistic in Florida a top 25 finish or higher would do wonders for his confidence the rest of the year.

Appleby is one of six Australians in the field for the first event of the Florida swing, considered by many to be the official start of the run up to the year’s first major at Augusta in April.

Adam Scott, John Senden, Matt Jones, Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby join Appleby in the field with Scott looking to go one better after a near miss last week.

The 2013 Masters champion’s final hole heroics came up one shot short in California but Scott knows in his heart it was three mistakes on Sunday that cost him the title last week.

Looking as confident with the putter as he has in a long time, Scott will be looking to eliminate some simple mistakes and if he can do that there is no question he will be at the pointy end of the tournament come Sunday.

Scott hasn’t been a regular visitor to the event with just four appearance in his PGA TOUR career but finished T12 in his last outing two years ago and will like his chances this week.

Another who will be keen to get underway is 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy who boasts three runner-up finishes in this event at three different venues.

In 2013 he was second behind Michael Thompson but also had close calls in 2006 at Country Club of Mirasol and 2001 at TPC Heron Bay.

Ogilvy hasn’t been playing his best since the start of the wraparound season but a return to a venue where he has enjoyed success could be the catalyst for a return to form.

Matt Jones, too, has an interesting history with the PGA National course having made a run at the title in 2008 as a rookie.

The tough finish at PGA National brought Jones undone that year and he finished T4 but hasn’t managed better than T18 in three appearances since.

However, after a disappointing missed cut at Riviera, just as it looked like his game was rounding into form for the year, he will be keen to get things back on track this week.

John Senden had a miserable West Coast swing and comes to Florida with three missed cuts in his last four starts but historically the Queenslander has shown a preference for the Eastern side of the USA.

His second TOUR victory came two years ago just up the road at the Valspar, where he has terrific form on the Copperhead course, but he has also been consistent at the Honda.

He has just one missed cut in 11 appearances though a best finish of T21 in 2002 suggests the layout isn’t completely to his liking.

The final Australian in the field is Robert Allenby whose struggles continue though he has performed well here in the past.

Three consecutive top five results between 2007 and 2009 suggest he has the game to suit the course but coming off his fifth straight missed cut at Riviera will need to turn things around quickly.

Related Links

Scores / Honda Classic Leaderboard
Insider / What’s on this week – 24.2.16