Honda Classic streak ends for Mark Calcavecchia at 27 consecutive years

Mark Calcavecchia hits a tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the Cochise Course at The Desert Mountain Club on November 1, 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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Posted: 02/27/2013

By: Craig Dolch, Treasure Coast Newspapers

It’s not often you see a major champion who has won a PGA Tour event twice have to go through the Monday qualifier for that tournament.

But that’s what Mark Calcavecchia did Monday, hoping to extend his streak of having played in the Honda Classic to 27 consecutive years.

He missed by five shots after a 71, but he wasn’t the only former major champion that failed to qualify.

Rich Beem and Lee Janzen also were in the Monday qualifier at Mayacoo Lakes, as well as Shane Lowry, who upset McIlroy in the first round of Match Play, and Alexander Noren, who’s ranked 49th in the world.

“That was an all-star field,” Calcavecchia said.

It wasn’t that long ago when Honda struggled to attract a quality field; this Monday qualifier was almost as good as some of the Honda fields a decade ago.

But that has changed as Honda has five player in this week’s top 10 (McIlroy, Woods, No. 5 Louis Oosthuizen, No. 6 Justin Rose and No. 9 Lee Westwood).

Calcavecchia should be back in the Honda field next year. The Tequesta resident plans on taking his one-time exemption for being in the top 50 on the all-time money list.

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