The English contingent surged to an early lead at the 2008 Honda Classic. Midway through the first round Luke Donald and Brian Davis led the field with Donald scoring a round of 64 with 6 birdies. Davis was a shot off Donald’s pace with a score of 65.

Donald’s score was the lowest shot in the Honda Classic since 2005, when Padraig Harrington shot 63 to win the final round and the competition. The best may be yet to come for Donald, who claims that he hit the top despite having problems with his driving game. Donald was one of only four players to post bogey-free rounds.

Elsewhere on the field Ernie Els, playing in his first full tournament of the year put a nervous start behind him to card a first round score of 67. The morning saw Els hit two bogeys before coming back with 5 birdies in the afternoon.

Third place on the 2008 Honda Classic leaderboard was held by Australian rookie Matt Jones who hit 66 to put himself a head of a clutch of more experienced golfers.

With difficult conditions on the first day including strong winds and cold, improved weather is likely to see an intriguing reshuffle in the rankings on the second day of the 2008 Honda Classic.

The 2008 Honda Classic teeing off on Thursday will see some of the world’s top golfers aiming for a positive start to the annual Florida Swing.

Ernie Els

Ernie Els will have something to prove at this year’s Honda Classic. Golf commentators are claiming that the former world number one has lost his edge, particularly after conceding big leads at both the Alfred Dunhill Championships and the Dubai Desert Classic in the past 6 months. While Els has retained his world number 4 ranking, he’ll a win to arrest a slow but steady slide into obscurity.

Angel Cabrera

Still glowing from a win at the 2007 US Open, world number 17 Angel Cabrera will be looking to maintain the momentum of his fairytale rise to golfing greatness. Having staved off world number one Tiger Woods to take a major, Cabrera’s newfound confidence and powerful driving game will make him the player to beat at the 2008 Honda Classic.

Justin Rose

Justin Rose is another play out to prove a point at the 2008 Honda Classic. Currently ranked number 7 in the world, Rose will be looking to take his first victory on the PGA tour. Noted for his excellent putting game, Justin Rose will need to tap the form that saw him win the European Order of Merit in 2007.

With a stellar cast including Ernie Else, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen performing in next week’s 2008 Honda Classic, its easy to overlook some of the great up and coming talent that will be featuring in the tournament.

One rookie looking to make a major impact on the tournament is 17 year old Hawaiian golfer Tadd Fujukawa. In 2006 Tadd Fujikawa became the youngest golfer since 1951 to qualify for the US Open. He followed this feat up by making the cut at the 2006 Sony Open in his native Hawaii.

This year Fujikawa has been given a week off school to attend the 2008 Honda Classic. With 11 tournaments under his belt as professional golfer, the Honda Classic may be the tournament that sees this young golfer come of age.

Tadd Fujikawa is a nominee for the young golfer of the year award, and a solid performance at the PGA National Champion course in Florida could see the young Hawaiian claim his first major golfing award. With a win at the 2007 Hawaii Pearl Open and a powerful driving game to his credit, watching Tadd Fujukawa progress should be one of the highlights of the 2008 Honda Classic.

After years of drawing PGA hopefuls and has-beens, the 2008 Honda Classic looks like it will mark the tournament’s coming of age. Whilst recent years have seen a virtual absence of top ranked golfers, 2008 will see some big names tee off at the PGA National’s Champion Course on the 25 of February.

Included in the field will be some of golfing’s biggest names, who’ll take part in the 2008 Honda Classic fresh off performances at the Accenture Match Play Championships. Famous names include Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Angel Cabrera, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia.

Golf pundits have pinned the sudden increase in interest in the 2008 Honda Classic on the appointment of a new managerial committee and the involvement of celebrated golfer Jack Nicklaus and his family, who will also oversee the charity beneficiaries of the tournament.

One of the players looking to make a strong statement at the 2008 Honda Classic will be Englishman Luke Donald. Despite once being punted as an equal to Tiger Woods, Donald hasn’t managed to win a PGA Championship title since 2006 when he won the Honda Classic for the first time.

To take his second title Donald will need to fight off a strong challenge from the world number four. Ernie Els seems determined to make up for several quiet years on the PGA by playing as much golf as possible, and will fancy his chances as top seed in the 2008 Honda Classic field.