Out of the Rough: Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (2026)

After spending the first six-weeks of the 2026 PGA Tour season on the west coast, the PGA Tour heads to Florida for a four-week swing.

First on the list of the Florida events is this week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at the Champion Course at PGA National.

Played annually at PGA National since 2007, this event continues to draw the short end of the stick when it comes to scheduling.

Sandwiched between events such as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open and The Genesis Invitational prior and the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship after, the Cognizant Classic often draws a weak field.

Due to this, one of the PGA Tour’s longest standing sponsors, Honda, withdrew from the Tour after being a part of it since 1982 for last year’s event. This year marks the third playing under the sponsorship of Cognizant. 

The Field

As previously mentioned, this is often an event bypassed by the Tour’s best. With Signature Events on both sides of this event (The Genesis Invitational last week and the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week,) this serves as a natural bye week for most.

One of the most notable golfers teeing it up this week is recent PGA Tour returnee Brooks Koepka who will be making his third start of the season since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf. Koepka has played the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open so far this season.

Ben Griffin headlines the field as the highest ranked golfer within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) at 11th. Just Ryan Gerard (24th) is the only other golfer in this week’s field in the top 25 of the OWGR.

He’ll be joined by notable attendees such as Shane Lowry, Adam Scott and Aaron Rai.

Joe Highsmith comes in as the defending champion, having topped the duo of Jacob Bridgeman and J.J. Spaun by two strokes to claim his maiden PGA Tour title a season ago. 

Other former winners of this event playing this week are Austin Eckroat (2024,) Chris Kirk (2022,) Keith Mitchell (2019,) Scott (2016) and Camilio Villegas (2010.)

The Course

PGA National plays at 7,125 yards as a par-71. Although short on paper it is anything but a typical short course with its use of tight landing areas off-the-tee and a heavy dosage of forced layups due to tight doglegs.

Due to this, wedge play is essentially removed from this course, with just about 11-percent of approach shots coming from within 125 yards. Those able to dial it in with mid-to-long irons from 125-200 yards will have an advantage this week. Approximately 54-percent of approach shots will come from the 125-200 yard range. This of course is well above the Tour average.

The course plays as one of the most difficult courses for approach shots from 150 yards as well. This is due to the exposure of gusting winds with a combination of firm and fast conditions.

To show the difficulty of this course, outside of two of the par-fives, all 16 of the other holes play at a scoring average of even-par or worse. With the unpredictably of the wind as well, the two par-fives are no guarantee for birdies either.

Two years ago, we saw the changing of the former par-four tenth hole to a par-five. The tenth was lengthened by 20 yards and converted from a very difficult par-four to a more scorable par-five. The new yardage of this hole is 528-yards.

This change won’t alter the overall difficulty of this course but instead, change the winning score by up to a three-to-four stroke swing.

PGA National is known for its “Bear Trap” stretch of holes from 15-to-17 that play as the fourth most difficult three-hole stretch on the entire Tour. Only Quail Hollow (16-18,) Pebble Beach (8-10) and Muirfield Village (16-18) feature a tougher three hole stretch.

Water is heavily featured throughout the Bear Trap, which includes two 175-yard par-threes and a tight dogleg par-four.

The Bear Trap does allow for dramatic and climactic finishes down the stretch as those chasing the leaders may take an aggressive approach and take the line at the tight pin locations over the water.

Simply put, the event can be won or lost here in the Bear Trap.

Last year, roughly four acres of fairway was removed, reducing them to an average width of 28-yards. 

Additionally, all of the grass outside of the greens has been overseeded with rye grass. This has not been done at the course since 2014. The rough will now play at 2.5-inches.

PGA National annually has had a cut line above-par in ten-of-the-last-12-seasons. Last year, the cut line was -4. The median field score has sat at even par or worse in seven of the last ten years as well.

A score of -10 or less has been enough to win the event in eight of the last thirteen seasons.

Last season, weather conditions were ideal, allowing the course to play much easier than years past. Don’t think that this is the norm here at PGA National. Joe Highsmith won last year’s installment at -19. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday currently calls for just a five-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 25-percent chance, Saturday a 35-percent chance and Sunday a 20-percent chance. Temperatures will begin the week at 80-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 81-degrees for Friday and Saturday before returning to 80-degrees on Sunday. Winds are currently forecasted at 11 miles-per-hour across all four days.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)

• Total Driving

• Proximity to the Hole from 125-200 Yards

• Bogey Avoidance

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Par Four Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

Betting Card

Nicolai Hojgaard (+2500)

Hojgaard is currently first on Tour in both SG: OTT and bogey avoidance, eighth in scrambling, 17th in SG: APP, 19th in ball striking, 27th in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 28th in par-four average scoring, 50th in total driving and 83rd in both SG: PUTT Bermuda and SG: ATG. He last played the WM Phoenix Open where he finished third and also placed 22nd at the Farmers Insurance Open this season. Earlier this season, he played two events on the DP World Tour, placing fourth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and 52nd at the Dubai Invitational. He placed 18th at this event a season ago and missed the cut in 2022. 

Davis Thompson (+5000)

I’ve become a bit of a Davis Thompson fanboy and I’m not ashamed of that. The start to his season hasn’t been ideal as he last played the WM Phoenix Open where he placed 64th. He also placed 43rd at the Farmers Insurance Open and missed the cut at The American Express. He also missed the cut at this event a season ago and placed 47th in 2024. Thompson is currently 19th on Tour in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 21st in SG: APP, 26th in ball striking, 40th in total driving, 44th in SG: OTT, 60th in scrambling, 75th in bogey avoidance, 87th in SG: ATG, 91st in par-four average scoring and 103rd in SG: PUTT Bermuda. 

Johnny Keefer (+6600)

If you’re not a diehard golf fan, you may be unfamiliar with Keefer. He was a graduate of the Korn Ferry Tour a season ago where he had two victories, five top fives, seven top tens and ten top 15’s. In other words, he’s the real deal. He’s had a pretty good start to his 2026 PGA Tour campaign as well, placing 41st in his latest appearance at the WM Phoenix Open. He also placed 43rd at the Farmers Insurance Open. 27th at The American Express and 61st at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Keefer is currently second on Tour in ball striking, ninth in SG: OTT, tenth in SG: APP, 11th in total driving, 33rd in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 56th in par-four average scoring, 94th in bogey avoidance, 114th in scrambling, 145th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 160th in SG: ATG. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week. 

Tom Kim (+9000)

Call me a homer but with Adam Scott’s withdrawal (which was on my first card,) I have some wiggle room to officially play my favorite golfer. Kim is currently 34th on Tour in total driving, 45th in scrambling, 53rd in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 56th in both ball striking and SG: ATG, 64th in SG: OTT, 70th in bogey avoidance, 91st in par-four average scoring, 97th in SG: APP and 146th in SG: PUTT Bermuda. Kim has yet to miss a cut this season. He placed 34th last week at The Genesis Invitational, 35th at the WM Phoenix Open, 65th at the Farmers Insurance Open, 38th at The American Express and 61st at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He’s played this event once prior, placing 62nd in 2024.

Jesper Svensson (+10000)

Svensson received his PGA Tour card via promotion from the DPWT a season ago. He went on to lose his full card by placing outside of the top 100 in the FedEx Cup Standings. He finished the season 110th so he received conditional status to the Tour where he gets spot-starts. This is one of them. He’s played just two events so far this season, missing the cut at both The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open. He most recently played the Qatar Masters on the DP World Tour where he placed T24th. He played this event a season ago where he placed 32nd. Svensson is currently third on Tour in total driving, fifth in ball striking, sixth in SG: OTT, 13th in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 14th in bogey avoidance, 23rd in SG: APP, 56th in par-four average scoring, 85th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 93rd in scrambling and 156th in SG: ATG. 

David Ford (+15000)

Like Keefer, to most, David Ford may not be a name you recognize either. He was the 2025 PGA TOUR University winner, securing himself a PGA Tour card directly out of North Carolina University. This is the same award that the likes of Michael Thorbjornsen (2024) and Ludvig Avberg (2023) had won and made their way to the PGA Tour. Ford is currently first on Tour in total driving, seventh in ball striking, 12th in SG: APP, 20th in SG: OTT, 22nd in bogey avoidance, 23rd in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 24th in scrambling, 28th in par-four average scoring, 131st in SG: ATG and 153rd in SG: PUTT Bermuda. He last played the Farmers Insurance Open where he missed the cut but placed 13th at The American Express and 50th at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He’ll also be making his tournament debut this week.

2025 Betting Card

• Sepp Straka (+2500) - T11th

• Daniel Berger (+2800) - T25th

• Alex Smalley (+6000) - T28th

• Ryan Gerard (+10000) - T25th

• Ryo Hisatsune (+20000) - MC

2024 Betting Card

• Cameron Young (+2200) - T4th

• Matthieu Pavon (+4000) - T28th

• Chris Kirk (+4500) - T28th

• Keith Mitchell (+5000)  - T9th

• Stephan Jaeger (+5000)  - MC

• Doug Ghim (+8000) - T16th

• Greyson Sigg (+20000)  - T56th

2023 Betting Card

• Sungjae Im - T42nd

• Thomas Detry - WD

• Ben Griffin - T21st

• Chris Kirk - 1st

• Austin Cook - MC