In the second round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic at PGA National, Isaiah Salinda drew attention by removing his shirt to play a ball from the lake on the 17th hole, while Billy Horschel confronted a heckling fan after a poor shot on the 15th. Steven Fisk contributed a notable 23-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole. Players also voiced concerns over the course's overseeding, which has led to lower scores.
The Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches entered its second round on February 27, 2026, with several memorable moments at the Tom Fazio-designed PGA National course. Isaiah Salinda, who opened with a 6-over 77 in the first round, started the second with a birdie on the 10th but suffered a quadruple bogey 8 on the par-4 11th after a wayward drive, a punch-out, a shot into the water, and four more attempts to hole out from 25 feet. Later, on the par-3 17th playing at 171 yards, Salinda's tee shot landed in the greenside lake. He removed his shoes, socks, rolled up his pants, and took off his white shirt before blasting the ball to the green, where he missed the par putt for bogey. This left him at 10 over for the tournament, three shots ahead of last place.
Billy Horschel, playing the par-3 15th—the start of the challenging Bear Trap stretch—hit his tee shot into the grandstand, took a drop, and skulled his chip into the water for a triple bogey after two-putting from 23 feet. A spectator then commented, 'Overseed, overseed,' referencing the ryegrass overseeding that has softened the traditionally tough Bermuda grass course. Horschel responded, asking who said it and adding, 'I mean, I guess you guys wanna make yourselves feel good about yourselves with a comment like that, don't ya?' The fan accused him of bad-mouthing the course, prompting Horschel to clarify, 'Complaints about your course? I said it's been pretty good, my man. Maybe you should read the entire comments.' The spectator was later removed from the grounds for other disruptive behavior, according to a police officer.
Horschel's exchange tied into his post-first-round comments advocating for the PGA Tour to have full control over course setups. He noted, 'This is a really good golf course. It's a very fair golf course. When it blows hard, it's a challenge, and when it's sort of benign like it is today, it's gettable.' He attributed low scores, such as 36-hole leader Austin Smotherman's 11 under, to overseeding for TV aesthetics, despite the Tour's suggestions to reduce it. Other players echoed this: Shane Lowry preferred a 'traditional setup' with thicker rough, and Brooks Koepka predicted lower scores due to the overseed.
Amid the drama, Steven Fisk sank a 23-foot, 2-inch birdie putt on the seventh hole during the second round.
