The 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches opens the PGA Tour's Florida Swing at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, from February 26 to March 1. The event features a $9.6 million purse on a par-71 course measuring 7,223 yards, but a weaker field due to recent high-purse Signature Events and withdrawals from top contenders like Ben Griffin, Adam Scott, and Jacob Bridgeman. Ryan Gerard and Shane Lowry enter as co-favorites at +1600 odds amid a wide-open competition.
The Cognizant Classic marks the start of four weeks of PGA Tour golf in Florida, transitioning from the West Coast Swing where players like Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa claimed victories. PGA National's Champion Course, designed by Tom Fazio, challenges competitors with water hazards on 15 of 18 holes and demands accuracy off the tee, where missing fairways costs an average of 0.30 strokes. The Bear Trap holes remain notorious, though recent overseeding has softened the course's bite, allowing low scores like defending champion Joe Highsmith's 19-under 265 last year.
The field includes just one top-30 world-ranked player, Ryan Gerard, and eight from the top 50, highlighting schedule pressures post-$20 million events. Brooks Koepka returns for a home game after missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, while veterans like Shane Lowry (14-1 odds) seek breakthroughs—Lowry has four top-11 finishes in his last four starts here. Young talents Nicolai Højgaard (22-1) and twin brother Rasmus (22-1) aim for their first PGA Tour wins, with Højgaard gaining over 14 strokes on approach in his last six worldwide starts.
Expert picks favor Gerard (+1950 to win), who has two runner-up finishes this season and gains 1.61 strokes per round. Betting options include Daniel Berger for a top-10 (+290), leveraging his three top-five finishes at the venue, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout for top-10 (+360) due to his putting prowess on bermudagrass. Withdrawals underscore broader tour challenges, as Justin Thomas noted the difficulty of fitting events like this amid elite fields elsewhere. Billy Horschel echoed that non-Signature events struggle with scheduling, amid rumors of a leaner 2027 calendar.
