A rich story unfolds throughout the six events of the 2026 PGA Tour season. Multi-time winner Chris Gotterup has jumped into a new echelon of golf. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler maintains his breakneck speed, and Justin Rose continues to defy convention at age 45. Collin Morikawa ended his winless streak and Jacob Bridgman edged out Rory McIlroy to become the first winner of the year at the Genesis Invitational.
But it’s a West Coast swing, and now the PGA Tour has moved to Florida, with the 2026 Cognizant Classic kicking off four weeks of golf in the Sunshine State. Even though names that were supposed to headline this field, including Bridgeman, Ben Griffin and Adam Scott, withdrew earlier this week, there is still an opportunity at PGA National.
A life-changing moment may come in a young player’s future when he fights a bear trap in a vast field that recently lost part of his tooth. The charm this venue was once known for has been lost as tournament officials have chosen to oversee the golf course to provide views of lush fairways and greenery.
For example, last season, Jake Knapp shot a par-71 59 and Joe Highsmith entered the tournament at 19 under par to win. The year before that, Austin Eckrot won with a 17-under mark that ended Monday, the first time a winner was above 15-under par since the tournament moved to PGA National.
This season should see good scoring again as Shane Lowry will be on the field with a group of veterans like Keith Mitchell and Brooks Koepka. Meanwhile, young players such as Rasmus Højgaard and his twin brother Nikolai are aiming for their first PGA Tour victory, along with fellow contenders Michael Thorbjørnsen, Rasmus Niergaard-Petersen and Haotong Li.
2026 Cognizant Classic Schedule
date: February 26th – March 1st
position: PGA National Resort (Champion Course) — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Par: 71 | Yardage: 7,223 | Architect: Tom Fazio
wallet: $9.6 million
2026 Cognizant Classic Field, Odds
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook
- Shane Lowry (14-1): Despite competing regularly on the PGA Tour, Lowry hasn’t won an individual victory stateside since the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – a tournament that no longer exists… or rather, an event series that no longer exists! He had a great chance to get off the Schneid in 2022, but he fell just short of Sepp Straka in this event, marking the start of his fourth consecutive top-11 finish at PGA National. The Irishman has been in contention in recent weeks, losing in Dubai last month after an untimely mistake on the 72nd hole.
- Ryan Gerrard (16-1)
- Nikolai Huygor (22-1)
- Rasmus Heugaard (22-1)
- Michael Thorbjornsen (22-1): Thorbjornsen, who almost lost to everyone at the WM Phoenix Open, lost to everyone at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The young New Englander grabbed a sole lead at TPC Scottsdale thanks to a late eagle, but then learned the hard way how difficult it is to shut out tournaments on the PGA Tour and instead settled for a podium finish. He acquitted himself well in his debut at PGA National last season, but couldn’t find his groove on the greens.
- Keith Mitchell (27-1)
- Brooks Koepka (30-1): Florida kids can play in their backyards again. Mitchell came close to winning this tournament last year when he made a putt on the 72nd hole to hold off both Koepka and Rickie Fowler, but Koepka returned this week and will be making his first start in the tournament since 2022, when he finished 16th. The five-time major champion’s return to the PGA Tour has had a few lackluster starts, but the bones of his business are solid. Koepka kept pace with his peers from tee to green, but it was marred by a disastrous performance on the greens. He should benefit from the impending switch to Bermuda grass with the remainder of the PGA Tour to follow.
- Christian Bezuidenhout (30-1)
- Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (30-1): American golf fans are used to hearing this name as the Devils of Las Mania continue to run rampant in their inaugural season on the PGA Tour. The young Dane has only played twice on the 2026 PGA Tour, making the cut both times, but should be fine in a field of this level. Nirgaard Petersen ended 2025 by winning the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, and continued to hit the ball beautifully in 2026.
- Aaron Rye (33-1): With Rye off to a rocky start to 2026 at venues that should suit his skill set (Waialae Country Club and Pebble Beach), a surprise was added to the Genesis Invitational proceedings. Among the leaders at the start of the week, the Englishman unfortunately fell outside the top 25 at Riviera on Sunday, but showed he is fit enough for the week.
Cognizant Classic Picks of 2026
Who will win the 2026 Cognizant Classic, and which long shot will shock the golf world? Visit SportsLine now to see the predicted leaderboardsfind everything from 16 golf major nailed models for the weekend.
