Cognizant Classic 2025 Tips: Jamie’s six for PGA National

The PGA Tour begins its East Coast swing this week, which not only means much more sociable viewing hours for a U.K audience but also allows us to take in some of the most recognisable events and courses on the schedule.

It’s to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week, an event that is quickly followed by the PGA Tour’s Flagship Event, THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. However, we kick off in Palm Beach Gardens with the Cognizant Classic at PGA National.

As always, here are our golf tipster Jamie Worsley's Cognizant Classic 2025 tips, as well as his usual comprehensive preview featuring six players priced from 45/1 all the way out to 125/1.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Cognizant Classic (formerly the Honda Classic) was first staged in 1972 and has been the traditional start of the PGA Tour’s East Coast swing since 2007. Each edition since that year has been held here, at PGA National’s The Champion course.

Tom Weiskopf won that first edition, getting the better of Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus did eventually go on to win the title in 1977 and after successful defending the following year, he became the event’s first two-time winner.

Nobody has managed three victories but there have been a further three two-time winners: Johnny Millier (1980, 1983), Mark Calcavecchia (1987, 1998) and Padraig Harrington (2005, 2015).

Other notable winners include Vijay Singh (1999), Ernie Els (2008) and Rory McIlroy (2012). This showcases the international flavour that comes with this event, as 10 of the last 17 winners came from outside the U.S.

Last five winners:

• 2024 – WINNER: AUSTIN ECKROAT (-17)

runners-up: Min Woo Lee, Erik Van Rooyen (-14)

• 2023 – WINNER: CHRIS KIRK (-14, playoff)

runner-up: Eric Cole (-14)

• 2022 – WINNER: SEPP STRAKA (-10)

runner-up: Shane Lowry (-9)

• 2021 – WINNER: MATT JONES (-12)

runner-up: Brandon Hagy (-7)

• 2020 – WINNER: SUNGJAE IM (-6)

runner-up: Mackenzie Hughes (-5)

Austin Eckroat is this week’s defending champion, having won his first PGA Tour trophy at PGA National last year. His impressive performance saw the American finish none of the four rounds in worse than 3^rd place, and he closed with a fourth round in the 60s to win by three strokes.

THE COURSE

The Champion course at PGA National opened in 1981 and was originally designed by Tom and George Fazio, hosting a Ryder Cup (1983) and PGA Championship (1987) in its first six years. However, Jack Nicklaus has been tweaking with it for over 20 years – which includes an extensive redesign in 2014 – and it is now widely regarded as his design.

The tournament setup changed from a par 70 to a par 71 last year – with the 10^th hole converted to a par 5 – and now measures 7167 yards. It possesses 4x par 3s (175-226 yards), 11x par 4s (365-479 yards) and 3x par 5s (538-556 yards).

PGA National is a flat and largely exposed course, and situated close to the Atlantic Coast, it is susceptible to windy conditions. With water in-play on 15 holes – including the famed ‘Bear Trap’ from 15-17 – and routing that forces players to hit shots in ever-changing wind directions, we see why the layout has been home to one of the most demanding tests on tour.

Although the conversion of the 10^th from a challenging par 4 into an easy par 5 naturally saw the scoring averages lower last year, it still provided a solid all-round test.

The widening of the fairways for last year’s renewal has since been reversed and with the rough slightly longer, we should see a more demanding test off the tee. The fairways are smartly bunkered and with many bottlenecking, they force players to lay back into roughly the same area to attack many of the greens.

Said greens are bermudagrass and will run at a speedy 12. Despite being large in size, they were usually tough to hit and whilst that challenge was alleviated by the widening of the fairways last year, the return to tighter landing areas and longer rough should again increase the challenge into them.

These sloping, multi-tiered and often angled putting surfaces provide one of the toughest short-game challenges on the PGA Tour, ranking 7^th in putting difficulty and 10^th in scrambling difficulty across the last five seasons.

PGA National doesn’t look too threatening on paper and with all par 5s reachable in two and many shorter par 4s that look there to be attacked, you could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about. However, most of these birdie chances come with water as a prominent danger and this is no more prevalent than on the closing four holes.

The aforementioned ‘Bear Trap’ – named after the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus – consists of two sub-180yd par 3s (15 & 17), on which water hugs the angled greens short and right. Slotted in between these is the 434yd par 4 16^th; a left-to-right dogleg where water protects the narrow fairway to the right and the large green at the front.

Get through those unscathed and you have a good birdie, maybe even an eagle chance on the 556yd par 5 18^th. Although, this is a real risk/reward opportunity, with water hugging the entire right-hand side from start to finish and can just as easily break, rather than make someone’s week.

THE WEATHER

There is some heavy rain forecast on the Monday preceding the event and though easing off, there are lighter showers also scheduled for Tuesday. This could soften the course up before they tee off on Thursday, though with largely bright, warm and dry conditions from Wednesday onwards, it should dry out by the weekend.

Unusually for this event, there doesn’t appear to be much wind, barring a 10mph breeze on Friday. Having said that, it’s a little early in the week to be making concrete assessments of the forecast, especially at a course where the weather is often volatile, and it makes sense to be prepared for anything.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation/Proximity 150-200yds

Strong iron play is vital at PGA National and with over 40% of approaches falling in that 150-200yd range, it’s especially important to be dialled in with the mid-long irons.

Austin Eckroat was excellent in this area when claiming the trophy last year, ranking 1^st in greens-in-regulation and 5^th in approach. Min Woo Lee in 2^nd ranked 4^th in approach and 4^th-place finisher, Shane Lowry ranked 2^nd in approach and 3^rd in GIR.

Chris Kirk excelled with his iron play in 2023, ranking 7^th in approach and 7^th in greens-in-regulation. Five of the top 10 that year ranked inside the top 10 in each of those respective areas.

Each of the top six in 2022 ranked inside the top 10 in GIR, including champion, Sepp Straka ranking 1^st. Five of those were top 20 in approach, with Shane Lowry and Kurt Kitayama particularly strong, ranking 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

Matt Jones ranked 5^th in GIR and 7^th in approach when winning in 2021; Sungjae Im ranked 2^nd and 5^th in these areas when taking the title in 2020; and of the four winners prior to him, three were top seven in approach.

• SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Accuracy

The driver is another important club and though the landing areas have never been especially narrow, the way many of them bottleneck, combined with the strategic bunkering and sheer volume of water waiting to gobble up an errant drive, they demand precision off the tee.

Austin Eckroat was a comfortable three-shot winner last year and one of the main reasons for this was his quality, accurate driving compared to his nearest challengers, as he ranked 3^rd in driving accuracy and 4^th off-the-tee.

That mirrored Sepp Straka in 2022, with the big Austrian ranking 1^st OTT and in driving accuracy. Meanwhile, his nearest challenger that year, Shane Lowry ranked 3^rd and 4^th in those respective areas.

It was a similar story for 2021 winner, Matt Jones, who ranked 10^th OTT and 17^th in driving accuracy. Whilst Sungjae Im in 2020 ranked 11^th OTT and 15^th in driving accuracy on the way to taking the title.

• SG: Putting (bermudagrass)

These speedy, sloping bermudagrass greens are a real challenge and any player with a proven ability to putt similar surfaces will be at an advantage. With that lack of wind currently on show and the potential for beginning the event with a rain-softened course, GIR percentages could be high, which makes a strong putting display even more important.

Austin Eckroat putted well in 2024, ranking 15^th, whilst runner-up, Erik Van Rooyen led the field on the greens.

Chris Kirk ranked 9^th in 2023 and each of his nearest challengers were similarly strong; runner-up, Eric Cole ranked 2^nd and Tyler Duncan in 3^rd ranked 5^th.

Sepp Straka ranked 4^th in putting when he won in 2022 and of the top seven in 2021, nobody ranked worse than 27^th.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSE)

Sony Open (Waialae Country Club)

The Sony Open is a coastal venue with large bermudagrass greens. Possessing similar averages in short-game difficulty and requiring players to hit lots of approaches from 150-200yds, it can act as a useful comp this week.

Notable correlating form:

Russell Henley:

Cognizant (1^st, 3^rd) / Sony (1^st, 2^nd, 4^th)

Chris Kirk:

Cognizant (1^st) / Sony (2^nd, 2^nd, 3^rd)

Michael Thompson:

Cognizant (1^st) / Sony (5^th, 6^th)

Ryan Palmer:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th) / Sony (1^st, 4^th)

Gary Woodland:

Cognizant (2^nd, 5^th, 6^th) / Sony (3^rd, 6^th, 7^th)

Eric Cole:

Cognizant (2^nd) / Sony (5^th)

Brendan Steele:

Cognizant (3^rd, 4^th) / Sony (2^nd, 4^th)

Byeong Hun An:

Cognizant (4^th, 5^th) / Sony (2^nd)

Ben Taylor:

Cognizant (5^th) / Sony (4^th)

RBC Heritage (Harbour Town Golf Links)

Harbour Town is another East Coast venue with links to Jack Nicklaus. Though more densely tree-lined and possessing much smaller bermudagrass-based greens, strong mid-long iron players usually excel here.

Notable correlating form:

Sepp Straka:

Cognizant (1^st, 5^th) / Heritage (3^rd, 5^th)

Camilo Villegas:

Cognizant (1^st, 2^nd) / Heritage (5^th, 7^th, 9^th)

Russell Knox:

Cognizant (2^nd, 3^rd) / Heritage (2^nd)

Daniel Berger:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th, 4^th) / Heritage (3^rd)

Luke List:

Cognizant (2^nd) / Heritage (3^rd)

Shane Lowry:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th, 5^th) / Heritage (3^rd, 3^rd)

C.T. Pan:

Cognizant (3^rd) / Heritage (1^st)

Wesley Bryan:

Cognizant (4^th) / Heritage (1^st)

Cameron Young:

Cognizant (4^th) / Heritage (3^rd)

Ben Martin:

Cognizant (5^th) / Heritage (3^rd)

RSM Classic (Sea Island Resort)

Flat and exposed with lots of water in-play, the Sea Island Resort’s layout is somewhat similar to PGA National. Testing the players with a comparable challenge in approach into the large and tough-to-putt bermudagrass greens, it’s worth checking the RSM Classic out for clues.

Notable correlating form:

Camilo Villegas:

Cognizant (1^st, 2^nd) / RSM (2^nd)

Chris Kirk:

Cognizant (1^st) / RSM (4^th)

Austin Eckroat:

Cognizant (1^st) / RSM (8^th)

Mackenzie Hughes:

Cognizant (2^nd) / RSM (1^st, 2^nd, 2^nd)

Daniel Berger:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th, 4^th) / RSM (2^nd)

Eric Cole:

Cognizant (2^nd) / RSM (3^rd)

Luke List:

Cognizant (2^nd) / RSM (4^th)

Tyler Duncan:

Cognizant (3^rd) / RSM (1^st, 3^rd)

Blayne Barber:

Cognizant (3^rd) / RSM (2^nd)

Denny McCarthy:

Cognizant (3^rd) / RSM (5^th, 8^th)

Billy Horschel:

Cognizant (4^th, 8^th, 9^th) / RSM (2^nd)

K.H. Lee:

Cognizant (4^th, 7^th) / RSM (5^th)

Wyndham Championship (Sedgefield Country Club)

Sedgefield Country Club may be heavily tree-lined but it has many aspects of play that compare favourably to PGA National. This is particularly evident into, on and around the large and speedy bermudagrass, as it ranks closely in both scrambling and putting difficulty, whilst forcing players to hit a large portion of approaches from 150-175yds.

Notable correlating form:

Camilo Villegas:

Cognizant (1^st, 2^nd) / Wyndham (1^st)

Russell Henley:

Cognizant (1^st, 3^rd) / Wyndham (2^nd, 5^th)

Sungjae Im:

Cognizant (1^st) / Wyndham (2^nd)

Matt Jones:

Cognizant (1^st 4^th) / Wyndham (5^th)

Austin Eckroat:

Cognizant (1^st) / Wyndham (6^th)

Eric Cole:

Cognizant (2^nd) / Wyndham (7^th)

C.T. Pan:

Cognizant (3^rd) / Wyndham (2^nd)

Lucas Glover:

Cognizant (4^th, 4^th) / Wyndham (1^st)

Byeong Hun An:

Cognizant (4^th, 5^th) / Wyndham (2^nd, 3^rd)

Billy Horschel:

Cognizant (4^th, 8^th, 9^th) / Wyndham (2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th)

THE PLAYERS Championship (TPC Sawgrass)

TPC Sawgrass requires a strong mid-iron game to contend. Along with its demanding, watery finish and showcasing a similar level of tee-to-green difficulty as PGA National, this fellow Florida course is a strong comp.

Notable correlating form:

Rickie Fowler:

Cognizant (1^st, 2^nd) / PLAYERS (1^st, 2^nd)

Camilo Villegas:

Cognizant (1^st, 2^nd) / PLAYERS (3^rd)

Ryan Palmer:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th) / PLAYERS (5^th)

Russell Knox:

Cognizant (2^nd, 3^rd) / PLAYERS (6^th)

Min Woo Lee:

Cognizant (2^nd) / PLAYERS (6^th)

Daniel Berger:

Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th, 4^th) / PLAYERS (9^th, 9^th)

Paul Casey:

Cognizant (3^rd, 4^th) / PLAYERS (3^rd, 5^th)

Tommy Fleetwood:

Cognizant (3^rd, 4^th) / PLAYERS (5^th, 7^th)

Brendan Steele:

Cognizant (3^rd, 4^th) / PLAYERS (6^th)

Lucas Glover:

Cognizant (4^th, 4^th) / PLAYERS (3^rd, 6^th)

Jhonattan Vegas:

Cognizant (4^th) / PLAYERS (3^rd, 7^th)

Ben Martin:

Cognizant (5^th) / PLAYERS (4^th)

Justin Suh:

Cognizant (5^th) / PLAYERS (6^th)

THE FIELD

This event no longer attracts the type of field it once did but there’s still plenty of depth among this week’s Cognizant Classic group, with 16 of the world’s top 50 in attendance, headed by world #17 Russell Henley.

Henley won this event in 2014 and is one of 10 former winners in the field, accompanied by last year’s winner Austin Eckroat, Chris Kirk (2023), Sepp Straka (2022), Sungjae Im (2020), Keith Mitchell (2019), Rickie Fowler (2017), Camilo Villegas (2010), Luke Donald (2006) and Matt Kuchar (2002).

Jordan Spieth will make his debut at PGA National this week; world #1 amateur Luke Clanton again gets the chance to test himself on the game’s premier tour; and we’re also joined by eight of the 10 players who earned their tour cards via the DP World Tour in 2024.

Cognizant Classic 2025 Odds

SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Shane Lowry 20/1, Russell Henley 22/1, Sepp Straka 22/1, Sungjae Im 22/1, Daniel Berger 25/1, Taylor Pendrith 30/1

The lack of any of the very top players on tour gives us another event with a fairly open feel and with the market leaders hard to separate, I’m happy to search for value further down the betting. Something that worked out well last week.

Each of our last two non-Signature Events have given us a couple of first-time winners and after shaking off his final-round disappointment at Torrey Pines two weeks ago by achieving another top 25 in Mexico, I’m taking Palm Beach Gardens resident, Patrick Rodgers to earn that elusive PGA Tour breakthrough at PGA National.

1.25 pts Patrick Rodgers each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 45/1

Rodgers finished 2024 in good shape, recording four top-25 finishes across his last five starts and after a relatively slow start to this season, he’s again found form. He picked up his first top 25 of the season at Pebble Beach four starts ago and though failing to convert a 54-hole lead in the Genesis Invitational, he still finished an impressive 3^rd at Torrey Pines.

He showed little sign of a hangover from that in Mexico, shooting three rounds in the 60s to enter round four in 9^th place, but again slipped down the leaderboard to finish 25^th. Whilst those two final round displays would’ve no doubt frustrated him, it’s a huge positive that he’s putting himself in these promising positions and it feels as though he’s edging towards a win.

The former #1 amateur has always driven the ball well, but he’s doing so this year with a new-found level of accuracy, ranking 33^rd off-the-tee and 58^th in driving accuracy. Although not quite at his best on the greens as yet, there have been more encouraging signs in his last four starts and ranking 7^th on tour from 150-175yds, he ticks a lot of boxes for this test statistically.

Rodgers has played here eight times and missed three cuts, recording a best of 21^st in 2020. He has an excellent record in the RSM Classic, finishing 2^nd in 2019 and recording a 5^th-place finish at Harbour Town last year, I’m confident he can get himself in the mix for the third straight event this week.

1 pt Seamus Power each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 60/1

After a really poor start to the season in the Sony Open, Seamus Power has looked much better across his last three starts. Though failing to strike a blow in three previous visits to PGA National, he has some appealing comp form that suggests he’s capable of an improved effort this week.

Power fired rounds of 73-72 to comfortably miss the cut at Waialae CC on his first start of 2025, doing little well. However, he left that form behind on his next start, finishing 17^th at Pebble Beach and has backed that up with finishes of 36^th in Phoenix and 24^th at Torrey Pines on his next two starts.

His approach play has been especially strong, ranking 31^st and he also ranks high in the important ranges for this week, sitting 22^nd from 175-200yds and 33^rd from 150-175yds. He’s also driven it much better (and straighter) in those last three events and having put up his best putting numbers of the year in the Genesis Invitational, his game is trending in the right direction.

Power missed the cut on each of his three prior starts in this event in 2017-2019. That being said, he’s a considerably better player now, becoming a two-time PGA Tour winner since and possessing multiple top-6 finishes in the Sony Open, RSM Classic and RBC Heritage – as well as a victory on a coastal venue with large bermudagrass greens in Bermuda – he has an array of comp form to suggest he’ll handle the demands of PGA National this time around.

1 pt Eric Cole each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Eric Cole went close to winning this on debut in 2023, eventually losing to Chris Kirk in a playoff. He’s been a little inconsistent at the start of this year, surprisingly struggling on the greens but I’m hoping a return to the state he calls home and its bermudagrass greens will spring him back into life.

Cole finished 5^th in the Sony Open on his second start of the year but has only recorded one further top 25, finishing 22^nd at Pebble Beach, and he comes into this after missing the cut on his two latest starts.

As with his results, his game has been inconsistent but there have been some positives. He’s currently driving the ball much straighter than in previous years, ranking 61^st in driving accuracy and though his approach play isn’t quite at the consistently strong level he’s displayed before, he does rank 20^th in that 150-175yd range.

Although the putter has been an issue, it was no surprise to see him produce by far his best putting display of the season on the bermudagrass greens in the Sony Open and he should relish a return to surfaces on which he ranked 2^nd in 2023.

As mentioned, that was his debut here, but it was by no means his first experience at PGA National. He’d caddied for friend, Sam Saunders several times in this event and based just 20 minutes away from the course, he has plenty of experience of playing golf in this area from his mini tour days.

Cole did miss the cut on his second try at the Cognizant Classic but having recorded finishes of 3^rd in the RSM Classic and 5^th in the Sony Open, he has plenty of alternate form that indicates he can repeat that 2023 effort.

1 pt Ryan Gerard each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Ryan Gerard has very positive experiences of PGA National, both in the amateur and pro ranks. After making a positive start to his second stint on tour, he’s taken to utilize those experiences to grab his first PGA Tour title this week.

Gerard only turned pro in 2022 and won in Canada on the now PGA Tour Americas on just his sixth professional start. However, he really announced himself to a wider audience at the beginning of 2023, finishing 4^th in this event as a Monday qualifier, which helped him earn Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour for that year.

He wasn’t able to retain his card but following a successful season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, where he picked up his second pro victory in the BMW Charity Pro-Am, he secured his return to the tour this year.

His results in 2025 have offered plenty of encouragement. He hasn’t missed a cut in his four starts and enters this week after recording consecutive top-20 finishes of 15^th in the Farmers Insurance Open and 17^th in Mexico.

The putter and long game have both looked sharp across these starts, ranking 29^th on the greens, 37^th in approach, 52^nd in greens-in-regulation and 55^th off-the-tee, where he’s displaying both power and accuracy. All of which adds up to a likely contender at PGA National.

Gerard fired three rounds in the 60s – including a superb 63 in round two – when 4^th at PGA National in 2023. Although, that wasn’t his first positive experience of the course, as he won the 2015 Polo Golf Junior Classic, which is played across both The Champion and Fazio courses at the resort.

Hailing from North Carolina and residing in nearby Jupiter, Florida, he’s well accustomed to playing golf in this area, and he can rely on those comforts to earn a first PGA Tour win this week.

1 pt Nico Echavarria each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 90/1

Nico Echavarria is another player who calls Florida home. He was in great form at the end of last season and after rediscovering form with his approach play on his latest start, he looks ready to perform around this suitable layout.

Echavarria finished inside the top 6 in three of his last four starts in 2024, including claiming a second PGA Tour victory in the ZOZO Championship. He finished the year with a close runner-up finish in the RSM Classic and again went close to recording another victory at the start of this year, losing out in a playoff to Nick Taylor in the Sony Open.

He struggled for form over his next three starts following that, missing two cuts and finishing 77^th of 78 players at Pebble Beach. Though he was much improved on his latest start in the Genesis Invitational, finishing 34^th.

The Colombian is a straight driver, ranking 36^th in driving accuracy and is excelling with his mid irons, ranking 6^th from 150-175yds so far this year. In addition, the gains he made on the greens towards the end of 2024 have carried over into this year, ranking 19^th in putting.

Echavarria missed the cut here on debut in 2023, but he improved last year, firing four rounds in the 60s to finish 21^st. Those recent runner-up finishes in the RSM Classic and Sony Open bode well for his chances this week and if he can maintain the quality of approach play he showed two weeks ago, he’d look a big price to contend at PGA National.

1 pt Ryo Hisatsune each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 125/1

It’s been a slow start to the season for Japanese youngster, Ryo Hisatsune. However, he produced his first top-10 finish of the season last week on a course that wouldn’t be the most ideal fit on paper, and after showing promise on his PGA National debut in 2024, I fancy him to spring a surprise at a three-figure price.

Hisatsune has made five starts this season and failed to finish inside the top 40 in any of the first four, but that was rectified last week, as he shot four rounds in the 60s to finish 10^th.

He excelled with his long irons last year, ranking 30^th from 175-200yds and also ranked an impressive 23^rd in GIR; meanwhile, he comes into this after his best approach performance of the year in Mexico, ranking 6^th. He’s also a straight driver and does his best work with the putter on bermudagrass, with three of his four best putting displays of 2024 coming on such surfaces.

Hisatsune missed the cut by one last year but actually opened with a 3-under 68 and hit the ball well in each round, though was undone by a poor putting display in round two. He finished 3^rd in the correlating Wyndham Championship a few months later, putting well on similarly fast and difficult bermudagrass greens, and with a 17^th-place finish on his only start in the RSM Classic another plus, he looks a very interesting contender in Florida.