Spring Break begins with four consecutive weeks in The Sunshine State. Formerly The Honda Classic, the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches takes up the reins for this week and after.
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PGA National Resort
Champion Course
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
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Bet365: Top of the Board
Sitting at the top of the board for his North American home game is Rory McIlroy (8/1). Fresh off his win at Captial One’s The Match on Monday, he returns to the Champion Course for the first time since T59 in 2018. The 2012 winner was eliminated in a four-man-playoff in 2014, his last top 10 at the event. I’m not into favorites outside of Signature Events and major championships, so I’ll patiently wait until next week.
Cameron Young (22/1) will note that three of the last five winners have won for the first time on TOUR. Playing in his 57th TOUR start, the big-hitting youngster will look to continue his solid form from the West Coast. Cashing T8 at TPC Scottsdale and T16 at Riviera suggests he’s ready for another demanding course.
I’m starting my card with Russell Henley (25/1) on top. Bermuda and ball-striking is a fantastic combination this week. The Georgia native cashed T3 and T8 in his previous two visits to add to his 2014 victory. He was the first of four Georgia Bulldogs to win in the last 10 events. I’m leaning on him to keep the tradition alive.
Floridian Eric Cole (25/1) would also like to add his name to the list of first-time victors. Setting the tournament scoring record with Chris Kirk (40/1) last year on 14-under, the 2023 rookie finished second on debut after falling in a playoff. In seven events this season, he’s hit the top 14 in four of them, including two on Bermuda in Hawaii. Load it up.
Winning for the first time won’t be on the agenda for 21-year-old Tom Kim (28/1). Making his tournament debut, he will look to join his countryman and 2020 winner Sungjae Im as the youngest winner. A winner three times on TOUR, the Korean will need a better debut than his T45 at The Sentry to open 2024.
Matt Fitzpatrick (28/1) won on Champion Bermuda/TifEagle Bermuda last season at Harbour Town for his second victory on TOUR. One to keep an eye on next week at Bay Hill, the Englishman makes his first appearance since 2017 (T68). Grinding doesn’t bother him; neither will a challenge off the tee or on/around the greens.
Byeong Hun An (28/1) paved his return to the PGA TOUR via his win at the LECOM Classic on the KFT in 2022. Winning on Bermuda on the West Coast of Florida, the Orlando native has enjoyed his previous visits to PGA National. Making the cut in four of his five starts, the Korean has hit the top five twice, including T4 in 2020, his best of the lot.
Joining Tom Kim as a former winner at the Wyndham Championship, North Carolina native J.T. Poston (33/1) enjoys a challenge on Bermuda. Cashing T5 at The Sentry followed by a solo sixth at Sony, both on Bermuda, I have no problem overlooking his lack of success at PGA National. His full bag suggests fitting him in if the choices above do not move the meter.
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Stephan Jaeger (35/1): I left him alone LAST week because I thought this difficult test would fit his eye even better.
Daniel Berger (35/1): A home game for the life-long resident should evoke fantastic memories of three top-four paydays, including his last two visits.
Denny McCarthy (55/1): When presented with the choice of region vs form, I’m going to rely on Bermuda fans from youth. It’s not an absolute science, but more of a tiebreaker.
Doug Ghim (66/1): Back for more! I’m riding the heat of T8-T12-T13 from his last three on TOUR.
Akshat Bhatia (80/1): If it’s time to put the ball in play off the tee and into the greens, I’m leaning on the noted wind player. I’ll take my chances with the long putter on the perfect greens.
Gary Woodland (125/1): Never missing the cut in nine starts, I’m latching on.
Greyson Sigg (150/1): Another Georgia Bulldog with a top finish? This dawg only made five bogeys last week.
Sam Ryder (200/1): OK, I’ll bite. Opening with 69-63 in 2021, he claimed T8. In the 2022 edition, his third consecutive cut made at the event, he pocketed another top-10 finish with T9. Florida natives will be the long shots of choice this week and the next three.
Matt NeSmith (250/1): Making his fourth visit, he’s cashed T38 or better in his first three. Giddy up.
Bud Cauley (350/1): Stretching a bit, but if you can find him for Top 40, I’d take a shot. Gambling, right?
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | PGA National Resort – Champion Course |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,147 |
| Par: | 71 (35-36). |
| Greens: | TifEagle Bermuda; 7,000 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12 feet. |
| Rough: | Celebration Bermuda at 2.25 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 65/15/15 |
| Architect(s): | Tom and George Fazio (1980); Jack Nicklaus (2000 and beyond). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Chris Kirk (-14). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | No multiple winners from the 17 previous events. |
| Course Record: | 61; Matt Jones (not entered) last to do it, 2021. |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record | 266; Chris Kirk and Eric Cole, 2023. |
| Fact of the Week: | First of four weeks of The Florida Swing. |
| Fact of the Week II: | First of four weeks on TifEagle Bermuda Greens and Celebration Bermuda. |
Returning to the USA, the Florida Swing begins at Jack Nicklaus’ PGA National Champion Course.
Formerly known as The Honda Open, the Champion Course remains the host for the 18th consecutive season. After playing Par-70 to 7,125 for the last six years, the new sponsorship will play Par-71 (35-36) over 7,147 yards.
Previously playing 505 yards and playing to a Par-4, Hole No. 10 has added 25 yards, shifted left eight yards, and will now play as a Par-5. Players will no longer have to wait 14 holes until No. 18 to get another Par-5 opportunity.
Don’t let the word “resort” fool you. For the last 10 years, the track has ranked in the top seven most difficult seven times, including five of the previous six seasons.
The coastal breezes, bunkers, and water being in play on 15 of the 18 holes provide a physical and mental challenge. Rating annually as a top-five three-hole-stretch on TOUR, the holes Nos 15 through 17, known as “The Bear Trap”, will give the professionals plenty of food for thought coming home. In better news, the cut of the rough this season will barely exceed two inches, and the fairways have expanded by an acre.
The return to Bermudagrass will be a welcome sight for those who grew up and live in this part of the world. Celebration Bermuda is on the menu until 7,000 square feet (on average) of TifEagle Bermuda welcomes the players on the putting surfaces. Running at a manageable 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, the greens will not be cut as short as last year due to poor winter conditions.
Ranking in the top five on TOUR in balls in the water since 2003, I’ll remind you PGA National did not host its first TOUR event until 2007.
Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches (Event)
The ninth event of the PGA TOUR season returns to a familiar part of Florida. Hosting a TOUR event since 1972, the Palm Beaches have only missed one event (1976) in 43 years.
Ranking in the top five for balls in the water on TOUR since 2003, PGA National did not start hosting the event until 2007.
No player has won at the Champion Course more than once.
No winner has lifted the trophy in consecutive seasons.
Winning the 2020 edition, Sungjae Im became the youngest champion at 21.
Padraig Harrington, also in the field this week, has won the event twice. The PGA TOUR Champions star won the 2005 event at Mirasol and the 2015 event, becoming the oldest winner at 43, in a playoff over Daniel Berger.
2013 champion Michael Thompson (not entered) is the only winner who does not have multiple TOUR victories.
The last five winners have produced three first-time champions.
None of the 17 past champions won on debut.
There have been zero wire-to-wire winners at PGA National.
Defending champion Chris Kirk ousted first-timer Eric Cole in a playoff last year. Both players set the tournament scoring record on 14-under par. The course record, 61, was last accomplished in the 2021 edition by Matt Jones.
The field of 144, including 19 of the Official World Golf Ranking Top 50, will have chances to gain eligibility into the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After the 72 holes at PGA National, the Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5 will determine who advances to Bay Hill.
On the line is a purse of $9 million, with the winner taking home $1.62 million plus 500 FedExCup points.
Season Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes – weather) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
Recent Winners – Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Chris Kirik (-14)* | Defeated rookie Eric Cole in a playoff. Both set the tournament scoring record on 14-under. Played his college golf at Georgia. |
| 2022 | Sepp Straka (-10) | Won for the first time on TOUR. Played his college golf at Georgia. |
| 2021 | Matt Jones (-12) | Won by five in tough conditions. |
| 2020 | Sungjae Im (-6) | Won for the first time on TOUR; Youngest event winner at 21. |
| 2019 | Keith Mitchell (-9) | Won for the first time on TOUR holding off Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka. Played his college golf at Georgia. |
| 2018 | Jusitn Thomas (-8) | Knocked out Luke List in a playoff. |
| 2017 | Rickie Fowler (-12) | Cruised to a four-shot win over Gary Woodland. |
| 2016 | Adam Scott (-9) | Won despite a TRIPLE in the final round. |
| 2015 | Padraig Harrington (-6) | Taught young Daniel Berger a lesson in a playoff to become the oldest winner. |
| 2014 | Russell Henley (-8) | Started the Georgia run winning a four-man playoff. |
Angles
The eighth event of the 2024 PGA TOUR season will be the first of two in Mexico this year. El Cardonal in Los Cabos will return in the fall to host for the second time.
The combination of a Greg Norman track and Mexico was in play at Mayakoba on the Yucatan Peninsula from 2007 through 2022.
Paspalum is a common playing surface in the resorts of the Caribbean and Mexico. PGA TOUR events played recently on Paspalum include El Cardonal, Puerto Rico Open, Corales Punta Cana, and Mayakoba. Korn Ferry Tour players have experienced this surface in two events in the Bahamas.
A field of 132, down from previous years due to the early season start and reduced February daylight, will be cut to the top 65 and ties after two rounds.
Defending champion Tony Finau highlights a field of just four players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. At No. 24, he is the highest-ranked player teeing it up this week.
Set during his victory last year, Tony Finau owns the course record on 24-under. The course record of 61, set by Jon Rahm (not entered), was posted in Round 3 of 2023. The cut in the first two editions was 2-under par.
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Total Winnings: | 1,720,342 |
His game has more fun stuff to it so reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – Mexico Open at Vidanta
Favorites need not apply. Jake Knapp at 40/1 becomes the shortest winner of the season and that includes Hideki Matsuyama.
MY CHOICE: Tony Finau – T13
Defending titles isn’t as easy as Scottie Scheffler made it look last year. Finau didn’t play poorly, and to be fair, he had the best finish from the favorites outside Stephan Jaeger (T3). Only HFC Patrick Rodgers (T6) made any other sense.
Other to Consider:
Thorbjorn Olesen: Won in the Middle East in his last outing. Former Ryder Cupper plays all four corners of the world, and his game follows. T46 after 71-71 on the weekend.
Cameron Champ: Yep, that’s where we’re at this week. Hitting the top 10 twice in the first two years matches nicely. T24 after not being able to put consecutive rounds under par together.
Emiliano Grillo: Broke his drought at Colonial last spring. Safest pick on the board. Heading into Sunday on 10-under, posting 73 didn’t help anyone.
Thomas Detry: Too many top 25 paydays in thin fields and on Paspalum to ignore. MC. I’m not really sure what happened on Thursday (78), but he returned Friday with 69, nice.
Longshots
Brandon Wu: Testing the limits of Horses for Courses! T13, not bad!
Patrick Rodgers: Same! T6, even better!
Mackenzie Hughes: Flashed for two rounds last week before fading on the weekend. MC as the momentum he had at Riviera didn’t make it through customs.
Charley Hoffman: Previous winner at Mayakoba, should feel right at home. MC.
This Week – Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches
A better field this week, but a reminder that NEXT WEEK is the big bucks at Bay Hill.
Captain Kirk slowed the streak of first-time winners last year, barely.
With too many moving parts, I’m going to rely on an old favorite.
MY CHOICE: Russell Henley
The only reason he didn’t play the last two seasons was fixture congestion.
Had to be.
He was T3 and T8 in his previous two visits and won in 2014.
Streaking with four straight T24 or better, it’s an easy choice for me on Bermuda this week.
Other to Consider:
Stephan Jaeger: Knock. Knock. Knock. T14 here last year.
Eric Cole: Sure, he plays just about every week, but he didn’t last week! The Florida native can’t be outside the top three choices.
Shane Lowry: Never missed in six tries. T5-2nd last two years.
Sepp Straka: Streak is four straight. T5-WIN last two years.
Keith Mitchell: If you don’t catch him this week, don’t worry, his big, bad driver might work even better at the big, bad Bay Hill layout.
Rory McIlroy: You gotta do you. The angle this year is to play more to ramp it up and peak at the Masters. The Ulsterman gets many chances to get it right. We get ONE.
Longshots
Daniel Berger: Making just his third start from injury the local will have plenty of folks in his corner again if he’s in the mix on Sunday.
Byeong Hun An: Not sure he’s “graduated” to OAD level, but this field makes more sense than others.
Sam Ryder: Native with two top-10 paydays in his last two visits here. Not for the timid, or those in the lead!
Luke List: JT got him in a playoff back in 2018 but he’s found his way since.
Glass Houses 