Cognizant Classic Withdrawals Spark Rumors About Events Future

In the lead-up to the Cognizant Classic, there has been a minor hiccup that has led to speculation about the event.  Some star players decided to skip the event, including Ben Griffin and Scottie Scheffler.  With some top players out for the event, fans are wondering if the event will be on the chopping block for future seasons.

The Cognizant Classic Withdrawals

Before the withdrawals took place, Scottie Scheffler had already decided to sit out during the Classic to get some rest between events.  In the lead-up to the event, as mentioned before, Ben Griffin stepped out, but also Adam Scott and Jacob Bridgeman.  The withdrawals have left only one player in the top 30 in the event, that being Ryan Gerard.  There was a late withdrawal with Will Zalatoris, but that was due to an injury he sustained on the field.  

Rumors About The Classic

With the withdrawals and the recent meetings of the PGA Future Competition Committee (FCC), fans and players are speculating that the Cognizant is on the chopping block.  The speculation also assumes that the players who withdrew or skipped the event have insider knowledge of the recent meetings.  It’s all part of Brian Rolapp’s plan to shorten the season to “own the summer,” and to not worry about competing with other sports like the NFL for viewership.  

Players do get the sense that the Cognizant’s days are numbered, especially with where it sits on the calendar.  Leaving the event overshadowed by The Players Championship later in March.  During the TGL, Billy Horschel lamented the state of the Cognizant in an interview.  He went on to state the following:

“It’s tough with any tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule, outside of Signature Events, due to a multitude of reasons,” Horschel said. “We had this issue before the Signature Events were around. We’ve always had this issue. A decade ago, this event was unbelievable with the field, but where it fell in the schedule was really good for a lot of the guys that lived here. … This field has sort of been up and down the last couple years. When you’ve got so many events on the PGA Tour schedule, and you’ve got guys trying to figure out where they’re going to fit, it’s tough to fill a field.”

Justin Thomas expresses a similar view, calling the situation a “bummer”.  He believes that the Cognizant’s place in the schedule is mostly to blame for its decline.  

The Future

The Cognizant Classic has existed in some form since 1972 and has often been the first for the Florida events.  However, since 2019, schedule changes and LIV Golf forcing the PGA’s hand have left the event completely overshadowed on the schedule.  The PGA Tour’s FCC is still drafting plans for future seasons, and there will be some events that won’t make it.  There is already speculation that the Hawaii events won’t make it, but now the Cognizant Classic may be in that boat, too.  For now, though, the Cognizant is underway, and the players on the field are still going for the gold.