PGA TOUR Returns to Florida for Cognizant Classic at PGA National

Joe Highsmith returns to PGA National as the defending champion, and he’s got quite a story to tell from last year’s victory. The 2025 champion made the cut on the number Friday with a slippery 5-footer, then proceeded to post back-to-back 64s on the weekend to claim his maiden PGA TOUR title by two strokes over Jacob Bridgeman and J.J. Spaun.

If Highsmith can defend his title this week, he’ll become the first player to win consecutive Cognizant Classics since Jack Nicklaus accomplished the feat in 1977-78. That’s some serious history on the line.

What made Highsmith’s win even more remarkable was that he became the first player on TOUR to win after making the cut on the number since Brandt Snedeker at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open. He also recorded the lowest weekend score in PGA National history with those two 64s.

Gerard Riding High After Hot Start

Ryan Gerard enters the week as the highest-ranked player in the field, sitting at No. 7 in the FedExCup standings and No. 26 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The 26-year-old Jupiter resident has been on fire to start 2026, posting back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii and The American Express.

Gerard’s connection to this tournament runs deep. Back in 2023, he qualified as an Open Qualifier and finished solo fourth, becoming the first Open Qualifier to crack the top five on TOUR since Doc Redman’s runner-up at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic. That performance earned him Special Temporary Membership and eventually led to his first PGA TOUR title at last year’s Barracuda Championship.

With three top-25 finishes and five made cuts in five starts this season, Gerard is making a strong case that his breakout 2025 campaign was no fluke.

Koepka Returns Home

West Palm Beach native Brooks Koepka will tee it up at PGA National for the eighth time in his career. The nine-time PGA TOUR winner and five-time major champion has made two starts since rejoining the TOUR through the Returning Member Program, finishing T56 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open.

Koepka’s best finish at this event came in 2019 when he tied for second. Playing in front of a home crowd could provide the spark he needs to get his 2026 season on track.

Lowry Continues Strong Run at PGA National

Shane Lowry has been one of the most consistent performers at this tournament in recent years. The three-time PGA TOUR winner owns three top-five finishes in his last four starts here, including a runner-up in 2022, T5 in 2023 and T4 in 2024. He followed that up with a T11 last year.

The World No. 31 opened his season with back-to-back top-25 finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T8) and The Genesis Invitational (T24). As the second-highest ranked player in the field behind Gerard, Lowry will be looking to finally break through and claim his first Cognizant Classic title.

Young Guns Looking to Make Their Mark

Luke Clanton returns to PGA National after a T18 finish here last year as an amateur. That made cut earned him the 20th point he needed in the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program to secure PGA TOUR membership. The 22-year-old from Hialeah, Florida turned professional in June 2025 after foregoing his senior season at Florida State.

Clanton is seeking his first made cut of the season in his fourth start. Despite the slow start to 2026, the former Florida State star has shown he belongs at this level with four top-10 finishes in 29 career PGA TOUR starts, including a pair of T2s at the 2024 John Deere Classic and 2024 RSM Classic.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Blades Brown will make his second start of the season as a sponsor exemption after a T18 at The American Express, where he fired a second-round 60 in the California desert.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Spots Up for Grabs

This week represents the final chance for players to earn their way into the next Signature Event through the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10. Michael Thorbjornsen leads the Aon Swing 5 standings with 171 points, followed by Nicolai Højgaard (162.3), Haotong Li (139.214), Stephan Jaeger (131.5) and Kevin Roy (111.5).

The top five FedExCup points earners across five tournaments (Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open, WM Phoenix Open and Cognizant Classic) will qualify for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. With only one event remaining in this stretch, the pressure is on for players on the bubble.

The Course

PGA National’s Champion Course has been lengthened by about 100 yards from last year and now plays at 7,223 yards as a par 71. Water comes into play on 15 of the 18 holes, including the iconic Bear Trap stretch from holes 15-17.

This marks the 20th anniversary of the event being contested at PGA National, a venue that has also hosted the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship. The course record of 265 was set by Highsmith last year, while Jake Knapp holds the 18-hole record with his opening-round 59 in 2025.

The tournament offers 500 FedExCup points to the winner and a purse of $9.6 million, with $1,728,000 going to the champion.

With so many compelling storylines converging at PGA National this week, the Cognizant Classic promises to deliver plenty of drama as players battle for a title, FedExCup points and spots in the next Signature Event.