The Florida Swing tees off this week on the PGA Tour as players travel to a familiar location in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Taking to PGA National once again, competitors will face a true Florida test as water hazards are riddled throughout the property and big scores are lurking around every corner at the 2025 Cognizant Classic.
A number of former tournament winners hope to add another Cognizant Classic trophy to their mantles as Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka, Keith Mitchell, Rickie Fowler and Russell Henley headline the list of those who have entered the winner’s circle previously. Straka was among those to star during the West Coast Swing; he won at the American Express and nearly did the same at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am before ultimately falling short.
While they may not have raised a trophy during the first two months of the season, players such as Shane Lowry, Daniel Berger, Taylor Pendrith and Denny McCarthy all flashed some form and appear keen on contending on the this side of the country. Lowry and Berger not only notched runner-up results the last couple months but also grabbed one at this very event a couple seasons ago.
While others may have experience at PGA National, a pair of big names do not. Jordan Spieth makes his tournament debut as the three-time major champion was a late addition to the tournament, aiming to play his way into next week’s signature event at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Meanwhile, amateur Luke Clanton received a sponsor’s exemption and is just a made cut away from securing his full-time PGA Tour status via the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program.
2025 Cognizant Classic schedule
Dates: Feb. 27 – Mar. 2
Location: PGA National Resort (The Champion Course) — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Par: 71 | Yardage: 7,167
Purse: $9,200,000
Scottie Scheffler’s unsteady play, Xander Schauffele’s return lead storylines to follow during Florida Swing
Patrick McDonald
2025 Cognizant Classic field, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Shane Lowry (20-1): It has been just about a decade since Lowry has won a golf tournament in the United States on his own (he did win the Zurich Classic with Rory McIlroy last season). It has not been for lack of trying, as he came close at Pebble Beach and has come close a number of times at PGA National. The Irishman has finished runner-up, T5 and T4 in his last three appearances at the Cognizant Classic and has his game in good enough order to replicate those results this week.
- Sungjae Im (22-1): After getting off to a beautiful start to his season with top-five finishes at the Sentry and the Farmers Insurance Open, Im fell flat in February. The world No. 22 has failed to register a top-30 finish in his last three starts as his iron play is beginning to trend in the wrong direction. He’ll need those clubs to cooperate if he is to grab his third PGA Tour victory and first since 2021.
- Russell Henley (22-1): Henley isn’t sneaking into this tournament under the radar. A winner in 2014, the world No. 17 arrives with plenty of form in his corner as he contended at the Sony Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. His driving numbers do not jump off the page, but his accuracy should come in handy and make up for his lack of pop off the tee. He’s due for a win, and this week would make so much sense.
- Sepp Straka (25-1): There were few players better than Straka across the first two months of the season. Not only did he fend off Justin Thomas at the American Express, but he nearly did the same to Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach. Squandering his 54-hole lead on the Monterey Peninsula, the Austrian settled for a top-10 result before claiming a top-20 finish at the WM Phoenix Open. Straka has a victory and top-five finish across the last three playings of this tournament.
- Daniel Berger (28-1): The former U.S. Ryder Cup member is beginning to look like his old self. Berger narrowly retained his PGA Tour card this fall thanks to a runner-up finish at the RSM Classic and has carried the momentum into the new year. He finished a distant runner-up to Thomas Detry in Scottsdale and quietly finished inside the top 15 at the Genesis Invitational. Berger has experienced a number of close calls at PGA National and is trending towards the winner’s circle.
- Taylor Pendrith (28-1)
- Keith Mitchell (35-1)
- Denny McCarthy (35-1)
- Min Woo Lee (35-1)
- Kurt Kitayama (35-1)
2025 Cognizant Classic predictions
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