To kick off the Florida swing, the PGA TOUR is hosting the Cognizant Classic this week, which is formerly known as the Honda Classic. The Cognizant Classic will be played at PGA National (par 71, 7,167, Bermuda greens) in Palm Beach Gardens, which has been the home of this event since 2007. Austin Eckroat (-17) is the defending champion of the Congnizant Classic after winning by three shots last season. This week presents a field of 144 golfers and there will be a top-65 and ties cut following the first two rounds.
PGA National is a Tom Fazio design that features narrow fairways, difficult-to-hold greens, 60 bunkers, and water in play on 15 holes. On top of the overabundance of hazards at PGA National, this course is very susceptible to wind with the track near the Florida coast. Being long isn’t necessary at PGA National as finding the fairway is far more important at this tricky venue, making it a true less-than-driver course. While driving stats aren’t a focus at PGA National, being in strong form with your irons is a must, as four of the past five winners at this par 71 have finished the tournament top-seven in SG APP. Also, being efficient on the challenging par fours at PGA National is essential for success here. Of the last four victors at PGA National, three have either led their field or finished second in par-four efficiency.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite sub $7.5K DraftKings bargain plays for the Cognizant Classic.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here:
PGA TOUR $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Lee Hodges ($7,400): You can’t go wrong with Hodges at this cheap salary. The veteran has only missed one cut in his last 10 starts and has five top-20 finishes during this run. Hodges has gained strokes on approach in nine of these past 10 starts and he has flashed great upside at PGA National in the past. Hodges has made two of three cuts at the track, including a T14 in 2023 and a T9 in 2022.
Hodges producing another top-20 finish at PGA National is absolutely possible this week and he is one of the best values available for the Cognizant Classic.
Bud Cauley ($7,300): Cauley is a Florida native who always looks forward to teeing it up at PGA National. Excluding his withdrawal in 2018, Cauley has made four straight cuts at this course, and three of these finishes have come inside the top-30. Just last season, the 34-year-old finished T21st at the Cognizant Classic and was leading the event after the second round, but a three-over 74 on Saturday held him back from contending. Cauley now returns to PGA National this week in impressive form, poised for another high finish at the famous par 71.
Cauley has made six of his last seven cuts and all of these finishes have been results of T34 or better. This includes a T21 at the WM Phoenix Open in his most recent start, in which he was one of only five golfers to gain strokes in every major category at TPC Scottsdale.
Ryan Gerard ($7,300): Gerard thrived in his first attempt at PGA National two years ago with a T4 finish. The 25-year-old was a full-time player on the Korn Ferry Tour back then, but now has his PGA TOUR card and sits 283 spots higher in the world golf rankings.
Gerard has yet to miss a cut in five starts this season and is coming off back-to-back impressive finishes. After finishing T15th at the Farmers Insurance Open, Gerard finished T17th at the Mexico Open last week. Gerard ranks 37th in SG APP and 29th in SGP this season, and he brings top-25 upside this week.
Jake Knapp ($7,300): Knapp’s strong start to this season continued at the Mexico Open this past week with a T25 finish, including a closing-round five-under 66. The 30-year-old has now made five consecutive cuts with four finishes of T33rd or better during this run. The main reason for Knapp’s success has been his excellent ball striking, as he has gained strokes on approach at every event during this current cut streak.
Knapp will now look to carry this momentum over to PGA National, where he shined in his debut at the track last year, finishing T4th. Knapp carded a pair of five-under 66s during this impressive start, and while we can’t expect another top-five finish, Knapp should safely make the cut this week and is a tremendous bargain at this low salary.
