The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches is the next stop on the PGA TOUR calendar as some of the best players in the world head to PGA National.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cognizant Classic: First Round Leader Picks
The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches is being played at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. PGA National is a par-71 course which ranges 7,223 yards. This is a full-field event with a standard 36-hole cut before the weekend. Most of the top players in the world are taking the week off following a signature event on the West Coast. The top golfers in the field are Shane Lowry, Ryan Gerard, the Hojgaard twins and Michael Thorbjornsen. This event is also a chance for Brooks Koepka to record his best finish since returning to the PGA TOUR, as it is a weaker field. Joe Highsmith is the defending champion and will be in the field as well.
Ryan Gerard FRL (+3800)
Ryan Gerard is having a great 2026 so far. In five events played, he has five cuts made, including a T11, a T2 and a solo runner-up finish. He was so close to winning at both the Sony Open and The American Express. Against a weak field at the Cognizant Classic, he has a great chance to finally get a win on the board. The key to success at PGA National is hitting irons close to the pin. There are hazards all over this course, especially on the Bear Trap. Avoiding bogeys or worse on those holes is essential in this tournament. Players who can birdie the Par 5s and avoid bogeys on the difficult Par 3s and Par 4s will sit atop the leaderboard after Thursday’s opening round.
Ryan Gerard has been one of the best iron players this year. He ranks eighth in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green in 2026. From 150-175 yards out, he ranks fifth in proximity to the hole. Those are the iron shots he will be hitting into the Par 4s here at PGA National. He is also a great putter, ranking 13th in total putting. Bogey avoidance is so important at PGA National, and Gerard ranks 10th on the PGA TOUR in bogey avoidance. Gerard has played well here in the past, finishing fourth and T25 in his two career starts at PGA National. Everything sets up for him to have a great opening round and a great tournament.
Michael Thorbjornsen FRL (+4200)
Michael Thorbjornsen is another great fit for this course. Thorbjornsen has had an up-and-down 2026 so far. However, when he’s on his game, he has been brilliant. He finished T3 at the WM Phoenix Open and T18 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Thorbjornsen missed the cut at The American Express after a blow-up round of 78 on Saturday. However, he shot a nice opening round score of 66 on Thursday. At the WM Phoenix Open, Thorbjornsen also had a great first round. He shot a 66, good enough for T3 at the end of the opening round. Michael Thorbjornsen ranks eighth on the PGA TOUR in opening round scoring average this season with an average score of 67.
Despite his great performance at the WM Phoenix Open, Thorbjornsen has made a career on his great finishes in weaker-field events like this one. Last year, he finished T2 at the Corales Puntacana Championship, T4 at the Zurich Classic, T4 at the Rocket Classic and third at the Baycurrent Classic. When the scoring is relatively easy and there are no big dogs to keep up with, Thorbjornsen thrives. Thorbjornsen has also done his best putting in opening rounds. He ranks ninth on the PGA TOUR in putts per round in Round 1, but outside of the top 100 in putts per round in every other round. He should come out of the gates strong and go low on Thursday.
