The second round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches has concluded, with the field of 144 being cut to 68 players. Players who did not score 137 (-5) or better over the first two rounds missed the cut and will not play the weekend. There were several notable names who missed the cut.
The highest-ranked player to miss the cut was Sungjae Im, who fired rounds of 68 and 70. Im made three bogeys on the back nine yesterday and sealed his fate with a two-over 38 on the back nine in his second round after teeing off on the tenth hole. He did fire a three-under 32 on the front nine, missing a 22-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth hole to miss the cut by a stroke.
Another former Presidents Cup player who made an early exit was Canadian Taylor Pendrith, whose 70 left him tied with Im at 138. After firing a one-under 34 on the front nine in his second round, he made the turn needing to make up one stroke in order to play the weekend. After a bogey at 14 hampered his chances significantly, he could only make three pars in the Bear Trap and failed to hole out from just off the green for eagle at the 18th.
Cameron Young won’t play the weekend either, as his disappointing par at the 18th left him in a tie with Im and Pendrith. Young’s roller-coaster round included three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine and three birdies and two bogeys on the back. Ultimately, he missed a birdie try from 15 feet on 18 that would’ve earned him two more tee times.
Among other notable names, Davis Thompson was a stroke behind at three under, and while he made a valiant effort rallying after a double-bogey at the 11th hole, his fate was ultimately sealed by another double-bogey on 4. Although he made six birdies in his second round, he was unable to overcome the two big numbers. Needing a miraculous hole-out from 109 yards on the ninth hole to make the cut, he simply put it to 16 feet, ending his chances.
While Im, Pendrith, Young, and Thompson won’t have a shot to lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon, Jake Knapp most certainly will. The 30-year-old fired a course-record 59 in the first round and holds a one-stroke lead over Mathieu Pavon through 36 holes after firing a one-under 70 in the second round. Knapp is currently the favorite to win the tournament, with +450 odds.
He hardly has the title wrapped up, though; there are nine players, including two former major champions, within four strokes of Knapp’s lead. Daniel Berger, who’s in a tie for third at 11-under, has the second-shortest odds (+600), while Michael Kim (T-3; +1000) and Pavon (+1100) are not far behind. 2007 Masters Tournament and 2015 Open Championship winner Zach Johnson is in a tie for fourth, three strokes back, and is an appealing long shot at +3500 to win. 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman is in a five-way tie for second at nine-under and has +2800 odds to win.
