Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches Picks and Predictions (Alex Noren is Perfect Course Fit)
After a pit stop South of the border for the Mexico Open, the PGA Tour will head to Florida for the Cognizant Classic, formerly known as the Honda Classic.
Despite it not being a signature event, this tournament has constantly provided exciting finishes on an interesting course at PGA National. This week's field also boasts some big names, most notably Rory McIlroy, who will be making his third PGA Tour this season.
Let's dive into the tournament and then I'll break down my three best outright bets to win.
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Cognizant Classic odds
Cognizant Classic how to watch
- Thursday: 2 pm - 6 pm EST (Golf Channel/Peacock)
- Friday: 2 pm - 6 pm EST (Golf Channel/Peacock)
- Saturday: 1 pm - 3 pm EST (Golf Channe/Peacock), 3 pm - 6 pm EST (NBC)
- Sunday: 1 pm - 3 pm EST (Golf Channel/Peacoack), 3 pm - 6 pm EST (CNBC)
Cognizant Classic Purse
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 29 - Sunday, March 3
- Purse: $9 million ($1.620 million winner's share)
- Defending champion: Chris Kirk
Cognizant Classic Notable Golfers in the Field
Rory McIlroy: There's no doubting that Rory McIlroy is the best player in the field and he's a former winner of this event, capturing it back in 2012. This will be his first time competing at PGA National since 2018 when he finished T59 at this event. He hasn't had a great start to his 2024 PGA Tour season, finishing T66 at Pebble Beach and T24 at the Genesis Invitational.
Chris Kirk: The defending champion, Chris Kirk, will make his return to the Cognizant Classic having won it in a playoff against Eric Cole last season. He's also coming into this event having already won in 2024 at The Sentry. Can he successfully defend his title at PGA National?
Cognizant Classic Picks
Alex Noren +7000
PGA National is one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour's schedule and succeeding at it is more about surviving by limiting mistakes than it is racking up birdies. That's exactly what Alex Noren does best. He is 138th on the PGA Tour in birdie average but sixth (including first in the field), in bogey avoidance. He also ranks 12th in the field in putting on Bermuda greens, which is what PGA National has.
That's why you'll see two top-five finishes when you take a peek at his course history, finishing T5 here last season and third in 2018. He hasn't played fantastic golf so far this season, but he has been consistent, finishing T26 or better in five of his last eight starts including a second-place finish at the Bermuda Championship in November and the Shriner's Children's Open in October. As of writing this article, he's available at +7000 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Billy Horschel +10000
It's rare that we get someone with as recognizable a name as Billy Horschel at 100/1 at an event that has a relatively weak field and while he hasn't played his best golf of late, there are a lot of reasons to like him this week.
First of all, he putts his best on Bermuda greens, ranking 11th in the field in putting on Bermuda grass. He also has had some solid results at this event, with four finishes of T16 or better including a T4 here in 2017.
Lastly, he has struggled to get birdies this season, but he has still been able to save a ton of pars, ranking tied for 25th in Tour in bogey avoidance. He's a fantastic value bet at 100/1.
Chesson Hadley +10000
We're sticking with the longshots this week and Chesson Hadley fits the bill I'm looking for. He ranks 26th in the field in putting on Bermuda and he's tied for 25th on Tour, along with Horschel, in terms of bogey avoidance. He has also finished in the top 30 in four of his eight starts at this event.
It's also promising that he's coming into this event off a solid T24 finish at the Mexico Open. He's another solid bet at 100/1,
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!