The Cognizant Classic at PGA National – 2025 Preview

The PGA Tour journeys north to Florida for the “Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches” and the start of the Florida Swing. Previously known as the Honda Classic, the tournament will be hosted once again by the Champion course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Not only did the tournament name change last year, but the layout was also changed from a par-70 to a par-71 course with the 10th hole playing as a par 5 instead of a par 4.

Typically, PGA National has not been an easy introduction to the Florida Swing, annually ranking as one of the most difficult courses on Tour averaging +1.14 per round over the last five years. With fewer trees than other parkland courses and only seven miles off the Atlantic coast, PGA National is very exposed to windy conditions. That along with its plentiful water hazards and tricky hole designs has justified its reputation as one of the most challenging courses on Tour.

Before last year, the average winning score over the past 13 events had been -10. It had been the toughest non-major course on the PGA Tour in six of the past 10 seasons. But last year, the extra par 5 combined with ultra-soft greens allowed the course to play easier than ever with an average score of -0.90 per round. Also, Austin Eckroat shot -17, the best by a winner on the Champion course. A record 27 golfers shot 10-under or better. In the previous 17 tournaments at PGA National, only 11 total golfers shot 10-under or better. Last year, fairways were also expanded to an average of 32 yards wide. This year they have been narrowed back to their original average width of 28 yards.

The winner has either been a favorite or a longshot in 13 of the past 15 years. Part of the reason for the disparity in winners is that this tournament is one of the most volatile events on the Tour. Famous for its 15 holes with water danger. PGA National will favor golfers with a balance of short game and ball-striking who can avoid penalty areas, scramble for pars, and manage any windy conditions. It plays similarly to a major tournament and favors those players who demonstrate patience. As past champion, Keith Mitchell remarked, “You’ve got to stay so patient. A lot of times par is a good score. I don’t think you can play aggressively out here. If you do, I think it will eat you because this golf course is tough.”

Success here will also depend highly upon the player’s ability to navigate the closing stretch of intimidating holes, which is famously known as the “Bear Trap”. The 15th and 17th holes are long par-3s over water, while the 16th is a forced layup to another approach shot over water.

The Field

 

The Cognizant Classic provides the last opportunity for players to qualify for next week’s Signature event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Even though this event has not drawn the deepest of fields in the past, we have seen numerous high-profile winners including Sungjae Im, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Russell Henley, and Rory McIlroy. This year, however, one of the deepest fields in recent memory will assemble on the west Florida coast.

The field for this year’s Honda Classic is set at 144 golfers and includes five of the top-22 and 16 of the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Headliners included Shane Lowry, Sungjae Im, Russell Henley, Sepp Straka, Brian Harman, Cameron Young, and Jordan Spieth. Austin Eckroat returns to defend his title after putting on a ball-striking clinic last year gaining a combined 9.4 strokes off the tee and on approach. Other past winners in the field include Straka, Im, Henley, Chris Kirk, Keith Mitchell, Rickie Fowler, Camilo Villegas, and Matt Kuchar.

PGA National (Champion) – History

Designed by Tom and George Fazio, the Champion course at PGA National first opened in November of 1981. It was built with the specific purpose of hosting major tournament play and has become the home course for this event since 2007. The course has lived up to its purpose as it has hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship, and the Senior PGA Championship from 1982-2000.

The course received a complete redesign in 1990 from Jack Nicklaus. He returned for further renovations in 2002, 2014, and 2018. By the end of the third renovation, the course had been completely changed to the point that instead of a “Fazio-designed” course it is now known as a “Nicklaus-designed” course. Even the closing trio (holes 15-17) is now called the “Bear Trap” after the “Golden Bear” himself.

As Nicklaus himself said, “We didn’t just change the golf course, we basically designed a new one. For the most part, we kept the previous routing intact because most of the original land usage including the changes in direction were fine and it also made good economic sense. The basic objective of the redesign was to try to make the Champion course a more playable golf course.”

Nicklaus has become one of the premier course architects in golf. This includes courses played on the PGA Tour such as Muirfield Village, The Concession Golf Club, and Valhalla, each of which is similarly demanding and penal like PGA National.

Finish Position and Strokes Gained History at PGA National (2016-2024)

This includes the average finish position and Strokes Gained per round. Players are sorted by SG: Total.