DraftKings PGA DFS Picks: Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches Cash and GPP Strategy

This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.

COGNIZANT CLASSIC IN THE PALM BEACHES

Purse: $9.6M
Winner's Share: $1.728M
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Course: PGA National (Champion)
Yardage: 7,223
Par: 71
2025 champion: Joe Highsmith

Tournament Preview

The PGA Tour calendar has a cadence to it, a rhythm. The West Coast Swing is now in the rearview mirror. The four-event Florida Swing is upon us. Then comes a two-tournament stop in Texas and, before you know it, it's Masters week.

Not only is there a cadence and a rhythm to it, but there's a familiarity, something golf fans could set their watches to, if, you know, we all still had watches we actually had to set. What will happen to that rhythm once the Tour overhauls and shrinks its schedule, perhaps as soon as next year? Nobody knows.

But whatever the Tour decides, it seems a safe bet that the Florida Swing, which annually begin with the Honda -- um, the Cognizant -- will stay in the late winter/spring window, before the Sunshine State's muggy, oppressive summer heat takes hold.

Cognizant is one of the title sponsors that has multiple years left on its agreement with the Tour, so presumably it will be around for years to come. In looking at all the agreements, it's hard to see where the Tour will cut tournaments, as it reportedly is looking to do.

This tournament has traditionally led off the Florida Swing, and it also used to annually have a tremendous field. The Cognizant-nee-Honda had an OWGR strength-of-field rating in the mid-400s in 2015, but five years later it had plummeted into the mid-200s. The drip-drip-drip of good players exiting eventually became too much for Honda and the automaker bowed out three years ago.

To wit: The past five champions have been Joe Highsmith, Austin Eckroat, Chris Kirk, Sepp Straka and Matt Jones. That would be a good trivia question, hard to answer for all but the most ardent of golf fans.

There could very well be another relative unknown winner this week, given the 123-man field. With Ben Griffin and Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman withdrawing Monday, there are no golfers ranked among the top 25 of the OWGR in the field, and just eight of the top 50. And, since both golfers exited after DraftKings published their prices, there are also no players in the $10,000s this week. Adam Scott, who was No. 5 on the DK board, also pulled out post-pricing. Good times.

Thankfully for tournament organizers, they do have one big name: Brooks Koepka. Back on Tour after years with LIV Golf, Koepka will play many "regular" events, since he has committed to at least 15 tournaments and is not yet eligible for the Signature Events. The Cognizant folk were hoping for another big get in Justin Thomas, who said he planned to return from back surgery during the Florida Swing, but it's not this week (though he did play TGL on Monday). They also just missed on 2020 winner Sungjae Im, who said he will return from a wrist injury next week at Bay Hill.

So who else are the big names here, at the one tournament in a five-week stretch that isn't a Signature Event? It's a bit subjective, but we'll take a shot: Shane Lowry, Michael Thorbjornsen, Will Zalatoris, Billy Horschel and Max Homa.

PGA National is a a 1981 Tom and George Fazio design, and it hasn't changed a lot through the years. There's still water, water everywhere, wind normally exceeding 15 mph and strategically placed bunkers, though there are only 60 total on the course.

The greens are large at an average of 7,000 square feet, though most of the golfers are just happy to be done with the Poa of the West Coast and back on their beloved bermudagrass.

Of course, the highlight is the three-hole Bear Trap, Nos. 15-17, two par-3s sandwiching a par-4. On each of them, there is water on every full-length shot, and the trepidation is real. The golfers used to be able to exhale a bit on a relatively short par-5 18th, but they have bulked that up by 30ish yards this year to 591. No. 2 has also been lengthened by 20 yards to 484. They also upped the rough across the course from two and a half inches to three.

Last year, No. 6, at 479 yards, was actually the hardest hole (it plays as a par-5 for the members). But the 434-yard 16th and 179-yard 15th followed. There were 33 double bogeys or worse on 15 alone and 20 on No. 6.

Even with few big names on hand, golf fans used to be able to at least count on the carnage of PGA National. With water on 15 holes, about 5,000 golf balls have gotten wet over the past two decades, roughly 250 per year. But now, even with the Bear Trap, the course has mysteriously lost a lot of its teeth. There were 131 double bogeys and 16 triples or worse last year, but that was way down from other years. There wasn't a single round in the 80s.

The course has gotten easier every year this decade and last year ranked 36th out of 51 among all courses on Tour. At the beginning of the decade, it was the third hardest.

Highsmith won last year at 19-under, following Eckroat at 17-under and Kirk at 14-under. This now appears to be a trend. In the prior dozen years, no score was better than 12-under and the winner was often in single digits, with PGA National one of the hardest tracks on Tour.

Two years ago, the beastly 508-yard par-10th was converted into a third par-5, and a shorter one at that, now 550 yards. So that may account for some of the scoring change.

As for the weather, overnight temperatures from Monday into Tuesday actually dipped into the 30s. But by tournament time, it'll be far warmer, with highs of around 80 every day. It's forecast to be moderately windy every day, and rain is coming to some degree on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Key Stats to Winning at PGA National

The most important indicators every week are current form and course history. "Key Stats" follow in importance.

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee/Driving Accuracy/Ball Striking
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green/SG: Approach/Greens in Regulation
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Approaches from 150-175 yards

Past Champions

2025 – Joe Highsmith
2024 – Austin Eckroat
2023 – Chris Kirk
2022 – Sepp Straka
2021 – Matt Jones
2020 – Sungjae Im
2019 – Keith Mitchell
2018 – Justin Thomas
2017 – Rickie Fowler
2016 - Adam Scott

Champion's Profile

They have made some changes to try to make PGA National hard again, lengthening Nos. 2 and 18 and also the rough. But it remains to be seen whether that's enough to blunt scoring.

Highsmith shot 65-72-64-64. He had 25 birdies and an eagle, vs. four bogeys and two doubles. He ranked 11th in SG: Off-the-Tee, including 14th in driving accuracy, plus 23rd in Approach, 28th in Around-the-Green and seventh in Putting. Good all-around numbers.

Bridgeman and J.J. Spaun finished two back at 17-under. Bridgeman had 21 birdies and one eagle, opposite six bogeys. For Spaun, 21 birdies, 2 bogeys and 1 double. Both were outside the top-40 in driving accuracy and didn't have good approach numbers. That blueprint would never fly at the PGA National years ago.

So the model of approaching this week as one of bogey avoidance rather than making birdies needs to be reevaluated, if not forgotten.

Eckroat didn't drive the ball far in his victory year, but that's not needed to succeed at PGA National. However, he was third in fairways hit to rank fourth in SG: Off-the-Tee. He was also first in greens in regulation, fifth in SG: Approach and second in SG: Putting. Eckroat won by three strokes.

While putting has not always correlated to winning, a really good way to avoid a big number is to sink a 10-foot putt for par, or bogey.

Golfodds.com posted the over/under on the winning score at 267.5 -- 16.5 under par. 

DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS

Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap

$9,000-$9.900

Shane Lowry - $9,900 (Winning odds at the DraftKings Sportsbook: +1950)
Lowry will be highly owned in all formats. Outside of Koepka, he's the most accomplished golfer in the field. He's been outstanding in this tournament, with top-5s three years' running before last season's tie for 11th. He's off to a good start in 2026 -- a tie for eighth at Pebble Beach followed by a T24 at Riviera. If you feel strongly about Lowry in DFS, don't go away from him out of ownership concerns. You have five other picks to separate yourself from the masses. One-and-done might be another story.

Ryan Gerard - $9,700 (+1950)
Gerard is the co-betting favorite along with Lowry. He's really come into his own over the past six months or so, yet already had a good track record at PGA National. He finished fourth in 2023 and tied for 25th last year. Gerard is not a long hitter -- he's not short, either -- but is very accurate off the tee. Plus he's eighth in SG: Approach and just outside the top-50 in SG: Putting.

Nicolai Hojgaard - $9,400 (+2150)
Hojgaard struggled mightily in his first two seasons on Tour. This season, however, he seems to be finding his footing. He tied for 22nd at the Farmers, then for third at Phoenix. Hojgaard leads the Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee, is 17th on Approach, seventh on Tee-to-Green and 30th in Putting. Strong all around. He tied for 18th here a year ago. The key for him this week -- which he surely knows -- will keeping his booming drives in the fairway.

$8,000-$8,900

Davis Thompson - $8,600 (+3500)
If Thompson could putt even a lick, we'd be talking about him in a far different manner. He is a long driver, is ranked 21st in SG: Approach and 20th in Tee-to-Green. But he's also 162nd in Putting. That often adds up to a top-25 but not a top-10. In this field, however, his chances of a high finish are far better.

Max McGreevy - $8,200 (+4300)
McGreevy is one of the Tour's ironmen, having played in all six tournaments so far this season and now a seventh. He's had three top-30s, including in the Pebble Beach Signature Event. He missed the cut last week at Riviera, which may not be a terrible thing -- it gave him a bit of a breather before playing PGA National, where he tied for fourth last year. McGreevy is very short off the tee but highly accurate, which is a good trade-off at this track.

Haotong Li - $8,100 (+4700)
Now 30, Li made it to the PGA Tour this season via last year's performance on the DP World Tour. So, he's making the most of it. He made the cut at the Sony, then tied for eighth at the Amex and 11th at the Farmers -- on entirely different courses. He missed the cut at Phoenix. Li is ranked top-10 on Tour in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green -- he's a highly accurate driver -- and top-25 in Approach. Those are great numbers. Yes, he's 129th in Putting, but we suspect that standing will improve in this weak field.

$7,000-$7,900

Max Homa - $7,900 (+5000)
Is this the week that Homa can notch his first top-25 of the season? He just missed at the Amex in a field far better than this one. He showed some signs of progress during the fall with a top-10 at two top-20s, but it hasn't continued into 2026. Homa has improved on his biggest trouble spot: his driver. His numbers across are better than average except in SG: Around-the-Green. Really, in this field, those are not bad numbers, and our model envisions a top-20.

Jordan Smith - $7,800 (+5300)
The veteran Englishman is on the PGA Tour via the DP World Tour. In making three of four cuts, he's had some good weeks -- T27 at the Amex, T16 at Phoenix. He's ranked top-40 on Tour in both SG: Approach and Off-the-Tee, and he's sixth in greens in regulation.

Johnny Keefer - $7,800 (+5200)
Keefer was the top guy on the Korn Ferry Tour last season. He's gotten off to a fair-to-middling start as a PGA Tour member. He's made all four of his cuts, though without a top-25. Keefer is ranked top-10 on Tour in both SG: Off-the-Tee and Approach, which isn't something you see every day. It's the shorter clubs that give him trouble. He's ranked 137th in SG: Putting. There's a lot to like about his game, and it's easy to see where he needs to improve.

John Parry - $7,500 (+6300)
The 39-year-old Parry is another English import from the DP World Tour. He hasn't missed a cut in four starts this season. He's ranked 11th in greens in regulation and 35th in Putting. In this field, that could get you in the Hall of Fame.

Sam Ryder - $7,300 (+12000)
Ryder is an interesting consideration. He's made only two starts so far and made both cuts. In that small sample size, he sits top-5 on Tour in both SG: Approach and Putting. Can't recall ever seeing that before. But his driver is causing all sorts of havoc. Ryder has played PGA National five times and made every cut, with a top-25 two years ago and two earlier top-10s.

$6,000-$6,900

Beau Hossler - $6,900 (+9800)
You don't often see a guy who hasn't made a cut yet this season with odds at under 100-1 to win. But in this field, yeah. Hossler missed the Sony cut on the number and the Farmers by two shots so he's ... close? Again, remember the quality of this field. Besides, Hossler has played the Honda five times and made the weekend every time -- T32 last year, T28 the year before with an earlier T16. His 2026 stats are not that bad -- ranked 56th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 27th in SG: Putting.

Austin Smotherman - $6,500 (+13500)
We normally wouldn't go nowhere near a guy who has missed three cuts in four starts so far this season, but if he's ranked third on Tour in the all-important SG: Approach category, we'll make an exception. The one cash for Smotherman was a top-10 at the Amex. Our model likes him a lot, even though he's statistically one of the worst putters in the field. As a reminder, more than half the field will make the cut, and that means a lot of $6,000s. 

Finalizing your lineups for the Cognizant Classic? See how they look in RotoWire's PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer.