X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2024 Cognizant Classic - PGA National - Champion Course Preview and Breakdown

Hello and welcome to my official course and tournament preview piece for the 2024 Congnizant Classic of the Palm Beaches held at PGA National Resort in West Palm Beach, FL. The goal each week is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth look at the specs of the golf course to help you best understand historical trends and stat profiles that have proven to be indicators of success at this tournament in the past. The golf course is the ever-changing variable week to week on the PGA Tour and it is pivotal to understand the specs in great detail while researching the tournament.

We have a solid amount of data and course analytics to properly make some assessments regarding advantageous player skill sets and course setup specifics.  While the tournament has a new lead sponsor, we have a great understanding of exactly what this golf course is going to present us with this week and indicators of potential success in players. Let's dig into some specifics of the golf couse in an attempt to isolate players best suited for success at the Cognizant Classic.

 

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

An Introduction to the Course

First things first, this is my favorite event on the PGA Tour schedule. It's held in my backyard and I have attended multiple days of this tournament every year for the last 10+ years. PGA National Resort is a staple in South Florida and features 5 different courses, most notably the Champion Course which has hosted this event (previously the Honda Classic). The Champion Course is a signature Jack Nicklaus design that embodies Florida golf.

An abundance of water and missed fairway penalty, stringent bunkers that protect the bailout areas, and ultra-slick Bermuda grass greens are the defining features that create such a difficult challenge for Tour pros. I had Denny McCarthy on my podcast during the offseason and asked him point blank what makes PGA National so hard, he said "the wind just swirls and makes it so difficult, you have to take on the water because the bail-out areas are really difficult to get up and down out of". He expands on much more if you want to check out the full interview on Youtube.

Players will of course have to tackle the infamous Bear Trap, which includes 2 of the 3 toughest par 3's that we see all year. Both have the entire right side of the green protected by water and you will see plenty of players going in the drink over this stretch that has proven to be one of the most difficult 3-hole stretches on the schedule. I'm excited for the first leg of the East Coast Florida swing beginning this week, and be prepared to wake up to your players being 3 over par in full-tilt Season!

One important note, Nicklaus came back in 2018 to rework and expand all the greens on the Champion Course. They now average over 7,000 sq ft on average and they have been able to access some new tricky pin locations that would not have previously existed. They have also bumped to the tees up substantially on Hole #17 to accommodate a triple-decker stadium behind the tee box which has made the hole significantly easier. While there is a ton of history for many players at this course, I would be hesitant to reach back any further than 2018 if you are seeking predictability.

Recent Winners

2023: Chris Kirk -14

2022: Sepp Straka -10

2021: Matt Jones -12

2020: Sungjae Im -6

2019: Keith Mitchell -9

2018: Justin Thomas -8

 

The Scorecard - The Champion Course - PGA National

NOTE: They have changed #10 to a par-5 and added roughly 20 yards to the hole. My thoughts here:

 

Course Specs

I genuinely feel like I have a better understanding for this particular course than any other on the PGA Tour. I have seen these shots, and I have hit these shots. It's really as complete a test of Ballstriking as any that we see. That said, it doesn't mean that it is necessarily predictable in nature at this event because of the enhanced volatility on a single bad swing and the impact it can have. Therefore, I don't do a ton of diving into course history this week.

One tidbit that I have always noticed is the penalty for missing right of the fairways Off The Tee. The following holes have nearly the entire right side of the fairway protected by either water or white stake OB; Holes #2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18! If you are a player who plays for their miss to that side, you could be in for a tough week. I think it's no coincidence when you look at players like Chris Kirk, Eric Cole, Sepp Straka, and Matt Jones that they are players with a pretty hefty draw bias.

The uniqueness of Florida golf is something locals pry on and Northerners detest whenever it comes to playing in this state. It's the grass. The strain of Bermuda that can withstand the heat and year around play is a thick strand of grass. If you are not familiar, it will cause fits. You have to account for the grain on nearly every shot both on and around the greens and the impact is immense. For players that live here locally or grew up in the SouthEast, this next month on the schedule will present a decent advantage.

The fairways play much wider than they may first appear. The landing areas are pretty generous should you make the correct club selection. The rough is generally not too bad, but the trouble lies in the water and densely packed trees with pine straw in certain areas. Accuracy is an absolute must this week. Here is the GCSAA sheet and numbers from last years Honda Classic for reference.

 

Statistical Considerations

This is a golf course that separates the strong and the weak based on mid-iron play. Like I mentioned earlier, the water comes into play nearly the entire back-9 and borders every green. The bunker bail-out regions are extremely tough, so you just have to step in and hit great shots from 125-200 yards consistently. Over two thirds of all approach shots this week will come from within that range. You don't have to go crazy low or -20 under par to win here, the recipe is just continue to pound greens in regulation and give yourself makable looks on the par 5's.

The sneaky stat this week in my opinion will just be sheer distance. This is not a Driver heavy course like we saw at Vidanta last week and players may only Driver on 7-8 holes. That said, it's hard to ignore the correlation between distance and players that have won here in the past. Players that hit it further but struggle with accuracy is something that you may think would struggle at a course like this, but we have seen these players leverage a major advantage if they are simply able to manage their Driver and step on the gas when needed.

Anytime we get to a difficult setup, I always put an increased model emphasis on short scrambling and ARG stats. Par is a very good score at PGA National on most occasions, so the ability to get yourself up and down for Par when you miss greens in regulation is paramount to success. It ranks as one of the highest correlated courses with sand save percentage annually as well. Familiarity with chipping on Bermuda Grass and playing in these relatively flat bunkers that have very little sand floor is a major plus this week.

Five of the last 6 winners have finished Top-10 in the year before winning this event which would suggest that course history could be more important than I originally thought. At the same time, every Champion from the last 10 years has also missed a cut here within three years of winning, so it clearly goes both ways. I'm going to ignore course form here for the most part, and just focus on the best course fits based on their current stats.

Approach shot distribution from 2023 at PGA National via Datagolf:

Radar Plot Spider Chart for the Champion Course:

 

Players With The Best Course Fit Ratings for the Cognizant Classic:

10. Akshay Bhatia

9. Austin Eckroat

8. Ben Griffin

7. Michael Kim

6. Ben Silverman

5. Eric Cole

4. Stephan Jaeger

3. Billy Horschel

2. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

  1. JT Poston

*All data based on last 30 rounds strokes gained data

 

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rafael Devers1 hour ago

Wilyer Abreu Starting On Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.1 hour ago

Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Run Less To Stay Healthy
Brooks Raley1 hour ago

Drawing Interest On Market
Miguel Ullola2 hours ago

Has Right Shoulder Discomfort
Matt Waldron2 hours ago

Diagnosed With Oblique Strain
Endy Rodríguez2 hours ago

Endy Rodriguez Expected To Begin Season With Triple-A
Eeli Tolvanen2 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG2 hours ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic2 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl3 hours ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien3 hours ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson3 hours ago

Exits On Friday
Carlos Estévez10 hours ago

Carlos Estevez Feels Great After Cactus League Debut
Jon Gray10 hours ago

Leaves Game Friday After Being Hit By Comebacker
Kevin Porter Jr.11 hours ago

Expected To Be Available Saturday
Atlanta Falcons11 hours ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Damian Lillard11 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo11 hours ago

Probable For Saturday
Lonzo Ball11 hours ago

Remains Out For Saturday
Indianapolis Colts11 hours ago

Colts Sign Corey Ballentine To One-Year Deal On Friday
Trendon Watford12 hours ago

Will Miss Saturday's Game
Chet Holmgren12 hours ago

Resting Versus Detroit
Nicolas Claxton12 hours ago

Resting On Saturday
Pittsburgh Steelers12 hours ago

Brandin Echols Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Josh Giddey12 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Saturday
Noah Clowney12 hours ago

To Remain Out Against Celtics
Kenny Yeboah12 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Lions
Avery Williams12 hours ago

Signs With Eagles
Cam Thomas12 hours ago

Sits Out First Leg Of Back-To-Back Saturday
Jalen Williams12 hours ago

Still Out On Saturday
Coby White12 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday
Kene Nwangwu12 hours ago

Jets Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu To One-Year Deal
Cody Martin12 hours ago

Cleared To Return Friday
Eli White12 hours ago

Appears Likely To Open Season In Utility Role
Trey Lyles12 hours ago

Misses Friday's Game Due To Back Soreness
Tommy Henry12 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Grayson Allen12 hours ago

Not Playing Friday
Trey Jemison III12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Nuggets
Blake Walston12 hours ago

To Have Tommy John Surgery
Jacob Misiorowski12 hours ago

Brewers Reassign Jacob Misiorowski To Minor-League Camp
Gabe Vincent12 hours ago

Sits Out Friday's Game
Nick Richards12 hours ago

Sitting Out On Friday
Dorian Finney-Smith13 hours ago

Sidelined On Friday
Erik Swanson13 hours ago

Diagnosed With "Median Nerve Entrapment"
Domantas Sabonis13 hours ago

Back In Action On Friday
Shane Baz13 hours ago

Not Worried About Spring Training Results
Zeke Nnaji13 hours ago

Active On Friday
Mason Adams14 hours ago

Exits With Elbow Injury
Will Klein14 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Tacoma
Simi Fehoko14 hours ago

Signing With Cardinals
Kylen Granson14 hours ago

Headed To Philadelphia
Jared Shuster15 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Sterling Shepard15 hours ago

Remaining With Buccaneers
José Buttó15 hours ago

Jose Butto Dealing With Groin Injury
Cincinnati Bengals15 hours ago

Bengals Not Ruling Out Trey Hendrickson Extension
Wenceel Pérez15 hours ago

Wenceel Perez Receives Injection, Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day
Jose Trevino15 hours ago

Exits Early On Friday
Cooper Kupp15 hours ago

Signing With Seahawks
Jake Cronenworth15 hours ago

Not Expected To Play First Base
Karel Vejmelka16 hours ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf16 hours ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Mikael Backlund16 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Sam Colangelo16 hours ago

Deemed Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Michael Bunting16 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Dante Fowler Jr. Heading Back To Cowboys
Andrei Svechnikov17 hours ago

Expected To Return Next Week
Nikolaj Ehlers17 hours ago

Good To Go Against Stars
Buffalo Bills17 hours ago

Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht Both Facing Six-Game PED Suspensions
Tee Higgins18 hours ago

Bengals Making Headway On Contracts For Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase
Ben Skowronek18 hours ago

Back With Steelers
Minnesota Vikings18 hours ago

Eric Wilson Returns To Minnesota
Pharaoh Brown18 hours ago

Heading To Miami
Minnesota Vikings18 hours ago

Justin Skule Signs With Vikings
Mackenzie Blackwood19 hours ago

Battling Illness, Not Starting On Friday
Rasmus Ristolainen19 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Lian Bichsel19 hours ago

Not Playing On Friday
Josh Norris20 hours ago

Undergoing Evaluation
JJ Peterka20 hours ago

Not Playing On Saturday
Neal Pionk20 hours ago

Viewed As Week-To-Week
Kareem Hunt20 hours ago

Chiefs Bring Back Kareem Hunt On One-Year Deal
Philadelphia Eagles20 hours ago

Eagles Open To Trading Bryce Huff
Cooper Kupp20 hours ago

Asking For $15 Million Per Year
Roman Dolidze1 day ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori1 day ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani1 day ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos1 day ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez1 day ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson1 day ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Quinton Byfield1 day ago

Scores In Fifth Straight Game
Jesper Bratt1 day ago

Posts Second Straight Three-Point Performance
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay1 day ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA1 day ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos1 day ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman3 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard3 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips3 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith3 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter3 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young3 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim3 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy4 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA4 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman4 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee4 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Power-Steering Failure Foils Tyler Reddick's Bid For Potential Victory
William Byron5 days ago

Recovers From Being Trapped A Lap Down To Finish Sixth
Josh Berry5 days ago

Gives Wood Brothers Team Best Run Since 2021
Alex Pereira5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev5 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Scores His Third Consecutive Victory Of The Season At Phoenix
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Strong Phoenix Performance Falls Short Of Victory
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Quietly Earns A Top-Five Finish At Phoenix
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Leaves Phoenix With His Best Finish At The Site Since 2016
Zane Smith5 days ago

Quietly Nabs His First Phoenix Top-10 Finish
Jalin Turner5 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo5 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos5 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Aaron Jones - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Staying Put - Impact Players Re-signed: Aaron Jones, Zach Ertz, Jaylen Warren, more

NFL free agency is a frenzy. As football fans, we love to see the movement around the league. It allows us to dream about the possibility of our team signing a fresh player who could make a serious impact. However, one cannot overlook the impact of re-signing significant contributors. While it is not as exciting […]


Tucker Kraft - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends To Buy in 2025

My friend Josh used to make me listen to the Bring Me The Horizon song "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which begins with the line "We will never sleep, cause sleep is for the weak." That sentiment rings true in fantasy football dynasty leagues as well. You can't get complacent. You can't stop thinking about how to […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football WR Buy or Sell: Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice, and Jordan Addison (2025)

The 2024 NFL Draft class had seven first-round wide receivers. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze were selected in the top 10. Meanwhile, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, and Xavier Legette were Day 1 selections. More importantly, Nabers and Thomas finished their rookie seasons as top-7 wide receivers in half-point PPR […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Sleepers, Draft Targets: Early 2025 Analysis

One of the biggest factors in winning fantasy football teams is finding middle-to-late-round sleepers. With wide receivers typically carrying the most drafted players of any position, it makes sense that taking multiple stabs at the position in search of hitting multiple-round values is the way to set yourself apart in drafts. For 2025, the draft […]


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2025 NFL Free Agency Frenzy: Biggest Winners and Disappointments at Every Fantasy Football Position

NFL franchises will have an opportunity to reshape their rosters before the draft. Fantasy managers will have a chance to read the tea leaves and make measured strikes against their fantasy football opposition ahead of rookie drafts. Savvy managers will use this period to try to get the best return on some previous investments, as […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Free Agency Fantasy Football Analysis: Fallers On New Teams (2025)

With the first wave of NFL free agency coming to an end, several fantasy-relevant players have signed on to new teams. The quarterback carousel still has several dominoes to fall, but Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Kenny Pickett have found new homes within the first few days of the new league year. The running back […]


James Conner - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Fallers - Players Trending Down In 2025

Fantasy football players trending "down" can mean a few different things. It can mean aging veterans, a new situation for players, regression in production after a stellar season, a change in coordinators, or all of the above. It doesn't necessarily mean these players won't produce; it's just a warning sign to proceed cautiously. Ultimately, marking […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Free Agency Fantasy Fallout!

Michael F. Florio is back going over the any signings and trades that free agency week brought us! He discusses his winners and losers of players that changed teams - then does the same for players who were not moved but still had their value impacted! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

The NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]


Drake Maye - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Players To Target In Deep Leagues

Fantasy football sleepers are what make the game fun. There is nothing like landing an absolute stud in the double-digit rounds of your fantasy draft. The more teams in your league, the more important sleepers become. As the player pool shrinks, it is an absolute must to hit on at least one or two sleepers. […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Avoids, Busts: 2025 NFL Free Agent Signings

The 2025 NFL free-agency period is well underway, and many wide receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, and running backs have already found their new homes. While some of them are in better landing spots, or at least should continue having solid production relative to their ADP (anticipated draft position) in fantasy football, some of them should […]


Jaydon Blue - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Picks, NFL Draft

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: Late-Round Prospects With Immediate Upside

Players who are thought of as less likely to succeed in the NFL are typically selected later in drafts. When a player falls through the rounds, it's generally because teams have doubts about their ability to produce. It takes a specific family of skill sets to succeed in the big leagues. But sometimes, players fall […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers For Best Ball Drafts

Tight end is one of the most important positions in fantasy football, and heading into 2025, the position seems even deeper than it has been in past seasons. Sure, there’s the new cream rising to the top with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, but a lot of veterans are seen much lower in best ball […]