Matthieu Pavon Playing Consistent Golf Heading To Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
Matthieu Pavon finished tied for 44th at the Genesis Invitational two weeks ago and is now focusing on preparing for this week's Cognizant Classic, which will be held at PGA National Resort. Last year, in his only prior appearance at the event, Pavon finished tied for 28th. Over the past 12 months, he ranked in the 29th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway. This is noteworthy because, in last year's Cognizant Classic, over 44% of approach shots came from that distance. While Pavon could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week, including him does come with some risk.Isaiah Salinda Debuts At Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
Isaiah Salinda finished third at last week's Mexico Open and is now focusing on preparing for the Cognizant Classic, which will be held at PGA National Resort. This event will mark Salinda's debut at the Cognizant Classic. Over the past 12 months, he has ranked in the 97th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150-200 yards—a notable fact since over 44% of approach shots during last year's Cognizant Classic were from this distance. While Salinda may go overlooked this week, including him in DFS lineups does come with some risk.J.J. Spaun In Excellent Form Heading To Cognizant Classic
Source: Dta Golf
J.J. Spaun finished tied for 34th at the Genesis Invitational two weeks ago and is now focusing on preparing for this week's Cognizant Classic, held at PGA National Resort. This will mark Spaun's first appearance at the Cognizant Classic since 2022 when it was known as the Honda Classic, where he finished tied for 30th. It's worth noting that during last year's Cognizant Classic, over 44% of approach shots were taken from 150 to 200 yards. Over the past 12 months, Spaun ranks in the 69th percentile in proximity to the hole for approach shots from this distance in the fairway. Additionally, he has yet to miss a cut in 2025, making him a solid addition to DFS lineups.Davis Thompson Continues Playing Well Heading To Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
Davis Thompson finished T13 at the Genesis Invitational two weeks ago and is now focusing on preparing for this week's Cognizant Classic, which is being held at PGA National Resort. Last year, Thompson finished T47. Over the past 12 months, he has ranked in the 54th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150 to 200 yards in the fairway. This is significant because over 44% of the approach shots at last year's Cognizant Classic came from this distance. Thompson has only missed one cut in 2025, making him a solid addition to DFS lineups this week.Charley Hoffman Looking For A Turnaround At PGA National
Source: PGA Tour
Charley Hoffman struggled off the tee and with his flat stick at the Mexico Open, losing over 4.3 strokes combined in those categories and missing his second straight cut. He looks to put that behind him as he shifts his attention to the Cognizant Classic at PGA National, a course known for being unforgiving and demanding precision on approach. This is an area where Hoffman excels, ranking 23rd on tour in strokes gained on approach and in the 98th percentile for proximity from 150-200 yards, a range that accounts for 48.1% of all approach shots at this course. The major concern for Hoffman is his putting, where he has lost 15.075 strokes this season. Hoffman is capable of strong approach play, but to make his $6,800 price tag on DraftKings worthwhile, he will need to improve with his putter.Shane Lowry Hopes To Keep Good Course History Going At PGA National
Source: PGA Tour
Making his fourth start in 2025, Shane Lowry returns to the more fruitful side of the U.S. for his golf game over the years, and up first is a tournament he's nearly won three years in a row. Unfortunately, the 37-year-old has failed to get the job done on all three occasions, but, comes to this year's tournament as one of the more favored players to start the week. It will be interesting to see how he responds after competing in TGL on Tuesday night, but his game is trending to be in the thick of things come Thursday. Lowry currently ranks 3rd in proximity from 175-200 yards (26'6"), which made up 23.7% of approaches at the champion Course last year. He also ranks 8th from 200-225 yards (33'10"), making every par 3 on the course in the optimal range for the Irishman. Even at $11,800 on FanDuel, Lowry is as close to a must-play as it gets.Kyounghoon Lee Is A Tough Sell At PGA National
Source: PGA Tour
A T9 at the first event at Torrey Pines this season is the only bright spot for Kyounghoon Lee in 2025. The golf game elsewhere has been spotty, at best, with nothing to lean on in terms of strength in any facet. He's only been in the positive in total strokes gained in one event and has missed the cut in three of five. The record around the Champion Course for Lee is just as up and down, with strokes gained on approach being the difference between a good or bad finish in five total starts. What's more concerning for him this week is that the Tom Fazio design is much more penal to players with a right miss than those who miss left. The 33-year-old has dealt with a right miss one-and-a-half times more than a miss to the left (12.27% to 8.59%) through his five starts. If that issue rears its head a few times to start the week, it could be a short one for K.H. Lee.Nicolai Hojgaard Looking To Keep Momentum Going At Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
Nicolai Hojgaard had an impressive week at the Mexico Open, finishing eighth while gaining 4.571 strokes on approach and a career-best 10.463 strokes from tee to green. He now turns his attention to the Cognizant Classic, a tournament he has played in only once, missing the cut in 2022. PGA National is an unforgiving course that demands precision on approach, an area where Hojgaard excels, ranking third on tour with an average of 1.184 strokes gained approach per round. He also ranks in the 91st percentile for proximity from 150-200 yards, a range that accounts for 48.1% of approach shots at this course. In addition to his strong approach play, avoiding around-the-green work will be key to success, and Hojgaard leads the tour in greens in regulation at 77.08%. Given his elite play early in the season, fantasy managers can confidently insert Hojgaard into their lineups at his price tag of $7,400 on DraftKings.Michael Kim Looks To Keep Strong Play Going In Florida
Source: Data Golf
The run of good golf continues for Michael Kim, as the 31-year-old finished T13 in Mexico for his third-straight top-15 finish. The week at Vidanta Vallarta was impressive for him in the long iron department, which has been the lone fault in his approach game this season. The length of the course may be the cause of the -0.03 strokes lost off the tee and the more subdued +0.29 strokes gained on approach metrics as well. While PGA National is not as strenuous in length, it makes up for twice over in the need for accuracy. Expect Kim to put up another solid performance.Ryan Fox A Player To Avoid At Cognizant Classic
Source: PGA Tour
Ryan Fox has started just two PGA events in 2025, posting results of T63 and a missed cut. He now turns his attention to the Cognizant Classic, hoping to get back on track at a tournament he has played in once before, finishing T35 in 2024. This success was driven by a strong performance on approach, where he gained 4.121 strokes, a category he has struggled with so far this year, losing 1.244 strokes over his first two events. Over the last 12 months, Fox ranks in the 56th percentile for proximity from 150-200 yards, a range that accounts for 48.1% of approach shots at PGA National. The bigger concern, however, comes with his greens in regulation, where he ranks near the bottom of the tour, hitting just 47.9% of greens on approach shots from that same distance. Given these struggles, Fox may be difficult for fantasy managers to trust at his price tag of $7,100 on DraftKings.Joel Dahmen Looking To Build Off Strong Finish At Mexico Open
Source: PGA Tour
Joel Dahmen has had a rollercoaster start to 2025 with three missed cuts and two top-10 finishes in his first five events, including a T6 finish last week at the Mexico Open. He now looks to carry that momentum into the Cognizant Classic, a tournament he has played in three times, missing the cut twice. PGA National is a very unforgiving course that demands precision on approach, an area where Dahmen excels. He currently ranks 21st in strokes gained on approach and sits in the 93rd percentile in proximity from 150-200 yards, a range that accounts for 48.1% of approach shots at this course. Although Dahmen has struggled to string together back-to-back strong finishes in his career, his price tag of $7,000 and solid approach play make him a worthwhile flier for fantasy managers this week.Christiaan Bezuidenhout Hard To Trust At Cognizant Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout has played in five events so far in 2025, missing just one cut and finishing in the top 40 in all other events, including a T4 finish at the WM Phoenix Open. He now looks ahead to the Cognizantread more...
Beau Hossler Is On A Downward Trend Ahead Of Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
Since having two top-15 finishes to begin the year, Beau Hossler's game has taken a giant step backward over his last three events. This has mainly come from the ball-striking side of things. However, last week in Mexico saw him lose strokes across the board —aside from off the tee— en route to missing the cut by one shot. It's difficult to get excited for a player who has only gained strokes on approach in one event this season at a place like the Champion Course. If the saving grace of his putting and wedges don't come back this week, he'll likely be packing things up early.Russell Henley Takes Aim At Another Chance For A Big Week At PGA National
Source: PGA Tour
It's tough to think about PGA National without thinking of Russell Henley's epic playoff win in 2014 that included a young and spry Rory McIlroy. Since then, he's continued to play well here, including a T3 in 2021 and a T8 in 2020. Given the draw-biased nature of the layout at the Champion Course and the bermudagrass surfaces, it fits Henley's game from wall to wall. It's been an impressive start to his 13th year on the PGA Tour with a T5 at Pebble Beach, and a T10 at the Sony Open thanks to strong play with the irons and putter. Ranking 24th in both strokes gained metrics. If the driver doesn't kill him, the former Georgia Bulldog could become a repeat champion in Palm Beach Gardens come Sunday evening.Ben Griffin To Keep Momentum Going At Cognizant Classic
Source: Data Golf
After a few events of frustratingly poor results with positive metrics, Ben Griffin put everything together for a solid T4 finish in Mexico last week. Ranking third in the field in strokes gained on approach (+1.48), and inside the top 20 for strokes gained around the green (+0.64) and putting (+0.79). The former UNC golfer ranks better with the longer irons in his bag, so it will be interesting to see how his game changes back to a shorter course with much less room for error. The work on the greens is by-far the worst metric this season for the 28-year-old, ranking 114th in strokes gained putting (-0.149). It was luckily much improved last week at Vidanta Vallarta, and being on similar feel for the next several weeks will hopefully mean big things for Griffin if the ball striking form remains.