Cognizant Classic: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The PGA Tour moves on from Mexico to Florida this week for the first event of the Florida Swing, the Cognizant Classic at PGA National, a venue best known for its fearsome Bear Trap stretch which often decides the winner.

The Champion Course opened in 1981 and was originally designed by Tom and George Fazio, but it is most closely associated with Jack Nicklaus.

The Golden Bear has overseen several renovations of the layout and, unsurprisingly given the name, was responsible for creating the Bear Trap in 1990.

The 15th, 16th and 17th holes of the Champion Course combine for one of the toughest sequences on the PGA Tour each season and the eventual winner will need to limit the damage on those holes before lifting the title.

There is water everywhere at PGA National, which makes tee-to-green precision the route to success.

With the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship coming up over the next fortnight, the biggest names are all absent in Palm Beach Gardens, resulting in a wide-open betting heat headed by course specialists Shane Lowry and Russell Henley at 20/1.

Cognizant Classic betting tips and predictions

Shane Lowry to win and each-way - 20/1

Lowry has contended for the Cognizant Classic title in each of the last three seasons and this looks like a superb opportunity for the Irishman to gain an elusive first PGA Tour win as an individual since his US breakthrough at the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational.

While Lowry has not won anywhere near as often as he should, he continues to knock on the door in the biggest tournaments, chasing home close friend Rory McIlroy when second in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on his penultimate start.

That performance, at a course where Lowry had never really previously gone close, came in an elite Signature Event field, but this week he's a big fish in a small pond at a venue which he adores.

The Offaly ace is based in nearby Jupiter and has relished home comforts in this tournament, chalking up form figures of 2-5-4 over the last three seasons.

In truth, Lowry should already be a Cognizant Classic champion, but this is a good chance for him to gain an elusive Stateside victory, particularly if he produces his A-game form tee to green, as has often been the case in recent weeks.

Daniel Berger to win and each-way - 22/1

Daniel Berger also takes high rank towards the top of the betting market and that looks fully justified at a venue where he, like Lowry, has posted four top-five finishes.

A Floridian born and bred, Berger has taken time to get back to his best following a host of injury issues, but he's been showing signs of a return to the very top.

He ended last year with a runner-up finish in RSM Classic then finished second in Phoenix and 12th at the Genesis on his last two starts.

Berger was a runner-up on his debut in this event in 2015, when it was known as the Honda Classic, while he finished fourth at PGA National in both 2020 and 2022.

All areas of the game have been firing in recent weeks and he looks poised to challenge for a fifth PGA Tour title.

Gary Woodland to win and each-way - 66/1

Another resurgent Florida resident catches the eye in the shape of Gary Woodland, who missed the cut at the Genesis last time out, but who had previously started the season by finishing 16th, 22nd and 21st.

Woodland, who is edging back to something like his best after undergoing brain surgery in September 2023, has his long game in excellent order, which will stand him in good stead at this week's venue.

The 40-year-old, a US Open champion in 2019, finished sixth in the 2011 Cognizant, second in 2017, eighth in 2020 and fifth in 2022. 

Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site

Cognizant Classic odds

Shane Lowry	20/1
Russell Henley	20/1
Daniel Berger	22/1
Sepp Straka	25/1
Sungjae Im	25/1
Taylor Pendrith	30/1
Min Woo Lee	33/1
Denny McCarthy	35/1

View the full market and more odds for the Cognizant Classic on site

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.