Cognizant Classic Betting Preview: Picks, Predictions, Odds for PGA National

The PGA Tour is coming off back-to-back signature events and will now head to PGA National for a non-signature event, the Cognizant Classic, before heading Bay Hill for its third signature event of the year.

The scheduling of three top-tier tournament in the span of four weeks has left the Cognizant Classic with a barren field, headlined by the 2022 runner-up, Shane Lowry. Even with that being the case, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bet this week. In fact, some of these smaller events have presented much more favorable betting opportunities than the bigger ones.

Let’s dive into the odds and my best bet for the opening tournament of the Florida swing.

Cognizant Classic odds

Top 15 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Shane Lowry +1400
Ryan Gerard +1600
Nicolai Højgaard +2000
Rasmus Højgaard +2200
Keith Mitchell +2200
Michael Thorbjornsen +2200
Brooks Koepka +3000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +3000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +3000
Aaron Rai +3300
Daniel Berger +3300
Thorbjørn Olesen +3300
Davis Thompson +3300
Will Zalatoris +3500
Max Homa +3500

Cognizant Classic how to watch

Thursday: 2–6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday: 2–6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 1–3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3–6 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday: 1–3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

Cognizant Classic purse

Date: Thursday, Feb. 26–Sunday, Mar. 1
Purse: $9.6 million ($1.728 million to winner)
2025 champion: Joe Highsmith

Cognizant Classic notable golfers

Shane Lowry: The Irishman has a great history at PGA National, but he’s still seeking his first win here. Over the past four years at this event he has finishes of second, T5, T4, and T11. It makes sense why he decided to squeeze this tournament into his schedule. He’ll have plenty of confidence standing on the first tee on Thursday.

Keith Mitchell: His only win on the PGA Tour came at the 2019 edition of this tournament, beating Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka by a single stroke. Mitchell has had flashes of fantastic golf since that win, but he’s been unable to put it all together for four straight rounds. Now, he returns to a course where he has plenty of comfort and confidence. He has posted two top-10 finishes here since his win in 2019, so he’s hoping to be in peak form and give himself a chance at a second win at PGA National.

Cognizant Classic Best Bets

Haotong Li +4500 via BetMGM

Accuracy is the key to success at PGA National, so I’m going to target golfers who have been accurate both off the tee and with their approach play so far this season, and Haotong Li fits the bill. He was a popular bet at the WM Phoenix Open after a T8 finish at the American Express and a T11 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, but he went on to miss the cut in Phoenix due to an uncharacteristically bad two rounds.

Now is the time to buy low on Li, who played phenomenally from tee to green in his second and third starts this season. He also continuously ranks amongst the most accurate drivers of the gold ball on a weekly basis. In a wide open field, I think he's worth a look at 40-1 at PGA National.

Johnny Keefer +6000 via BetMGM

Johnny Keefer may not be a name you’re familiar with, but he’s 12th in the field in strokes-gained from tee to green over the past three months, including gaining 2.26 strokes per round with his irons at the American Express and 1.08 strokes per round in that area at the WM Phoenix Open. He's also posted above-average accuracy off the tee in each of his four starts this year.

Keefer’s short game has let him down so far in 2026, but the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour standout is ready to put it all together. He’s a sneaky name at 55-to-1 to take advantage of a weak field at PGA National this week.

Andrew Putnam +15000 via Caesars

If we’re going to value accuracy this week, let’s bet on one of the most accurate drivers of the golf ball in the field this week. Over the past three months, Andrew Putnam has been the second most accurate driver amongst all golfers in the field this week. He has also already contended in an event, finishing T2 at the American Express. As a cherry on top, he posted a T11 finish at this event last year, proving he has a game built for success at PGA National.

Let’s take a shot on him at 150-to-1 this week.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!