Shane Lowry flags PGA National issue before Cognizant Classic start

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Shane Lowry seems to have a few reservations about the current setup at PGA National as he heads into this week’s Cognizant Classic.

The tournament falls right in the middle of four signature events on the PGA Tour, so it is not surprising that many of the bigger names have skipped the trip to PGA National.

Lowry comes in as one of the highest-ranked players in the field, and he has had a steady start to his season so far. The Irishman has good memories from past visits to this course too.

Shane Lowry shares what bothers him about PGA National

Despite finishing second and posting four top-11s in his last four starts in Florida, Lowry has made it clear that he would prefer a few tweaks to the current setup.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s opening round, he made it clear he prefers when the course puts up more of a fight.

“Yeah, it’s a tournament I always enjoy playing every year. I live here now, so it’s a home event. I get to stay in my own bed, which is nice. I really like this golf course,” he began by saying.

“I like that the rough is a bit thicker this year. It was a little bit too easy last year, I thought. I don’t want to exactly see 59s around here, but yeah, I hope the scoring is a little bit more difficult this year and it plays like it used to.

When asked if the difficulty had returned to the level of a few years ago, he responded: “Yeah, I don’t think it is that. I think it’s probably going to play easier than that, which I don’t like. Look, I’m a member of a few courses down here, and all Bermuda, and the golf courses this time of year are incredible. The Bermuda golf courses down here are unbelievable.

“I feel like it’s going to look great on TV. It’s going to be lovely and green. It’s going to be amazing. But I probably would like to see a bit more of the old traditional setup. It is what it is this week, and you just have to deal with the cards you’re given.”

The history of winning scores at Cognizant Classic since its move

Before 2023, no one had finished lower than 13 under par. That was Camilo Villegas’ mark when he won by five. But since then, scores have drifted even lower.

Austin Eckroat got to 17 under in 2024. Then there is Jake Knapp’s 59 from last year, which is hard to ignore.

If the tournament is trying to draw bigger names back in, returning to its roots as one of the tougher courses on Tour could be a step in the right direction.