The Cognizant Classic is a once-great event that has suffered from PGA Tour changes in recent years.
It used to host the very best players on the planet with incredibly talented fields. Tiger Woods famously chased down Rory McIlroy with his best-ever Sunday score, a 62, as McIlroy rose to world number one in 2012.
But its place on the PGA Tour schedule has cost it dearly. The event now takes place after the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, and before the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players, so it’s a popular event for players to sit out.
What’s more, a change to PGA National last year drew complaints from a host of PGA Tour stars.
Why Jordan Spieth and Russell Henley were unhappy with PGA National last year
PGA National used to be one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour. Renovated by Jack Nicklaus, the course features the famous “Bear Trap” on the back stretch, which once struck fear into the hearts of players.
But recent changes, including swapping Bermuda grass for rye to soften fairways and greens, and removing some bunkers, took the teeth out of the course, much to players’ disappointment.
Jordan Spieth said, “I didn’t realize that it was overseeded, and the fairways being overseeded changes it a lot because it’ll make the fairways softer, which makes them wider, and then around the greens it’s significantly easier than the dormant Bermuda.
“You’re looking at easily a stroke a round on just the change in the grass types in the fairway.”
Jake Knapp recorded a 59, the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, but he wasn’t the only one to go low on Thursday. 115 players were under par in the first round, with 15 of them shooting 65 or better.
Billy Horschel, playing at his hometown event, was also disappointed by the changes, adding, “It’s just a little disappointing because it’s such a great test of golf.
“I think the overseed has – the rough is not long enough. It’s not penal enough when you miss the fairway. If you had Bermuda rough and Bermuda fairways and if you missed the green you had to chip it off Bermuda instead of overseeded rye, it makes it a little bit tougher.
“Hopefully, the wind picks up. Hopefully, we see a little bit of PGA National because it is fun playing this golf course when it’s tough. I think a lot of us do enjoy it.
“I really wish we would just play this as a straight Bermuda. From tee to green, everything be straight Bermuda. I know it doesn’t look prettier on TV and I know that’s one of the reasons why it’s overseeded. So it is a little disappointing that – I’d say the condition of the course is very scorable.”
The changes from last year are still in play in 2026, so expect some low scoring again this weekend.
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