Golf’s famed Florida swing that contains famed tournaments such as The Arnold Palmer and the Players Championship is finally here with the action first kicking off at the Cognizant Classic.
Ahead of the Arnold Palmer next week, several of the world’s best players are opting to give the Cognizant a miss and that will give plenty of other players the opportunity to make the most of their time in the limelight.
Last week Brian Campbell changed his life at the Mexico Open. Not only earning a two year tour exemption, he booked his ticket to the Masters and bagged well over $1,000,000 in prize money. There are several players who will be hoping to follow in the American’s footsteps this week.
Ahead of the tournament starting later this week, here is everything that you need to know.
The Course
The action for the Cognizant Classic will take place at the PGA National Resort which has been famed for the ‘Bear Trap.’
Established in 1981, the ‘Bear Trap’ has become one of the most iconic stretch of holes on the PGA Tour and it can easily wreck the hopes and dreams of any player that errs offline.
The ‘Bear Trap’ is named after its designer Jack Nicklaus who introduced the holes when he redesigned the course back in 1990 and this tough run of holes starts at 15th and ends on the 17th.
The first of the three holes that comprises this ridiculously difficult challenge is the 15th. A par 3 which measures 179 yards, the players need to carry the tee shot over water and any approach to this island green has to be on the money otherwise a watery grave awaits. Par on this tough hole is considered a win.
The 16th also contains water, with water guarding the front of the green. Although most players these days will be able to flip a wedge onto the putting surface, a two tier green awaits and if a tee shot doesn’t find the fairway that second shot becomes a lot more daunting.
The final hole of the ‘Bear Trap’ is the 17th. Another par 3, the 17th is slightly shorter than the 15th and requires another approach over the water.
The aim is to land the ball on the reasonably small green and not leave themselves short sided. With bunkers up the left hand side and with pins destined to be on that side, what starts as a makeable three can quickly become a four or five.
Whilst the ‘Bear Trap’ will most likely garner all of the attention this week, the rest of the course isn’t exactly a doddle. Measuring at over 7,100 yards, par for the week is 71. In order to compete, accuracy is absolutely essential.
The Favourites
Starting the week out as favourites are the duo of Shane Lowry and Russell Henley.
Both Lowry and Henley are coming off their best seasons in 2024. Lowry who was able to win the Zurich Classic alongside great friend Rory McIlroy posted his best ever finish at the season ending Tour Championship and will be hoping for even more this season.
As is usually his way, the popular Irishman started his week over in Europe before making his way over stateside.
Taking time to acclimatise he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open before then going onto finish second at the AT&T Championship. A non-factor at the Genesis where he could only finish in a tie for 39th, Lowry returns to a course which he enjoys. Able to finish fourth in last year’s event, he will hope to go a few places better this time around.
Henley will start the tournament as the highest ranked player in the field and will hope to stamp his class over the rest of the field.
Having developed a reputation for being one of the most consistent players on Tour, particularly when he has an iron in hand, Henley’s consistency was rewarded with a spot on America’s Presidents Cup team and he more than justified his selection, contributing several important points as the Americans won the tournament for the tenth time.
He will hope to make the Ryder Cup for the first time, with the event due to be held later this year and he will know that a big performance this week could go a long way.
He has played four events so far this year and already has posted two top tens - with his best effort so far coming at the AT&T Championship, finishing fifth.
A threat to all in the field, he will hope to find the ‘Bear Trap’ more to his liking this year as he could only finish well down the leaderboard twelve months ago.
Other players to watch
With the betting so tight for this week’s Cognizant Classic, there looks to be several players capable of pulling off the victory.
Sepp Straka has already tasted success on the PGA Tour this year and the big hitting Austrian will be back for more this week.
The winner of the American Express, Straka showcased that he has a game that can flourish in all conditions and he will hope it will be on full display this week. He has the ability to overpower the course, it will all come down to the flat stick. At times it can be blisteringly hot and other times it can get freezing cold. If he can get hot on the greens like he did back at this event in 2022, a second title could well be his.
It seems absurd at this stage of his career that Cameron Young is still to win on the PGA Tour and it can only be a matter of time before he puts that right.
Containing all of the talent and ability in the world, Young has either been pipped at the post by something remarkable or just hasn’t been able to string four good rounds together.
Once ranked as high as 13 in the world, Young’s best game has deserted him of late as he seeks out that first win and the American now finds himself just inside the world’s top 50.
A return to a setup he clearly enjoys could be exactly what the doctor ordered as he was able to finish inside the top five at this tournament last year. There is no doubt that by the time that Young has finished his playing days he would have won several PGA tournaments, the hope is that this week will finally bring about the first.
The headline name of the week is Jordan Spieth. Working his way back following missing time due to a wrist injury, there are high hopes that with his wrist problems hopefully behind him, Spieth can kick on and return to the upper echelons of the game.
As has been the case over the last few years, consistency has been Spieth’s main issue. Sublime one moment, he can then quickly veer to the ridiculous and until he finds a way to keep his ball out of trouble, Spieth’s road to the very top of the game looks set to be a bumpy one.
Clearly able to win against the best players, Spieth can certainly find himself in contention this week but whether he has the ability to tame the ‘Bear Trap’ remains very much up for debate.
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
Jack Hartman
