The PGA Tour makes the switch from Mexico to Florida this week for the Cognizant Classic, the start of a four-tournament stretch in the Sunshine State.
Played at the PGA National Champion Course since 2007, this layout demands a strong tee-to-green game and will punish any players that are wayward, especially when they get to the final three-hole stretch named the ‘Bear Trap’.
Irishman Shane Lowry, second here in 2022 when the event was named the Honda Classic, is the 20/1 favourite to go one better this year, ahead of 22/1 chances Russell Henley, Sungjae Im and Daniel Berger.
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Cognizant Classic betting tips
- Sepp Straka to win and each-way @ 25/1 with talkSPORT BET
- Nicolai Hojgaard first-round leader @ 60/1 with talkSPORT BET
- Gary Woodland top-10 finish @ 6/1 with talkSPORT BET
Straka ready to strike again
Sepp Straka has already claimed silverware this season, having landed the American Express in January and he kept the momentum going with a T7 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a 15th-placed effort at the Phoenix Open on his next two starts.
The Austrian missed the cut on his last outing at the Genesis Invitational, but he now returns to a course he triumphed at back in 2022 when ending up a shot ahead of Lowry, a victory that was also his breakthrough on the US circuit.
Straka’s positive start to the season won’t have gone unnoticed by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who will lead his team in battle at Bethpage Black in September, and the three-time PGA Tour winner will be eager to notch another win.
The 31-year-old, who was also tied-fifth on his Cognizant title defence in 2023, is 11th in driving accuracy, sixth in greens in regulation and 17th in strokes gained tee-to-green this season.
All three of those areas have proven crucial to victory in recent years and there looks to be every chance Straka can challenge for a second Florida success.
Hojgaard can start hot in Florida
Dane Nicolai Hojgaard is another player that will be desperate to earn his spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team, having been part of the successful 2023 outfit, and he arrives here on the back of an eighth-placed finish at the Mexico Open.
That effort at Vidanta Vallarta is the 23-year-old’s best result of the year and one of the most pleasing aspects of that performance was his ranking of second in greens in regulation, which has helped move him top of the PGA Tour’s GIR table.
Ranking 10th in strokes gained tee-to-green this term, Hojgaard should be buoyed by his Mexico display and he can make a fast start by sitting top of the leaderboard after round one.
Woodland set for positive performance
Gary Woodland has been going about his business nicely this year with finishes of T16 (Sony Open), T22 (Pebble Beach) and T21 (Phoenix Open) registered before a missed cut at the Genesis.
The 40-year-old American, whose last win came at the 2019 US Open, has been swinging well and he has a solid record at this course with a tied-second in 2017 his best showing.
Woodland also landed a top-10 finish in 2020 and a top-five in 2022, evidence of his affinity for this test, and he looks capable of notching another top 10.
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