Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches 2024: Course and current form stats

• PGA National always a tricky assignment

• Henley 25/126.00 ready to claim second win here

• Hoge 50/151.00 can finally perform well at this venue

Tournament and Course Notes

• After more than 40 years sponsored by Honda, the tournament has changed its name. However, the venue remains the same and will be contested at PGA National for an 18th straight season;

• Since making its PGA Tour debut in 2007, PGA National's Champion Course has become one of the most respected layouts in professional golf. Co-designed by Tom Fazio, and his uncle George Fazio, the Champion Course opened for business in November 1981. Two years later it hosted the Ryder Cup, and then the PGA Championship in 1987;

• It is located approximately 80 miles north of downtown Miami and has undergone three Jack Nicklaus-led upgrades during the past 20 years. Although trees and dense vegetation are in short supply, it remains a parkland course on which accurate tee-to-green golf is needed;

• This emphasis on accuracy is largely due to its plentiful and strategic bunkering, along with sizeable water hazards on 13 holes. Even though the fairways do not appear overly tight, the low-lying Champion Course is definitely no pushover. Greens and fairways are laid with Bermuda grass.

Latest betting for this week's Cognizant Classic

Good Current Form

With some big events just around the corner, namely Bay Hill and The Players Championship, the majority of top stars are resting up.

There are just three members of the world's top-20 teeing-up on Thursday, including No 2 Rory McIlroy 7/18.00.

Winner here in 2012, and runner-up two years later, Rory has experienced a mixed start to 2024.

He began well in the Middle East but, since then, neither of his PGA Tour starts have yielded top-20 finishes. But he still has the perfect game to tame PGA National.

Four players whose American form this year has been pretty good, are Tom Hoge 50/151.00, Matthieu Pavon 40/141.00, JT Poston 28/129.00 and Cameron Young 20/121.00.

Hoge has enjoyed top-10 finishes in each of the last two PGA Tour Signature Events, although his form at PGA National is woeful.

However, this will be his first appearance here since becoming a top-100 player.

Poston has had four top-12 finishes from six starts in 2024, while Pavon returns to action following a three-week break.

The Frenchman, who won at Torrey Pines, is currently top of this season's FedEx Cup standings.

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Good Course Form

Previous course form hasn't always been a good guide for picking a champion at PGA National, unlike some other venues, but it didn't prevent Chris Kirk from winning here 12 months ago. Kirk had tied-seventh in 2022.

With that in mind, perhaps former winner Russell Henley 25/126.00 could strike again.

The four-time PGA Tour champion has a best 2024 finish of tied-fourth in Hawaii.

Last year's runner-up Eric Cole 33/134.00 continues to climb the ranking thanks to four top-15 finishes this calendar year.

And Byeong Hun An 33/134.00, who is twice a top-five finisher at PGA National, has also looked pretty sharp since the start of January.

The Champion at the Champion Course

None of PGA National's 17 champions were lower than 10th after 36 holes - and only two were outside the top six (see table below).

And only two winners were more than three strokes behind at half-way.

It doesn't appear to be an easy course on which to reduce large deficits when chasing birdies at weekend pin positions.

Year ... Pos @ 36 ... (Champ)
`23: 2nd (Chris Kirk)
`22: 6th (Sepp Straka)
`21: 2nd (Matt Jones)
`20: 9th (Sung Jae Im)
`19: 1st (Keith Mitchell)
`18: 7th (Justin Thomas)
`17: 3rd (Rickie Fowler)
`16: 4th (Adam Scott)
`15: 1st (Padraig Harrington)
`14: 3rd (Russell Henley)
`13: 2nd (Michael Thompson)
`12: 3rd (Rory McIlroy)
`11: 2nd (Rory Sabbatini)
`10: 1st (Camilo Villegas)
`09: 1st (Yong Eun Yang)
`08: 6th (Ernie Els)
`07: 5th (Mark Wilson)

Stroke Averages

Lowest 12 At PGA National (2018-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.22: Sepp Straka (18)
69.50: Byeong Hun An (18)
69.55: Shane Lowry (20)
69.61: Sung Jae Im (18)
69.63: Russell Henley (16)
69.69: Daniel Berger (16)
69.70: Chris Kirk (20)
69.88: Mark Hubbard (16)
69.94: Lucas Glover (18)
70.00: Tyler Duncan (15)
70.00: Alexander Noren (14)
70.00: Sam Ryder (12)
70.00: Adam Svensson (12)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table

MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves

Now read Steve Rawlings' DP World Tour preview for this week here!