The 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, the first of the four-stop Florida Swing, gets underway this week at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. Long titled the Honda Classic, this year’s edition will be sponsored by Cognizant, a multi-national Information Technology services and consulting company.
Chris Kirk returns to defend his 2023 title. He will be joined by tournament headliner Rory McIlroy, who won here in 2012.
Other marquee names include Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Daniel Berger, Luke List and Tom Kim, among others.
As we do each week, here’s a rundown of facts and figures to get you prepped for a weekend of PGA Tour golf in the free state of Florida.
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The Skinny
Cognizant Classic
Dates: Feb. 29-Mar 3, 2024
PGA Tour Debut: 1972
PGA TOUR Week: 9th (of 34)
Course: PGA National (Champions)
Where: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Distance: Par 70/7140 yards
Architect: George and Tom Fazio (1980)
Redesign: Jack Nicklaus (1990, 2002)
Field: 136 players
Format: Low stroke, 72-holes
Cut: After 36 holes
Purse: $9,000,000
Winning Share: $1,620,000
FedExCup Pts: 500
OWGR Pts: 34
2023 Champion: Chris Kirk
How to Follow the Cognizant Classic
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 2-6 p.m. (GOLF); Sat: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF); 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sun: 1-3 (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
PGA TOUR LIVE (ESPN+): Thu-Sun: 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Main Feed, Marquee, Groups, Holes)
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat: 1-6 p.m.; Sun: 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM)
LINKS: Web | X | Facebook | Instagram
History: Cognizant Classic
Although not officially part of its tournament history, the Cognizant Classic can trace its bloodlines back to the National Airlines Open Invitational. The event ran for three seasons, 1969 to 1971, with each edition anchoring the then five-stop Florida Swing, leading into the Greater Greensboro Open.
The tournament was annually contested in late March as Florida’s fifth stop, and played at the Country Club of Miami.
Jackie Gleason was already a longtime fixture at the Tour’s Doral stop – and one of TV’s biggest stars with a variety show based in Miami Beach – when he jumped at the chance to put his name on the new tournament.
Beginning in 1972, the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, the tournament that is now officially known as the Cognizant Classic, and before that the Honda Classic, replaced the National Airlines Open on the tour schedule but did not assume its history.
The new event, colloquially known as “The Gleason,” attracted Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and plenty of other big names – on and off the course. Gleason’s partner in the inaugural pro-am was Bob Hope – a reprise of their usual West Coast pairing – and dozens of showbiz friends came at its apex.
The inaugural tournament debuted at the Inverrary Country Club (East course) in Lauderhill, and acted as the leadoff event to the 1972 Florida Swing. Offering a purse of $260,000 and a $52,000 winner’s share, the Gleason debuted as the second richest event on tour, trailing only the Greater New Orleans Open, which offered a $58,000 winner’s check.
Tom Weiskopf, who edged Nicklaus by a stroke, was the champion of the inaugural tournament.
In 1976, “The Gleason” was shelved for a year to make room for the then two-year old Tournament Players Championship (now known as The PLAYERS) at Inverrary Country Club.
From the start, Commissioner Deane Beman‘s plan was to make the TPC (or The PLAYERS) golf’s fifth major. And so similar to the PGA or U.S. Open, Beman wanted it to be played at a new venue each year. He assumed golf courses and country clubs would be lined up to host golf’s new “major.” Except, it didn’t happen – at least soon enough, and so the TPC (PLAYERS) simply took over the course of an already established PGA Tour event, and shelved the regular title for a season.
So for instance, the inaugural TPC (now called The PLAYERS) was contested in 1974, and it was played at Atlanta Country Club, the host venue of the Atlanta Classic. In 1974, there was no Atlanta Classic that season, but there was a PLAYERS. The next year it was contested at famed Colonial, and the long-running Colonial Invitational had to take a seat for the 1975 season. Finally in 1976, Beman chose Inverrary Country Club, and told Gleason that his event was on the bench for a year.
At first, Gleason was excited. “The Gleason” would just be called the TPC for a year, but he’d still get all the perks and promotions. Well, let’s just say Gleason wasn’t too happy when he was cut out of the promotions (and cash).
Alas, the good times lasted only four more years. Gleason never got over the PLAYERS situation, and when American Motors came aboard as sponsor, a dispute over naming rights sent Gleason packing after the 1980 edition. Johnny Miller claimed a two-stroke win over Charles Coody and Bruce Lietzke in the 1980 finale of the Gleason.
A good thing did come out of the public feud with Gleason, however. The Tour, and Beman, got the hint that the idea of the PLAYERS essentially being The Gleason or the Colonial Invitational with a different name was kind of silly, and so they (Beman) created a permanent venue for THE PLAYERS.
Golf writing legend Dan Jenkins described it like this in a 1977 Sports Illustrated article on Tour’s move to Sawgrass:
And by then everyone realized that if the TPC (The PLAYERS) kept traveling around it was never going to be anything more than the Atlanta Classic, the Colonial or the Jackie Gleason by another name.
And what would happen if, on top of this, Nicklaus (who won 2 of the first 3) stopped winning it?
The Tour moved its 1977 event to the northern coast of Florida in a remote place called Ponte Vedra Beach, and contested the next five editions at Sawgrass Country Club. In 1981 they moved across the street to their permanent home at the brand new TPC Sawgrass. The rest as they say is history. And you can partly thank Jackie Gleason!
Back to the Honda, er Cognizant Classic (don’t you love this “history” of the tour?) – from 1983 through 2006, some 23 years, the tournament bounced around to seven different courses in South Florida, averaging a new course every 3 or so years. This reputation of instability led to poor fields.
Since 2007, The Honda Classic, now the Cognizant Classic, has been played at the venerable PGA National, which has improved its field quality, somewhat.
On Florida’s southeast coastline, roughly 80 miles north of Miami, it’s another exceptionally beautiful location with wonderful weather, perfect for February and/or March golf.
The tournament boasts big-name past winners such as Nicklaus, Weiskopf, Miller, Hale Irwin, Curtis Strange, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas.
Nicklaus, in addition to Miller, Mark Calcavecchia, and Padraig Harrington, are the only players with multiples victories at “The Classic” – each with two apiece.
History: Tournament Titles
- Cognizant Classic (2024-)
- The Honda Classic (2002-2023)
- Honda Classic (1984-2001)
- Honda Inverrary Classic (1982-83)
- American Motors Inverrary Classic (1981)
- Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic (1974-80)
- Jackie Gleason Inverrary-National Airlines Classic (1973)
- Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic (1972)
History: Recent Champions
2023: Chris Kirk (-14)
2022: Sepp Straka (-10)
2021: Matt Jones (-12)
2020: Sungjae Im (-6)
2019: Keith Mitchell (-9)
2018: Justin Thomas (-8)
2017: Rickie Fowler (-12)
2016: Adam Scott (-9)
History: Records
Wins:
2- Jack Nicklaus (1977, 1978)
2- Johnny Miller (1980, 1983)
2 – Mark Calcavecchia (1987, 1998)
2 – Padraig Harrington (2005, 2015)
72-Hole Score:
264 (-24) – Justin Leonard (2003)
Key Hole at The Champion Course
No.15, PGA National (Champion)
Par 3, 179 yards
2023 average: 3.114 (seventh hardest)
The entrance to the vaunted three-hole “Bear Trap” produced not a single hole-in-one during the Honda Classic’s first 10 years at PGA National. Then in 2016, there suddenly were two.
Scott Stallings broke the jinx in the opening round with a 6-iron that landed just short of the pin and rolled in. Three days later, Jhonattan Vegas did likewise with a 6-iron into a 15 mph breeze.
No.15 isn’t a long par 3, but the prevailing wind makes it dicey as players negotiate a narrow, diagonal green running left-to-right. The front part of the green slopes left, with a big bunker creating a tough up-and-down.
“It was sort of a nothing little hole,” said Jack Nicklaus, who did the redesign in 1990. “When we brought the water in play, all of a sudden it became a monster. And it’s only a monster because of the awkward wind there that sort of comes into you right-to-left. You have to sort of cut into it.”
2023 Honda Classic: 67 birdies, 290 pars, 62 bogeys, 25 double bogeys, 2 triple+
The Cognizant Classic Field
Headlined by Rory McIlroy, the field this week at PGA National is relatively weak and features just a handful of additional marquee names: Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, Cameron Young, Justin Rose, and Matt Fitzpatrick.
The field in Palm Beach Gardens includes 10 former “Classic” champions: Chris Kirk (2023), Sepp Straka (2022), Sungjae Im (2020), Keith Mitchell (2019), Fowler (2017), Padraig Harrington (2015, 2005), Russell Henley (2014), McIlroy (2012), Camilo Villegas (2010), and Matt Kuchar (2002).
Other familiar names include Tom Kim, Daniel Berger, Luke List, Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover, Gary Woodland, Corey Conners, Alex Noren, and Zach Johnson.
McIlroy, the winner here way back in 2012, is the heavy favorite at 8-1, far ahead of Cam Young, who’s listed at 20-1. After that it’s pretty much a crapshoot.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Rory McIlroy (8-1)
2. Cam Young (20-1)
3. Byeong Hun An (25-1)
3. Eric Cole (25-1)
3. Matt Fitzpatrick (25-1)
3. Russell Henley (25-1)
3. Tom Kim (25-1)
Full Field & Odds
PGA National (Champions) | Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. | Feb 29-Mar 3, 2024
Joel Cook contributed to this preview.
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
