You know it’s almost spring when the Florida Swing begins on the PGA Tour, and 19 of the top 50 golfers in the world will be competing in the Cognizant Classic (formerly Honda Classic) at the challenging Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens this week.
The Champion Course is a signature Jack Nicklaus design that features a ton of water hazards. It’s especially known for “The Bear Trap” which comprises holes 15, 16, and 17 and is widely regarded as one of the toughest stretches of golf on Tour.
PGA National will play as a par 71 this year, with the 10th hole now a 530-yard par 5. Previously, the course played as a par 70, with the 10th playing as a long par 4 around 500 yards depending on the tee box.
Chris Kirk (+4000) returns as the event’s defending champion, but PGA National hasn’t seen a back-to-back winner since Nicklaus in 1977-78. However, Kirk already won The Sentry on Tour this year and is in fine form.
Rory McIlroy, who is making his third TOUR start of 2024, is still searching for his first top-10 finish after a very successful 2023 season. This will mark his 10th start at PGA National but first since 2018. He won in 2012 and is the favourite at +800 to win the event.
Canadians in the field
Corey Conners (+3500): He has the shortest odds of any Canadian in the field this week, but his 2024 season hasn’t started well, with his best finish coming at The Genesis Invitational earlier this month (T24).
Adam Svensson (+4000): It was a rough start to the season for Svensson, but he appears to be turning a corner after finishing T10 at The Genesis last time out.
Taylor Pendrith (+11000): It’s been boom-or-bust for Pendrith through four events this season. He has a pair of top-10 finishes but also missed the cut twice.
Ben Silverman (+14000): – Silverman is a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour and he’s actually posted some respectable results in four PGA Tour events this year: T18 at the Sony Open and T13 at the Mexico Open.
Corey Conners to finish 34th or better
-120
Outright odds
| Golfer | Outright Odds |
|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +800 |
| Cameron Young | +2200 |
| Russell Henley | +2500 |
| Eric Cole | +2500 |
| Tom Kim | +2800 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +2800 |
| Byeong-Hun An | +2800 |
| J.T. Poston | +3300 |
| Min Woo Lee | +3500 |
| Sungjae Im | +3500 |
| Shane Lowry | +3500 |
| Corey Conners (CAN) | +3500 |
| Stephan Jaeger | +3500 |
| Daniel Berger | +3500 |
| Chris Kirk | +4000 |
All odds courtesy of 
Three golfers to back
Eric Cole (+2500): Cole lost in a playoff at this event last year, so he has the pedigree to compete on this difficult golf course. The 35-year-old is the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and he’s already played in seven events this year, many more than most of the players in the field this week, in an attempt to seize the momentum. He has four top-15 finishes, with his best result being a T10 at The Genesis earlier this month. He’s a great pick to win it all this week, but a safer play is to wager on him to finish 27th or better at -120 odds.
Sepp Straka (+4000): Straka won this tournament in 2022 and finished fifth last year. He’s finished 33rd or better four straight years at this event and you can get him to finish 37th or better at -120 odds. The Austrian has played four events this season, with his best finish a T12 at The Sentry back in January.
Doug Ghim (+6600): Longshots have been tearing up the PGA Tour early this season, so why not take a flier on Ghim, who has been exceptional at his last three tournaments: T13 Farmers Insurance Open, T12 Phoenix Open, T8 Mexico Open. He ranks sixth on the Tour in total strokes gained (1.52) and 19th in driving accuracy (67.7%) heading into this tournament and is looking for his first career win on the PGA Tour.
As previously mentioned, backing favourites outright hasn’t been a profitable strategy early this season on Tour. Take a look at this extensive list of longshots that have cashed big outright tickets:
