The Cognizant Classic Represents More Than Just a Regular Event – It’s a Proving Ground for Tour Redemption
Look, I’ve been around this tour long enough to know that not every tournament carries the same weight in the narrative arc of a professional golfer’s season. The Cognizant Classic at PGA National might lack the glitz of a Signature Event, but what it offers instead is something far more interesting to those of us who’ve spent decades watching careers unfold: it’s a measuring stick for players in transition, a second-chance tournament, and a window into who’s really trending upward as we head into the critical spring months.
This year’s field tells that story beautifully, if you know where to look.
Brooks Koepka’s Homecoming Matters More Than You Might Think
Let’s start with Brooks Koepka returning to action in his hometown. On the surface, this is straightforward – a former champion coming back to the PGA Tour after his LIV Golf chapter, playing a regular event because of the Returning Member Program restrictions. But here’s what strikes me about this narrative: the limitations placed on Koepka actually reveal something important about how seriously the PGA Tour is taking this integration.
“Because of the terms of the Returning Member Program, which allowed him to pick up his PGA Tour career immediately after leaving LIV Golf, Koepka couldn’t accept sponsor’s exemptions into those events.”
In my experience, when governing bodies establish these kinds of structural barriers – no matter how well-intentioned – it sends a message. Koepka’s forced appearance at PGA National isn’t punishment, but it is accountability. He has to earn his way back into the elevated events just like everyone else now. That’s the new reality, and I think there’s something healthy about that, even if it creates an awkward moment for a player of his caliber.
The real story, though? Koepka heads into a brutal stretch before The Masters. The Cognizant Classic, followed by the Valspar Championship and the Texas Children’s Houston Open – that’s a gauntlet designed either to shake off rust or expose deeper issues with his game. I’ve caddied in situations like this. You find out a lot about yourself when you’re playing survival golf instead of signature events.
When Breakout Players Meet Experienced Hunters
What really caught my attention in this field, though, is the mix of momentum and redemption arcs colliding at PGA National.
You’ve got Ben Griffin, who absolutely exploded in 2025 with three PGA Tour wins and a Ryder Cup appearance. That’s the kind of breakout year that usually comes with enormous pressure in year two – everyone’s studying your swing, your tendencies, your weaknesses. Griffin’s heading to Florida with a target on his back, and that’s a very different vibe than his emergence was.
“Ben Griffin enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, winning three times on the PGA Tour and competing for the US in the Ryder Cup, and he plays, too, along with eight-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel and Max Homa, who has six PGA Tour titles.”
But he’s also playing alongside Max Homa and Tom Kim – both capable winners who are fighting through extended slumps. In my three decades covering professional golf, I’ve learned that form can turn on a dime, especially at a course where previous winners congregate. There’s an institutional knowledge at PGA National now. Previous champions Chris Kirk (2023), Keith Mitchell (2019), Austin Eckroat (2024), and former World No. 1 Adam Scott (who won here in 2016) have all left their fingerprints on this place.
That’s four different tournament winners in the same field, plus defending champion Joe Highsmith, who’s hunting his second career PGA Tour victory. That’s not accidental. That’s a field that rewards understanding.
The Young Guys Showing Promise
Where I see the future, though, is in names like Jacob Bridgeman and Michael Thorbjornsen. Bridgeman’s T8 at Pebble Beach and his solid start to the Genesis Invitational suggest a kid who’s figured something out early in his tour career. Thorbjornsen nearly won the Phoenix Open – nearly. In my experience, that kind of near-miss at a major event creates urgency, and urgent players tend to show up with sharper games at the next opportunity.
“Another player in the field who has shown flashes of his ability this season is Michael Thorbjornsen, who briefly led the WM Phoenix Open in the final round before finishing tied for third.”
Will Zalatoris’ return also deserves mention. Back surgery derails careers – I’ve seen it happen. Three tournaments in since his return, he’s still feeling his way back. But the fact that he’s in the field at all is optimistic. The Cognizant Classic gives him a chance to build on whatever foundation he’s established in those first two events.
Shane Lowry’s Real Test
Shane Lowry’s been solid – T3 in Dubai, T8 at Pebble Beach. That’s the definition of steady. But the 2019 Open champion knows that top-10 finishes don’t win majors in the spring. He needs to find a week where he doesn’t just play well; he plays dominant. PGA National, with its penal rough and demanding greens, might just be the place where that click happens – or where you discover it’s not quite there yet.
The Cognizant Classic might not have the prestige of a Signature Event, but this field – this particular constellation of hungry young players, redemption stories, defending champs, and former winners – tells me we’re about to see some very interesting golf. The regular schedule still matters. Maybe more than ever.
