The Cognizant Classic’s Identity Crisis: Can PGA National Still Matter in a Signature Event World?

I’ve been to PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens more times than I can count—first as a caddie, then as a correspondent covering everything from the Honda Classic’s glory days to whatever we’re calling this tournament now. So when I looked at the field for this week’s Cognizant Classic, I had to do a double-take. Because what I’m seeing isn’t just a weak field; it’s a symptom of something much bigger happening on the PGA Tour.

“After several exciting weeks out west that saw a win by Scottie Scheffler and a near-miss by Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour heads to Florida this week for the Cognizant Classic. This year the tournament is sandwiched in between four Signature Events, and as a result many top players are sitting out.”

There it is. The real story. Not that Ben Griffin and Adam Scott withdrew. Not even that Jacob Bridgeman, fresh off a Genesis win, decided to skip town. The real story is the structural problem the tour created for itself—and it’s staring us right in the face at PGA National.

The Signature Event Squeeze

Look, I get the tour’s logic. Signature Events are supposed to be premium showcases—elevated fields, bigger purses, prime scheduling. But sandwiching a traditional event like the Cognizant Classic between four of them? That’s not smart tournament scheduling; that’s tournament scheduling that admits defeat.

In my 35 years covering this game, I’ve watched events rise and fall based on field strength and timing. The Honda Classic used to be a stepping stone, a place where young guys proved themselves and established names showed up to sharpen their games before the Florida swing’s back end. There was meaning to it. But here’s what strikes me: when your best available field features Ryan Gerard at 26th in the world rankings as your highest-ranked player, you’ve got a branding problem, not just a scheduling problem.

The tour’s pivot to fewer, fancier events makes perfect business sense on paper. But it’s created casualties. And the Cognizant Classic is bleeding out in real time.

Brooks Koepka: The Silver Lining

Now, before you think I’m going to spend 1,000 words complaining about the state of mid-tier PGA Tour events, let me pump the brakes. There’s actually something worth watching this week, and it comes in the form of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.

“the Cognizant Classic will also feature five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who is making the third start of his PGA Tour return this week. Koepka will be looking to take advantage of the relatively weak field to add an early highlight to his comeback.”

I don’t blame Koepka one bit for eyeing this field like a hungry shark. Having caddied for Tom Lehman back in the day, I learned something about how champions think: they’re always looking for momentum windows. Koepka’s comeback is still in its infancy, and a win—even against a weaker field—matters psychologically. Wins build confidence. Wins get sponsors talking. Wins remind you how to win.

What intrigues me about Koepka’s presence here is that it might actually elevate the tournament’s narrative, even if it can’t elevate the field. We’ve got legitimate storylines: Can a former dominant major-winner recapture magic after injury? How does his game hold up against even this caliber of competition? It’s not Scottie versus Rory at Riviera, but it’s not nothing.

The Course Still Matters

Here’s something that casual fans sometimes miss: PGA National Champion Course is a brutally honest golf course. It doesn’t care who you are or what your ranking is. The course will expose weaknesses in your game in about forty-five minutes.

Having hosted the 1987 PGA Championship and continuously since 2007, PGA National demands precision. It’s not a bombing-and-gouging operation. It requires course management, wedge play, and nerves. That means even in a “weak” field, we should still see quality golf. A 65 here means something. A 70 doesn’t mean you played poorly—it might mean you played poorly OR the course beat you into submission.

2026 Cognizant Classic at a Glance:

• What: 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches
• Where: PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
• When: Thursday-Sunday, February 26-March 1
• Purse: $9.6 million ($1.728 million winner’s share)

The Broadcast Schedule: At Least They’re Covering It

Full coverage on NBC and Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday on Golf Channel, then split coverage Saturday-Sunday), plus PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ with early featured group access starting at 6:45 a.m. ET Thursday and Friday. Peacock simulcasts NBC’s weekend coverage. So from a fan’s perspective, at least there’s access. That’s something the tour is doing right—if you want to watch this tournament, you can find it.

What This Week Really Means

The Cognizant Classic in 2026 is a litmus test. Not for the players in the field, but for the PGA Tour’s broader restructuring. Can an event survive when it’s scheduled as a throwaway between premium tournaments? Can a course with significant history maintain relevance when the tour’s calendar treats it like a tune-up?

“It also has suffered a rash of withdrawals early this week, including by top players Ben Griffin and Adam Scott, as well as last week’s Genesis winner Jacob Bridgeman.”

Those aren’t bad-beat stories. Those are indictments.

But here’s my honest take: PGA National will still deliver compelling golf this week. Koepka might very well win and ignite his comeback narrative. Shane Lowry, a Ryder Cup warrior and legitimate talent, will compete. The course will prove beautiful and punishing in equal measure. And somewhere in the middle of the pack, a player nobody’s heard of yet might shoot the round of their life and remind us why we watch professional golf in the first place.

The Cognizant Classic’s identity crisis isn’t solved by this week’s result. But that doesn’t mean this week won’t be worth watching.