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FanDuel Sportsbook Promos Cognizant Classic: Betting Picks, Win Simulations, Course History, and Key Stats
The PGA Tour is heading to Florida for a key swing in the Sunshine State that includes the Arnold Palmer Invitational, THE PLAYERS, and the Valspar Championship.
And to clear things up, the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Springs used to be known as the Honda Classic.
Here's all you need to know for this week.
PGA National (The Champion) Course Info
All course data from GCSAA unless otherwise noted.
- Par: 71
- Distance: 7,147 yards (around 170 yards shorter than the average par 71)
- Average Fairway Width: 29.5 yards (17th of 86 courses)
- Average Green Size: 7,000 square feet (large)
- Green Type: Bermuda
- Stimpmeter: 12
- Recent Winning Scores: -14, -10, -12, -6, -9
- Recent Cut Lines: +1, +2, +1, +3, +2
PGA National Course Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
- Emphasis on Driving Distance
- Birdie or Better Rate
Off the bat, PGA National has long been a par 70, but the 10th is now a 508-yard par 5 rather than a long and arduous par 4.
Still, PGA National has been a pretty tough place to play in terms of scoring, specifically the par 3s, and that ties into it being a top-three difficult place to gain strokes from approach play. It’s 11th in off-the-tee play, so there’s a bit of an emphasis on ball-striking.
Most notably, shots from 150-plus are tricky for this course.
Fairways are pretty tight, and the rough causes tricky chipping around the greens.
Best Golfers at PGA National
These golfers have the best strokes gained numbers in recent years at this course.
Golfer | FanDuel Salary | Course SG:T/Rd | Course SG:T | Starts | Wins | Top-10s | Top 25s | Missed Cuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sepp Straka | $9,900 | 1.90 | 34.14 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Shane Lowry | $10,500 | 2.11 | 33.78 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Chris Kirk | $10,100 | 1.75 | 28.00 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sungjae Im | $10,600 | 1.46 | 26.22 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Daniel Berger | $9,800 | 2.11 | 25.27 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jhonattan Vegas | $8,500 | 1.23 | 24.57 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Russell Henley | $11,400 | 2.04 | 24.52 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Cognizant Classic Win Simulations
Here's what my model -- based on long-term scoring trends, recency adjustments, and field-strength weighting -- has to say about this week's event.
Golfer | FanDuel Salary | Win% | Top-10% | Top-20% | Made Cut% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | $12,400 | 8.97% | 40.75% | 56.87% | 83.95% |
| J.T. Poston | $10,900 | 3.56% | 23.25% | 37.61% | 74.20% |
| Byeong Hun An | $10,400 | 3.15% | 22.06% | 36.71% | 73.07% |
| Cameron Young | $11,600 | 2.75% | 20.25% | 34.48% | 71.58% |
| Eric Cole | $10,800 | 2.69% | 20.36% | 34.82% | 72.20% |
| Russell Henley | $11,400 | 2.63% | 20.24% | 34.67% | 72.00% |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | $11,300 | 2.55% | 19.87% | 34.08% | 71.23% |
Cognizant Classic Betting Picks to Target
These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel Sportsbook golf betting odds based on my win simulation model and/or my overall stats model, which accounts for the most important stats for this week's event. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted.
J.T. Poston
While distance can help golfers play well at PGA National, it's not everything. And J.T. Poston has everything else.
Poston ranks top-10 in approach (8th), around the green (10th), and putting (2nd) strokes gained over the last 50 rounds among golfers in the field.
Combine those three, and he's the best approach-through-putting golfer in the field.
His form at PGA National isn't great, yet he is golfing better now than ever in his career by a substantial margin.
Byeong Hun An
Byeong Hun An is playing some really good golf lately, and after a two-week blip with tepid iron play, he rallied back at the Genesis Invitational to post top-10 approach numbers.
An's putting, historically, has been costly for him, but he now ranks around the field average in putting over the past 50 rounds with underlying splits that are solid (though slipping a bit).
There's enough here to like An for sure, though the putting keeps him interesting for a finish position bet, as well.
Corey Conners
Firstly, Corey Conners' strokes gained: putting numbers are bad (109th over the last 50 rounds) and should be bad based on his distance splits. That's always unnerving.
However, he's about as good a tee-to-green player (4th) and ball-striker (3rd) that we have in this field, and with the key stats being what they are for me (and with my model liking Conners well enough), this is a good week to give him a look.
Just know that he has putted poorly on these greens in two career starts (-0.82 and -1.48 strokes per round).
Beau Hossler
Hossler is one of the top putters on Tour, and he also has a tendency to gain some distance, which has led to an elevated floor for him as of late. He has finished T47, T6, T14, T41, and T24 in 2024's starts.
The irons can come and go (and are mostly average at best with the occasional spike).
Because of that, a top-20 looks appealing. Hossler has made all three career cuts at PGA National, including a T16 in 2022 (his most recent start here).
Erik van Rooyen
Over the past 50 rounds, Erik van Rooyen ranks third in this field in strokes gained: approach as well as fifth in overall ball-striking. That's more or less the key for me this week.
The putter is solid (43rd) and is supported by good underlying distance-based data, too.
The wedges can always bog him down, though a partial-unit outright or a finishing position still makes a lot of sense.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
