Cognizant Classic Betting Guide: 5 Picks Our Expert Loves This Week

The Cognizant Classic is arguably the most wide-open event that we've had so far in 2026. It's the start of the Florida Swing, which is always a wild ride.

We have a nice change of pace this week, as Scottie Scheffler is not in the field. We no longer have to worry about him running away from the field at ridiculous odds (+300).

We are still searching for our first win of the season. We've had plenty of our outright bets in the mix on the weekend, but they have all failed to cross the finish line. A good week or two is all we need to right the ship.

Where is the Cognizant Classic?

Cognizant Classic Course Preview: PGA National Resort (The Champion Course)

PGA National (Champion Course) is a Par 71 that measures 7,223 yards. Like most courses in Florida, there are water hazards lurking everywhere. Water is in play on 15 of the 18 holes, which is one of the highest marks of any course on the PGA TOUR.

This has typically been a tough test of golf, but that has changed in the last couple of years. They have made the course a little easier, and golfers have gotten a lot more aggressive off the tee. The field hit driver on 63% of non-Par 3 tee shots last year, which was easily the highest mark ever at this event. With light wind in the forecast, we can expect low scores this week. We aren't going to see a -25 winning score, but it should fall somewhere in the -17 to -20 range like it has in the last two years.

There are a lot of dog legs on this course, but the fairways are generous (35 yards wide on average). You don't have to be a bomber to contend here, but Driving Distance has played more of a factor than you might expect. The greens here are large (7,000 square feet) and feature bermudagrass. The greens will certainly roll more pure than the poa annua greens golfers had to contend with last week at Riviera Country Club.

The five most important metrics for me this week (outside of overall talent and recent form) are:

• Total Driving
• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Around the Green
• Strokes Gained: Putting (Emphasis on Bermuda)
• Bogey Avoidance

Let's dive into the picks!

Cognizant Classic Picks

Nicolai Hojgaard

+2150 at DraftKings | 4% at Kalshi

European players have always had a good track record at PGA National, and a few of them have made my betting card for the week. The first is Nicolai Hojgaard, who is 2nd in this field in Driving Distance and top 10 in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach. He's not great around the green, but he's a positive putter. If you look at statistics from this year, he's 2nd in the field in Bogey Avoidance, which should come in handy on a course with so many landmines.

Hojgaard has been in solid form to start the year, making all 4 cuts and posting 2 top 5 finishes in much stronger fields than this one. He wasn't in either of the Signature Events, so he should be well rested after two weeks off. He has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, but he already has 4 professional wins under his belt at the age of 24 years old. His most recent win was at the 2023 DP World Tour Championship, which is a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour.

Rasmus Hojgaard

+2500 at BetMGM | 4% at Kalshi

Why bet one Hojgaard when you can bet both? I can't think of a worse scenario than betting one and having to watch the other win. Both are proven winners, we just haven't seen it yet on the PGA TOUR.  We are actually getting a better price on Rasmus Hojgaard, who has already racked up 5 professional wins in his career. His most recent win came at the 2024 Amgen Irish Open.

While Rasmus and Nicolai are identical twins, they do have different skill sets on the golf course. Like his brother, Rasmus is also a bomber off the tee. The big difference comes on approach and on the greens. Nicolai is a better iron player, while Rasmus is one of the best putters in the world.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen

+3700 at DraftKings | 3% at Kalshi

Hardcore golf fans are very familiar with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, but the casual fan has likely never heard of him. Picking up his first win on the PGA TOUR could certainly change that. He's one of the longest hitters in the field, he's an excellent iron player (especially with his long irons), and he's an underrated scrambler.

He has yet to miss a cut on the PGA TOUR this season, so he comes into the week in solid form. Like the Hojgaard brothers, he should be well rested after not playing in the Signature Events in the last two weeks. He recently picked up his first professional win at the 2025 Australian Open in December. I like his chances of being in the mix on Sunday, as he has the highest top 10 percentile finish rate (41%) of anyone in the field over the last 14 months.

Lee Hodges

+10500 at DraftKings | >1% at Kalshi

This is one of those courses where long-shots have a real chance to find the winner's circle. I'm putting a half-unit on two golfers priced above +10000 this week. The first is Hodges, who seems to love it at PGA National. He's finished in the top 15 in 2 of his last 3 appearances at this event. He's not known for his consistency, but we should never worry about a high floor when we are betting on outrights. All we care about is a high ceiling.

Hodges has two strengths that really play well at this course — he can get red-hot with his irons, and he can get red-hot on the greens. If both of those happen this week, don't be surprised to see him in the mix on Sunday.

Andrew Putnam

+16500 at DraftKings | >1% at Kalshi

My model loves Putnam this week. While we've seen golfers get more aggressive off the tee at this course in recent years, it's still short enough that the accurate hitters can contend. In this field over the last 18 months, Putnam is 14th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 1st in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting. That's a tremendous skill set for someone priced at +16500.

If Putnam can just be even with the field off the tee (he'll need to be super accurate), I could see the rest of his game making up for his lack of distance. Putnam already has a 2nd place finish this year, and he finished T11 at this event last year. At these odds, it's not a bad idea to supplement this bet with a top 5 or top 10 bet.

When is Cognizant Classic?

The 2026 Cognizant Classic tees off on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

• What: 2026 Cognizant Classic
• When: February 26-March 1, 2026
• Where: PGA National Resort (The Champion Course)
• Par: 71
• Length: 7,223
• Purse: $9.6 million

Where to Watch the Cognizant Classic?

2026 Cognizant Classic TV Schedule

Round 1: Thursday, February 26

• Live stream: ESPN+ (6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (2 to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 2: Friday, February 27

• Live stream: ESPN+ (6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (2 to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 3: Saturday, February 28

• Live stream: ESPN+ (7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); NBC (3 to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 4: Sunday, March 1

• Live stream: ESPN+ (7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); NBC (3 to 6 p.m. ET)

Who is Favored to Win the 2026 Cognizant Classic?

Shane Lowry and Ryan Gerard are co-favorites to win the 2026 Cognizant Classic, listed at +1900 odds at DraftKings.

Next up on the odds board are the Hojgaard twins, Nicolai and Rasmus. Nicolai Hojgaard is +2100 and Rasmus Hojgaard is +2150 to win the Cognizant Classic.

Mitchel Thorbjornsen is +2400, Keith Mitchell is +2600, and Brooks Koepka is +2800 to win the 2026 Cognizant Classic.

You ran view the full odds board for the Cognizant Classic below.

Cognizant Classic 2026: Odds, Favorites

Odds via DraftKings as of Tuesday