The third round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic gets underway on Saturday at PGA National (Champion Course) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Austin Smotherman leads the Cognizant Classic after the second round at 11-under par. He holds a three-stroke lead over the rest of the field, but the tournament remains wide open with two days remaining.
Here are my picks for the Cognizant Classic Round 3 best bets for Saturday.
Cognizant Classic Round 3 Odds, Best Bets
Max Homa Top 20 (+116 at DraftKings)
After a disappointing opening round, Max Homa climbed the leaderboard Friday with an impressive 5-under-par performance. He now sits T18 entering the weekend, and at +116, he is worth backing to remain inside the top 20.
Strong putting is essential at PGA National. Last year, each of the top five finishers ranked 21st or better in the field in strokes gained: putting.
No other strokes-gained category showed a similar trend.
During a challenging 12-month stretch, Homa’s putter has been the strongest part of his game. He ranks in the 70th percentile on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting and will likely rely on that strength again this weekend.
It is also worth noting that Homa finished tied for 20th in his most recent appearance at PGA National.
Alex Smalley Top 20 (+220 at DraftKings)
Another golfer worth targeting in this market is Alex Smalley. He enters the weekend T38, just two shots outside the top 20.
Smalley’s putting has been a weakness this week, which underscores how strong his iron play has been to keep him within striking distance. That said, he is unlikely to continue struggling on the greens.
Smalley has gained true strokes, putting in four of his past five tournaments, the most recent of which resulted in a T19 finish. He also ranks nearly 2% above the PGA Tour average this season in birdie-or-better percentage on approach shots from 150-175 yards.
That range is particularly relevant at PGA National, where nearly 22% of approach shots come from that distance, the highest distribution of any 25-yard grouping.
