The 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches will commence on Thursday, February 26 at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens. The PGA Tour Florida swing opener will see a stacked 123-player field teeing up to compete for the $9.6 million purse.
It is pertinent to note that the event, following back-to-back Signature Events on the PGA Tour schedule, will only have a handful of Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) top-50 players competing. Interestingly, World No.11 Ben Griffin, who was set to be the highest-rated golfer on the field this weekend, has withdrawn alongside last week’s Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgeman.
Following the latest change up in field, World No.26 Ryan Gerard is the top-rated player for the PGA National event. The 26-year-old golfer, who began the 2026 season with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii and The American Express, is also the PGA Tour power rankings topper. Entering the event on the back of a T28 finish at Genesis Invitational, the reigning Barracuda Championship winner will be looking to improve on his T25 finish from last year.
World No.31 Shane Lowry is the second highest-rated player on the field. The Irishman sits second on the power rankings table despite his best finish at the course being a runner-up in 2022. The 38-year-old will be eyeing a big result this weekend after a disappointing T24 at The Genesis Invitational.
Rasmus Hojgaard is currently World No.48. However, his brother Nicolai, who is ranked seven places below him, beats him on the Cognizant Classic power rankings table. The Danish duo sit third and fifth on the list as favorites. Meanwhile, Daniel Berger splits the sibling duo. Interestingly, Brooks Koepka has finally entered the top power rankings list, sitting 11th after finishing T16 in his last start at the competition in 2022.
Listed below is the top-15 power rankings picks for Cognizant Classic 2026:
- Ryan Gerard
- Shane Lowry
- Nicolai Højgaard
- Daniel Berger
- Rasmus Højgaard
- Jordan Smith
- Haotong Li
- Michael Thorbjornsen
- Keith Mitchell
- Johnny Keefer
- Brooks Koepka
- Andrew Putnam
- John Parry
- Lee Hodges
- Kevin Roy
Cognizant Classic Expert Picks 2026: Strategy, form and more
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches 2026 odds
Ryan Gerard also tops the Cognizant Classic odds list. The one-time PGA Tour winner enters the PGA National competition with +1600 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Interestingly, he shares the top spot with Shane Lowry, who also holds the same odds. The duo are followed by Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard brothers with +1900 and +2200 odds each.
Michael Thorbjornsen (+2200), Keith Mitchell (+2700), Daniel Berger, Max McGreevy (+3300), Johnny Keefer, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and ex-LIV star Brooks Koepka are the other big names to watch this weekend.
Cognizant Classic Predictions 2026: 5 Bold Predictions for the Event
Listed below are the top odds for the Cognizant Classic at PGA National (as per FanDuel Sportsbook):
- Ryan Gerard +1600
- Shane Lowry +1600
- Nicolai Højgaard +1900
- Rasmus Højgaard +2200
- Michael Thorbjornsen +2200
- Keith Mitchell +2700
- Daniel Berger +2700
- Max McGreevy +3300
- Johnny Keefer +3300
- Brooks Koepka +3300
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +3300
- Will Zalatoris +3500
- Aaron Rai +3500
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout +3500
- Haotong Li +3500
- Alex Smalley +3500
- Davis Thompson +3500
- Richard Hoey +4000
- Mac Meissner +4000
- Thorbjørn Olesen +4000
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