PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – We’ve reached the PGA TOUR’s Florida Swing, a four-week jaunt around the Sunshine State. Most of the early-year rust is gone, now a quarter of the way through the season.

For those players who started well, the next month is a prime opportunity to claim some of the top tournaments on the TOUR rota, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship. For those that have sputtered, it’s the start of a stressful stretch with major championships barreling down in the not-too-distant future.

Ahead of this week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, the kickoff to the Florida Swing, here’s a look at the burning questions that will be answered over the next month, from Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele’s health to the trajectories of Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa.

1. Can Jordan Spieth stay healthy?

Twelve years into his PGA TOUR career, it’s not often Jordan Spieth experiences a new first. That’s the case this week as Spieth is playing the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at PGA National for the first time in his career.

It was surprising to see Spieth’s name in the field because of that, but also because of the current state of his body. After the second round of The Genesis Invitational, less than two weeks ago, Spieth said “it’s been a tough week on the wrist” and that after he hit his shot into the par-3 16th at Torrey Pines on Thursday, he wasn’t sure he would even finish the first round.

“It beat it up pretty good, but I’m hoping this next week, laying off of it for five or six days and working on it with therapy – it’s just inflammation so hopefully it will just go away and this will end up being a good thing that I kind of pushed it,” Spieth said.

It’s the second time in three starts that Spieth has felt pain in his surgically repaired wrist, which sidelined him for five months. He jammed the wrist during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Now, Spieth has signed himself up to possibly play four weeks in a row, if everything goes right. He’s not currently exempt into the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard but has received sponsor exemptions into the last two Signature Events. Spieth is eligible for THE PLAYERS Championship and has said he “ideally” will play in the Valspar Championship, which he won in 2015.

Spieth has said he is managing expectations on the course. If he leaves the Florida Swing with a healthy wrist that will mean more than any results.

2. Can Luke Clanton secure his card?

Luke Clanton’s enthralling pursuit of a PGA TOUR card returns at this week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. The Florida State junior nearly earned it at the WM Phoenix Open, narrowly missing the cut which, had he made it, would’ve earned him his 20th PGA TOUR University Accelerated point and his TOUR card.

The stakes are the same at PGA National: make the cut and a TOUR card will be waiting for Clanton when he finishes his collegiate season later this spring.

Given Clanton has made the cut in eight of his 11 TOUR starts, it’s possible – even likely – that Clanton will leave the Florida Swing with a TOUR card in hand.

The No. 1 ranked amateur in the world has clearly displayed his readiness for pro golf. Clanton has notched five top-15 finishes in just 11 PGA TOUR starts, including runner-up showings at last year’s John Deere Classic and The RSM Classic. He finished T15 at the Farmers Insurance Open a month ago for his 18th PGA TOUR University Accelerated point, which – after his long perch atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking – got him to No. 19.

If he misses the cut again this week at the Cognizant Classic, it’s still possible Clanton gets his card during Florida Swing. Clanton is already in the field for the Valspar Championship in March, earning a spot in the event after winning the 2024 Valspar Collegiate Invitational by five shots last spring.

3. Will Scottie Scheffler return to his winning ways?

This is where it started a year ago. Scottie Scheffler began the Florida Swing in 2024 without a win and left the Sunshine State with its two top trophies – the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS. What he did after that is well documented as the American lifted and separated from the rest of pro golf, en route to nine worldwide victories and one of the best seasons in the modern era.

Will that happen again? Scheffler is well positioned. He finished in the top-10 in both of his Signature Event starts (T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and T3 at The Genesis Invitational). He’s maintained his stout tee-to-green game (ranking fifth in Strokes Gained) and is 31st in putting. That’s a lethal combo, similar to his 2024 dominance. He returns to Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass, where he’s won four times combined.

Still, Scheffler feels he’s got rust he has yet to knock off.

“It's not easy to come out here and play competitive golf at a high level and get right back to where I was last year, losing those weeks that I had at home where I couldn't do anything,” Scheffler said after his final round at The Genesis. “I'm trying to give myself a little bit of grace and some patience kind of getting back into the swing of things. I did some things in the last few weeks that I'm happy with and definitely some things that I need to improve on.”

4. When will Xander Schauffele return and what will he look like when he does?

Sidelined since The Sentry with a rib injury, world No. 2 Xander Schauffele could be close to a return.

In an interview published Feb. 14 in Golfweek, Schauffele set a target to return for next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

"I want to get as many reps under the belt before the Masters,” Schauffele told Golfweek. “It would be nice to get the competitive blood flowing a few times before going into a really big event and also have THE PLAYERS coming up."

Schauffele injured his rib cage during the offseason, blaming the injury on overuse. Schauffele said he originally ramped up his practice hoping to return for the WM Phoenix Open or The Genesis but decided against it, opting for a cautious approach after he wasn’t quite where he needed to be with his prep.

The additional two weeks of rest and practice could prove beneficial with Schauffele then expected to play back-to-back at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass, where he finished runner-up to Scheffler at THE PLAYERS last year. Schauffele has also played the Valspar in two of the last three seasons, though it’s unclear whether the American would opt to play in three straight events after returning from injury.

When he does return, it’s fair to expect some rust, though the reigning U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner’s internal expectations will undoubtedly be high. Schauffele has two top-25s at Bay Hill and has twice finished runner-up at THE PLAYERS.

5. Will Max Homa make progress?

Max Homa’s progress, or lack thereof, has become one of the most intriguing subplots two months into the PGA TOUR season. He began the year with subdued expectations given how his play regressed in the back half of 2024 and the changes in equipment and coaching.

It was understandable given all that, that Homa would have some growing pains. He finished in the middle of the pack at The Sentry and hasn’t made a cut in a Full-Field Event yet this season. His only other result was a T53 at Pebble Beach.

But at some point, Homa needs to show improvement. He believed he was on the right track after a second-round 69 at the WM Phoenix Open, despite missing the cut.

“That's what's so odd about (Phoenix) is that is the best I swung the golf club like potentially – this is going to sound crazy, but potentially ever,” Homa said a week later.

Then he shot 76-75 to miss the cut at The Genesis Invitational. Homa has remained confident that things are improving, even if it isn’t showing in his scores yet. That’s a meaningful distinction. Homa is steadfast that he’s on an upward trajectory.

The results do need to come, though. Homa is 121st in the FedExCup and 63rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s not currently exempt into the U.S. Open or The Open Championship and will need to improve that world ranking to earn a spot.

Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass are two venues Homa has played well at in the past. He has never finished outside the top-25 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has two top-10s. He also has two top-15s at THE PLAYERS Championship along with three consecutive made cuts.