Power Rankings: Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches

It’s not on purpose but you can’t deny the cosmic alignment, literal and otherwise, that the PGA TOUR’s annual leap across the continent occurs on Feb. 29. That is when the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches is scheduled to begin.

A field of 144 is assembling on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. What it will find includes a significant change on the inward side. Details of it and more are below.

PGA National has been the only host of this tournament during the FedExCup era (2007-present). Throughout the first 17 years, it tested as a par 70, but not no more. The 10th hole has been converted from a 508-yard par 4 to a 530-yard par 5, so overall par now is 71 with respective nines of 35 and 36. From the tips, the course can stretch to 7,147 yards.

As recently as 2020 and 2021, No. 10 was the second-hardest par 4 on the course and among the top 30 toughest par 4s of the season. It will make its par-5 debut as the shortest of a trio of them at PGA National.

With challenging sets of par 3s and par 4s, it’s a welcome step in the evolution of the 40something-year-old track most recently renovated in earnest by Jack Nicklaus in 2018. The par 5s almost always are the soft spots of the beast arguably best known for The Bear Trap, the white-knuckle ride through the par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes. Each has averaged over par in every edition of the tournament. Checking in at +0.354 strokes to par last year, they single-handedly made almost all of the difference between par and the field’s scoring average of +0.358.

With scoring averages in relation to par promised to drop with the transition of the 10th hole, shorter rough also should contribute to redder numbers. The overseeded rough has been shortened from three inches to just 2¼ inches this year. Bermudagrass greens haven’t changed, however. The sizable surfaces will be ready to roll to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. This should be the expectation through at least Thursday when favorable scoring conditions are forecast. Winds will freshen on Friday, so it probably will influence how the greens are prepped. Calmer conditions could return on the weekend as the threat of inclement weather increases for Sunday’s finale. Daytime highs throughout will be right around 80 degrees.

While wind comes and goes, the constant at PGA National is water. It’s everywhere. It’s why course management and patience are the primary weapons to contend. It’s a great example of how to plan backward from hole location to tee box so as to target landing areas for preferred yardages on approach.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the top 10 in the FedExCup not already exempt into next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard will qualify for what is the fourth Signature Event of 2024. In addition, the top five in aggregate FedExCup points across this fortnight that opened with the Mexico Open at Vidanta also will qualify for the limited field at Bay Hill. Standings for both the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 can be reviewed here.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle

* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.