2026 Cognizant Classic preview: Expert predictions, picks as PGA Tour's Florida Swing begins at PGA National

The PGA Tour kicks off its Florida Swing at the Bear Trap

Through six events of the 2026 PGA Tour season, storylines are bountiful. A multi-time winner, Chris Gotterup has jumped into a new echelon of golf. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has kept up his torrid pace, while Justin Rose has continued to defy conventional wisdom at age 45. Collin Morikawa broke his winless drought, and Jacob Bridgeman became the year's initial first-time winner at the Genesis Invitational by holding off Rory McIlroy. 

But that was the West Coast Swing, and now, the PGA Tour transitions to Florida with the 2026 Cognizant Classic representing the start of four weeks of golf in the Sunshine State. While the names that were supposed to headline the field -- Bridgeman, Ben Griffin and Adam Scott -- bowed out earlier in the week, opportunity still comes knocking at PGA National.

A life-changing moment could be in a young player's future as a wide-open field battles the Bear Trap, which has lost some of its teeth in recent times. With tournament officials choosing to overseed the golf course to provide lush fairways and green scenery, the bite that the venue was once known for has been taken away. 

Last season, for example, Jake Knapp fired a 59 on the par 71 while Joe Highsmith won the tournament at 19 under after making the cut on the number. The year prior, Austin Eckroat won on a Monday finish at 17 under, marking the first time since the tournament moved to PGA National that a winner eclipsed 15 under.

This season, good scores should be available once again as Shane Lowry leads a group of veteran players like Keith Mitchell and Brooks Koepka into the field. Meanwhile, young players like Rasmus Højgaard and his twin brother Nicolai look for their first wins on the PGA Tour alongside Michael Thorbjornsen, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Haotong Li, who are also in the mix.