Cognizant Classic Betting Tips: 5 Panel Selections From PGA National
The Florida Swing gets under way this week with the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches which has been hit by a number of significant withdrawals.
With The Players Championship on the horizon, Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin and Adam Scott have all pulled out, so there will be no players inside the top 25 of the world rankings competing at PGA National.
Shane Lowry and Ryan Gerard are now the 16/1 co-favourites on betting sites, while defending champion Joe Highsmith can be backed at an eyewatering 275/1 with Bet365!
Last year Highsmith posted the lowest weekend score in PGA National history with a pair of 64s to beat Bridgeman and 2025 US Open champion JJ Spaun by two shots.
There have been plenty of triple-digit winners in the last seven years and Matt Jones was 80/1 when he won in 2021, so it could pay dividends to look further down the field, especially with three of the favourites out of the running.
The Champion Course is a typical Florida set-up with water hazards on 15 holes and 26 in total, testing bunkers and penal rough.
Additionally, The Bear Trap, covering holes 15-17, is a tough stretch on this par-71 lay-out measuring 7,223 yards.
Scattered thunderstorms are expected for Friday afternoon, the whole of Saturday and part of Sunday, although the wind, which can be a major factor, is not expected to be a problem aside from a few hours from Thursday lunchtime.
Finding a winner at the former Honda Classic has been tough in the last few years, but recent champions have featured prominently in the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green measure, although Putting and Approach should not be dismissed.
On an exposed course, SG: Off-the-Tee is also an important factor and with minimal wind this week, those who can hit it long and straight will definitely have an advantage.
The Panel have picked out two players toward the top end of the market for their Cognizant Classic betting tips and thrown in a couple priced at 80/1 and 100/1.
As usual, there is a top-20 selection, but this week’s preview starts with one of the frontrunners who could take advantage of a weakened field.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips: All Aboard Hojgaard Express
The merits of Lowry (course form 2-5-4-11, 2026 form 3-26-8-24) and Gerard, who had three runner-up finishes at the turn of the year, are obvious, but perhaps Nicolai Hojgaard could break his PGA Tour duck this week.
Hojgaard has brought his end-of-year form into 2026, with fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic, a top 25 at Torrey Pines and he finished just one shot outside a play-off at the Phoenix Open in his last outing.
His Strokes Gained numbers at TPC Scottsdale were exceptional and it should be noted he tops the rankings from Off-the-Tee in the first two months of the season.
Twelve months ago, in what was his second appearance at the Cognizant Classic, Hojgaard played consistently well, with rounds of 68-68-67-69 ensuring a top-20 finish, courtesy of being the eighth best in the field for Approach.
His SG: Tee-to-Green numbers were also on point and it should be noted that he stands seventh for that metric after the first two months of the year.
With a spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the line, the world number 52 could not have a better chance of lifting his first PGA Tour title and he stands out at 20/1 as the first of this week’s Cognizant Classic predictions.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips 1: Nicolai Hojgaard 20/1 (Each-Way) - With William Hill (Six Places)
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips:
- Nicolai Hojgaard 20/1 (Each-Way) - With William Hill (Six Places)
- Alex Smalley 45/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Six Places)
- Kevin Roy 80/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Eight Places)
- Sam Ryder 100/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Eight Places)
- Isaiah Salinda 11/2 Top 20 - With Betway
(Odds correct at the time of publishing: 3pm - 24/02/2026)
Cognizant Classic Tips: Smalley Can Flourish In Florida
Alex Smalley is also hunting his maiden PGA Tour title and he finished alongside Hojgaard in 18th spot in last season’s renewal, but his price is double that of the Dane.
The 29-year-old from Rochester, New York, has three top 20s in his last nine outings, including fourth at the Baycurrent Classic and third at the Bermuda Championship towards the end of the year in fields not dissimilar to the one in Palm Beach Gardens this week.
Perhaps his biggest success over the last five months came at Pebble Beach where he finished just inside the top 20 competing against stellar company, so the signs are encouraging the American could go well at this course again.
Smalley has respectable numbers for most of the major Strokes Gained metrics and he has been one of the best ball-strikers on Tour in the early part of the season.
At 45/1 with one of the betting apps, Smalley surely has a decent chance of finally getting over the line at a time of year when he tends to play well.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips 2: Alex Smalley 45/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Six Places)
Cognizant Classic Predictions: Roy The Boy
The final two selections are on the speculative side, but Kevin Roy cannot be ruled out at 80/1 with Bet365.
Nine years ago, the New York native who now lives in Florida, was considering quitting the sport, but at the age of 32 he finally earned his PGA Tour card in 2022.
Tied for 12th in his one and only PGA Tour event of 2024 at the Valspar Championship, Roy enjoyed eight top 20s in 2025 and has added a couple more to his tally this year.
Roy finished 13th at both the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Phoenix Open in his last appearance, so his confidence should be high ahead of his third visit to PGA National.
Although he missed the cut 12 months ago, Roy had posted a top 30 on his tournament debut in 2023.
The key to his success this season has been his putting, but he had positive numbers for all of the major measures at TPC Scottsdale and hopefully that will be the case again this week.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips 3: Kevin Roy 80/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Eight Places)
Cognizant Classic Outrights: Home Comfort For Ryder
Sam Ryder is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour and he looks worth a whirl at 100/1 to go close at a track where he consistently plays well.
Ryder has never missed the cut in five appearances on the Champion Course and finished inside the top 10 in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022.
It’s been a light start to 2026 for the 36-year-old Floridian, but he posted a top 30 at The American Express, although he finished well down the field at Torrey Pines.
Now, he is back in his native Florida, The Panel are expecting better things from Ryder, who performed well in the Sunshine State last season.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips 4: Sam Ryder 100/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Eight Places)
Cognizant Classic Top 20: Salinda To Threaten Leaderboard
Isaiah Salinda had a reasonable rookie season after finishing 18th on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 when he won the Panama Championship by eight strokes.
The 28-year-old from San Francisco enjoyed three top 20s on the PGA Tour in 2025, including third spot at the Mexico Open almost exactly a year ago.
Although Salinda missed the cut in the first two events of this season at Waialae and La Quinta in his native California, he bounced back with a top 30 at the Farmers Insurance Open where his SG numbers were positive almost across the board.
He stands fifth in the SG: Off-the-Tee rankings on the back of six measured rounds and finished just inside the top 40 at PGA National last year.
It’s unlikely Salinda will be lifting the trophy on Sunday, but in a weakened field he looks decent value at 11/2 with Betway for a top 20.
Cognizant Classic Betting Tips 5: Isaiah Salinda 11/2 Top 20 - With Betway
Who do you think will win at PGA National this week? Let us know in the comment box below!
