The PGA Tour’s Florida sequence commences on Thursday, February 26th, showcasing the 2026 Cognizant Classic held in the Palm Beaches at the PGA National Champion Course. Following two high-profile Signature Events, the lineup for the Cognizant Classic sees an absence of numerous prominent figures, yet it still includes former major champions like Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka, with Koepka participating in his third competition since his return to the PGA tour this year. The initial tee-off times are scheduled for 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time.
Current betting probabilities for the 2026 Cognizant Classic, sourced from FanDuel Sportsbook, position Ryan Gerard as the leading contender at +1600, closely followed by Shane Lowry at +1700. Koepka’s odds stand at +3000, subsequent to his early exit from the previous WM Phoenix Open. Meanwhile, Blades Brown, an 18-year-old, is considered a significant outsider at +10000, having secured an 18th-place result in his only PGA appearance this year. Prior to finalizing any selections for the 2026 Cognizant Classic, submitting any one-and-done choices, or formulating any daily fantasy golf picks on platforms like FanDuel or DraftKings, it is advisable to consult the golf forecasts and anticipated standings generated by SportsLine’s established computational system.
The proprietary analytical framework from SportsLine, developed by daily fantasy sports expert Mike McClure, has processed simulations of each PGA Tour competition ten thousand times, consistently generating golf betting picks that have demonstrated remarkable profitability.
Furthermore, this identical analytical system has accurately predicted an impressive 16 major tournaments before the start of the weekend, encompassing the 2025 Masters — marking its fourth consecutive Masters success — in addition to the current year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Individuals who have adhered to its sports wagering recommendations would have potentially realized substantial gains on various betting sites.
Now that the roster for the 2026 Cognizant Classic is finalized, the computational model executed 10,000 simulations of the event, yielding astonishing outcomes. Navigate to SportsLine immediately to view the predicted tournament standings.
Forecasts for the 2026 Cognizant Classic
A significant unexpected insight from the model for the 2026 Cognizant Classic indicates that Lowry, who is ranked as the second favorite this week and secured the 2019 Open Championship, is not anticipated to place within the top three. The model suggests he is a player to consider against for this week’s event. Lowry has not claimed an individual PGA Tour title since his major victory, though he did secure a team win with Rory McIlroy at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. His T8 finish at Pebble Beach earlier this month represented his initial top-10 performance since May 2025. Discover other players to consider fading here.
Furthermore, the model exhibits strong confidence in Daniel Berger, considering him a +2700 dark horse and predicting he will contend for a top-six position, despite his lower ranking on the betting charts. Berger has experienced difficulties in his two most recent outings, yet he has recorded two top-20 placements this season — one at the Sony Open and another at the WM Phoenix Open. He boasts three top-five performances at this tournament, historically recognized as the Honda Classic, with one such achievement occurring in 2022. View additional recommended selections here.
Guidance for Making 2026 Cognizant Classic Selections
The analytical framework additionally highlights four underdog players, holding odds of +3000 or greater, as potential top-10 finishers. The specific selections from the model are exclusively available for viewing here.
Who is poised to emerge victorious in the 2026 Cognizant Classic, and which significant dark horses are set to astonish the golf community? Review the 2026 Cognizant Classic betting lines provided beneath, and subsequently proceed to SportsLine for access to the predicted leaderboards, all derived from the model that has accurately foretold 16 major golf championships, with three occurring in 2025.
2026 Cognizant Classic Betting Lines, Key Contenders
Obtain complete 2026 Cognizant Classic selections, prime wagers, and forecasts here.
(betting odds supplied by FanDuel and prone to alteration)
Ryan Gerard +1600
Shane Lowry +1700
Nicolai Højgaard +1900
Rasmus Højgaard +2200
Michael Thorbjornsen +2200
Keith Mitchell +2700
Daniel Berger +2700
Brooks Koepka +3000
Aaron Rai +3300
Alex Smalley +3300
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +3300
Davis Thompson +3300
Will Zalatoris +3500
Max McGreevy +3500
Richard Hoey +4000
Johnny Keefer +4000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +4000
Haotong Li +4000
Thorbjørn Olesen +4000
Nico Echavarria +4000
Max Homa +4500
Kristoffer Reitan +4500
Michael Brennan +4500
Jordan Smith +4500
Mac Meissner +4500
Mackenzie Hughes +4500
Chris Kirk +4500
Sami Valimaki +5000
John Parry +5500
Tom Kim +5500
Stephan Jaeger +5500
Ricky Castillo +5500
Seamus Power +6000
Garrick Higgo +6000
Matt Wallace +6000
Doug Ghim +7000
Kris Ventura +7000
Jesper Svensson +7000
Kevin Yu +7000
Zecheng Dou +7500
Austin Eckroat +7500
S.H. Kim +7500
Joel Dahmen +7500
Kevin Roy +7500
Eric Cole +7500
Gary Woodland +7500
David Ford +8000
Dan Brown +8000
Billy Horschel +8000
Adrien Dumont de Chassart +8000
Dylan Wu +8000
Luke Clanton +8000
Emiliano Grill +8000
Vince Whaley +8000
David Lipsky +10000
Mark Hubbard +10000
Chandler Blanchet +10000
Davis Riley +10000
Keita Nakajima +10000
Sudarshan Yellamaraju +10000
Takumi Kanaya +10000
Beau Hossler +10000
Taylor Moore +10000
Austin Smotherman +10000
Lee Hodges +10000
Erik van Rooyen +10000
Matt Kuchar +10000
Karl Vilips +10000
Isaiah Salinda +10000
Blades Brown +10000
Steven Fisk +10000
Andrew Putnam +10000
Matti Schmid +10000
Chad Ramey +10000
Adrien Saddier +10000
Sam Ryder +10000
Adam Hadwin +10000
Jackson Suber +10000
Chan Kim +10000
