The 2025 Cognizant Classic: PGA Tour Betting Odds

Russell Henley and Shane Lowry are co-favourites on the golf odds.

A lot of PGA Tour pros live in this area – as does a certain U.S. President often – and it’s why that Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy TGL golf sim league is based in the Palm Beach area. Tiger of course will not be playing this week. Neither is Rory, but we should see him next week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the Orlando area as that’s a big-money Signature Event. This is the last time for players to qualify for that if not already in the limited field.

This event for many years was known as the Honda Classic but changed names/sponsors in 2024 when American Austin Eckroat won at 17-under 263, three clear of the field. It was the lowest total to win here since 2003. The event stretched to Monday due to inclement weather with Eckroat, who had a decorated amateur career and collegiate career at Oklahoma State, taking his first Tour event.

The 26-year-old has won since, adding the World Wide Technology Championship last November, and is +5500 to repeat. Only a few players have won this tournament in whatever form twice and only Jack Nicklaus (who also lives in the area) repeated in 1978 when it was called the Jackie Gleason Classic. Maybe your grandparents know who Jackie Gleason is. My pick last year was South Korean Byeong Hun An, who finished T21. In all, nine past champions at PGA National are set to tee it up.

Since 2007, this tournament has been played on Nicklaus-designed Champion Course at PGA National Resort – one of the tougher tracks on Tour led by the Bear Trap: The par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes, which consistently ranks among the most difficult three-hole stretches on Tour. The 10th hole was converted from a par 4 to par 5 for 2024, and it has been lengthened 20 yards for 2025. Overall, it’s a par 71 at 7,167 yards. Water is in play on 15 of the 18 holes, including the Trap stretch.

The world’s No. 1 amateur in Luke Clanton (+5000) is in the field – he’s a junior at Florida State who is from not too far from Palm Beach Gardens in Hialeah. Clanton is in the field on a sponsor exemption as he attempts to secure his PGA Tour card. If he makes the cut, he’ll earn said card effective after the NCAA Championship later this spring. Clanton narrowly missed in his first opportunity for his card when he missed the cut by one stroke at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this month.

The Cognizant Classic Golf Odds

American Russell Henley and Ireland’s Shane Lowry are co-favourites at +2000. Henley won here in 2014 in a four-man playoff, was third in 2021 and is the world’s top-ranked player competing at the Cognizant Classic at No. 17. Lowry was a runner-up here in 2022 to Austria’s Sepp Straka, who is +2200. Lowry has never missed the cut in seven visits to PGA National and is looking for his fourth straight top-five finish.

Straka shot a 10-under 270 three years ago to win by a shot and also has a win this year at the American Express. He missed the cut here in 2024. Daniel Berger (+2500) and Sungjae Im (+2500) are the only other players under +3000. Berger lost in the 2015 playoff here to Padraig Harrington and has a couple of fourth-place finishes in the event since. Berger has been 12^th and second the past two weeks on Tour this year. Im won the 2020 Honda Classic at 6-under 274 but has missed the cut two of the past three years.

No Canadian has won the Cognizant Classic, but Mackenzie Hughes finished runner-up by a shot in 2020 and Dan Halldorson was a co-runner-up in 1991 to Steve Pate. Ben Silverman was the top finisher last year at T16, while Corey Conners was T41. Taylor Pendrith and Adam Svensson missed the cut. Pendrith is +3000 this week with Hughes +9000, Svensson +10000 and Silverman +15000.