After the dramatic win of Brian Campbell in a playoff at the Mexico Open, the PGA Tour is all set with its swing in Florida with the 2025 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. The first round will be held on 27 February at PGA National Resort, featuring notable participants, including Shane Lowry, Shane Jordan, Russell Henley, and Rickie Fowler.
The defending champion, Austin Eckroat aims to defend his title, a feat which he has not achieved since Jack Nicklaus in 1977-78. In order to rewrite history, he needs to stave off quite a few contenders of the 2025 Cognizant Classic and defend his title.
Let’s find out who are the favorites of the tournament along with their betting odds. We will also make a few predictions and surprises based on Sportsline’s model and carry out an analysis of the key contenders of the 2025 Cognizant Classic event.
Tournament Favorites and Odds
Shane Lowry, world’s Number 18 is a betting favorite at 20-1. The Irish man, who has never missed the cut in seven visits to the PGA National, is aiming for his fourth straight top-five finish. He is one of the top One and Done picks of McClure’s Sportsline model. The 37-YO has a total of three career PGA Tour victories and has won the Open Championship in 2019.
His top performance was against a superior field at AT&T Pebble Beach where he landed in second place.
Other favorites picked up by the model call out for Russell Henley, the four-time PGA Tour champ and also one of the top favorites who might stumble this week and might barely crack the top five. He currently ranks 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking, finishing T-10 or even better in the two of his previous three starts. Henley has not won any PGA tour event after his playoff in 2022.
Sportsline has picked up other tournament favorites who are close behind at 22-1 including Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im, and Austin Eckroat. Eckroat faces long betting odds at 55-1 to repeat his victory at the 2025 Cognizant Classic.
Predictions and Surprises from SportsLine’s Model
Mike McClure, the DFS pro, has developed a proprietary model called the Sportsline, which has a red hot in the market ever since the PGA Tour began again in 2020. The model nailed 13 majors including the 2024 Masters as well as last year’s US Open and PGA Championship.
The model has also simulated the PGA Tournament 10,000 times with surprising results. Despite being a favorite, the Sportsline has predicted Russell Henley’s struggles and he may not be a strong pick to win the 2025 Cognizant Classic field.
Denny McCarthy, the 40-1 long shot, has much higher chances of winning than what his odds may imply. He is an excellent target for punters looking for a massive payday.
Analysis of Key Contenders
Denny McCarthy is aiming to achieve his first win in this PGA Tour with all the important tools required to be a top contender at this week’s PGA National. His performance has been top-notch in recent weeks when he finished T-16 or better in three of his previous four starts. The rank 22 contender is currently coming off the T-5 finish at the Genesis Invitational with long odds and impressive stats which make him a strong value pick for the 2025 Cognizant Classic wagers. The model targets four more golfers with betting odds of 30-1 or more who might make similar strong runs at the title. Backing these long shots might hit the big prize.
Austin Eckroat missed the cut in four of his previous five starts and is currently going off a 55-1 longshot to repeat. Other contenders are aiming at the throwing Eckroat, which makes it more challenging for him to overcome his recent form issues to defend the title for the 2025 Cognizant Classic.
How to Make Picks and Conclusion Setup
If you are looking to wager on the 2025 Cognizant Classic golfers, make your picks from the list of potential winners and longshots provided by the Sportsline model. Head over to the projected leaderboard and get insight into full predictions of the PGA Tour’s 2025 Cognizant Classic. Stay updated on the potential winners and follow their top performance on the best golf betting sites.
