The Florida swing begins this week with the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. The Champion Course of PGA National (par 71, 7,223 yards, Bermuda greens) in Palm Beach Gardens has been the site of the Cognizant Classic since 2007. Joe Highsmith (-19) is the defending champion of this event after winning by two strokes a year ago. There will be 121 players competing this week, and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
DraftKings $9,000 Range
Shane Lowry ($9,900)
With Ben Griffin and Jacob Bridgeman both withdrawing from the Cognizant Classic on Monday, Lowry is the clear top dog in this field, and beginning cash game lineups with the Irishman is a wise choice. Lowry has finished inside the top 12 in five of his last seven starts worldwide, and he has been tremendous at PGA National in the past. Lowry has never missed a cut in eight attempts at this Florida track, and he has finished runner-up, T5th, T4th, and T11th in his last four starts at this venue. Lowry has shot under par in 15 of his last 16 rounds at PGA National, and he ranks third among this field in Strokes Gained per round at the course.
Ryan Gerard ($9,700)
Gerard has finished T4th and T25th in his two starts at PGA National, and he ranks first among this field in Strokes Gained per round at the Florida track. Plus, Gerard has been incredible over the last few months, making six straight cuts worldwide with three runner-ups and a T11 finish during this time. Gerard ranks first in total strokes gained and SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and pairing the ascending talent with Lowry in cash games makes a ton of sense this week.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
DraftKings $8,000 Range
Alex Smalley ($8,300)
Smalley has made 2 of 3 cuts at PGA National, with his best finish being a T18 last season, in which he carded a 7-under 64 in the second round. Now, Smalley returns to Palm Beach Gardens on the heels of a T19 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The Duke product gained strokes across the board that week, and that marked his sixth made cut in his last eight starts.
Mac Meissner ($8,000)
Meissner has finished just T53rd and MC in his two starts at PGA National, but he has never headed to the track in better form than now. Meissner has made 11 consecutive cuts, and seven of these finishes have been top-30 results, most recently with a T18 at the Phoenix Open in his last start. Meissner ranks eighth in Total Strokes Gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he should easily have his best Cognizant Classic finish to date this weekend.
Updated on 2/24/26
DraftKings $7,000 Range
John Keefer ($7,800)
Keefer is poised for a strong Cognizant Classic debut this week. The 25-year-old has made five cuts in a row, and he began this run with a T7 at the RSM Classic. Keefer gained strokes on approach at each of these past five events, and he ranks fifth in SG: Approach when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds, setting him up well for PGA National. Three of the last five winners at this par 71 have finished the event top seven in SG: Approach.
Rico Hoey ($7,600)
Before missing the cut at the Genesis Invitational last week, Hoey had only failed to make the cut once in his previous 15 starts, and he carded eight top-25 finishes during this run. Hoey has finished T56th and T25th at the last two Cognizant Classics, and he is underpriced for his odds to win this event this weekend. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Hoey carries +4300 odds to win the Cognizant Classic, which are better odds than Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who is significantly more expensive for DFS at $8,700.
Mackenzie Hughes ($7,500)
Hughes has made 5 of 7 cuts at PGA National – including a runner-up in 2020 – and he has only missed one cut in his last five starts entering this week. Hughes has finished inside the top 35 at back-to-back events, and his ball striking has been excellent. Hughes ranks 12th in SG: Tee-to-Green when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he is an awesome value play at this low salary.
Doug Ghim ($7,400)
Ghim has only missed one cut in his last nine starts, and he has finished T16th and T11th at the past two Cognizant Classics. Ghim shot under par in six of these eight rounds at PGA National, most notably with an 8-under 63 during the second round of last year’s Cognizant Classic. Ghim ranks 13th in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and a third straight top-20 finish at PGA National is on the table for him in this form.
DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Zecheng Dou ($6,900)
After a successful season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 – including back-to-back runner-up finishes in the fall – Dou has been rock solid on the PGA TOUR this season. The Chinese professional has advanced through the cut in his first four starts, and he is fresh off a T13 at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this month. Dou gained strokes with both his irons and putter that week, and he closed that start with an 8-under 63, tying his career low on the PGA TOUR. Dou missed the cut in his lone start at PGA National in 2023, but he returns to the venue this week 32 spots higher in the world golf rankings and should redeem himself with a made cut.
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Pictured: Shane Lowry
Photo credit: Imagn
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