Brooks Koepka comments on Cognizant Classic course | Golf News

There once was a time in professional golf historical past when having to play at PGA National felt like one of the most unforgiving stops on the PGA Tour. According to Brooks Koepka, that model of the course will not be precisely what gamers will see this week; at least the gamers not half of the alarming quantity of withdrawals for the event.

Speaking to reporters forward of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, Koepka was direct when requested his opinion on whether or not the PGA Tour scoring would dip in 2026 in contrast to earlier years.

“Yeah, I definitely think they will be lower just because of the overseed,” Koepka said. “I think you saw last year with Jake, those scores are definitely possible. Not saying anybody is going to do it this year. They very well could, but it’s definitely gotten easier.”

Koepka particularly highlighted greenside modifications and bunker elimination that mitigated troublesome misses. Holes like 4, 10, and 11 had been once robust for chipping but are now less forgiving for today’s elite golfers.

“If you missed those greens, you knew you were pretty much making bogey,” Koepka explained. “Now with it being a little bit more consistent, I think you’ve got a reasonable chance of making — holing a chip or even getting it up-and-down.”

Koepka added that the course used to make recovery photographs almost depressing. Now, gamers can “get under the ball” with ease, leading to much lower scores when the tournament runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1.

At least six players have withdrawn from the event, including Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin, Adam Scott, Taylor Pendrith, Patrick Rodgers, and Michael Kim. Bridgeman opted for rest after his Genesis Invitational win.

Griffin would have been entering a sixth straight week of competition, and Scott is managing his 2026 schedule following a fourth-place finish at the Genesis Invitational, which ended on Sunday. PGA star Justin Thomas believes the Tour schedule intensifies during the weeks leading up to the event which causes burnout.

Others are prioritizing the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, which are scheduled for March. With Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational behind it andtwo signature stops forward, the Cognizant Classic finds itself in a PGA Tour calendar sandwich.

Ryan Gerard is ranked No. 26 in the world and is the top-ranked participant in the sector. South Africa’s three-time DP World Tour winner Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the betting favourite to win the event. The winner earns $1,728,000 from a $9.6 million purse, along with 500 FedEx Cup factors and more.