Cognizant Classic

Cognizant Classic

Tournament information
Location	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Established	1972
Course(s)	PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion Course)
Par	70
Length	7,125 yards (6,515 m)
Organized by	IMG
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$9,000,000
Month played	February/March
Tournament record score
Aggregate	264 Justin Leonard (2003)
To par	−24 as above
Current champion
Austin Eckroat
Location map
PGA National Location in the United States Show map of the United States PGA National Location in Florida Show map of Florida

The Cognizant Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in south Florida. It was founded in 1972 as Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic, ^[1] and prior to a schedule change in 2021 was frequently the first of the Florida events in late winter following the "West Coast Swing."

National Airlines was the sponsor in 1973 with Gleason, and American Motors Corporation (AMC) backed it in 1981. From 1982 to 2023, American Honda Motor Company (Honda) was the title sponsor, and it was known as The Honda Classic. In late 2023, Cognizant was announced as the new title sponsor. ^[2]

Tournament history

The tournament's predecessor, the National Airlines Open Invitational, ran for just three seasons from 1969 to 1971), all in late March at the Country Club of Miami in Hialeah. The Gleason tournament replaced it on the schedule a month earlier in 1972 at the Inverrary Country Club (East course) in Lauderhill, and was among the richest events on tour with an inaugural purse of $260,000 and a $52,000 winner's share. ^[3]

The regular event was not played in 1976, as Inverrary hosted the Tournament Players Championship in late February, won by Jack Nicklaus. Gleason's nine-year affiliation ended after 1980. ^[4]

The 1981 event was renamed "American Motors Inverrary Classic" as it was sponsored by American Motors Corporation, then the following two years it was known as the "Honda Inverrary Classic" after a switch in sponsor to Honda. ^{[5] [1]} In 1984 the tournament moved to TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, where it remained until 1991.

From 1992 to 1995, the event was held at the Weston Hills Golf & Country Club in Weston. It then returned to Coral Springs, first at the TPC at Eagle Trace in 1996 and then at the TPC at Heron Bay from 1997 to 2002. In 2003, the event moved to Palm Beach Gardens, first at the Country Club at Mirasol through 2006, ^[6] then to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in 2007. ^[7]

Since 2007, the tournament's main beneficiary is the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, chaired by Barbara Nicklaus, wife of hall of fame golfer Jack Nicklaus.

IMG bought the tournament's management company in 2013. ^[8]

Player participation

Some celebrated players have won this tournament, including Nicklaus in 1977 and 1978, the only consecutive winner in its history. However, the tournament had acquired a reputation for struggling to attract the top players as it moved from course to course in South Florida. Since 2007, The Honda Classic has seen a vastly improved player field, largely due to the decision to make PGA National the tournament's permanent home.

The prize money is comparable to other regular PGA Tour events. The total purse was $6.4 million in 2017, with a top prize of $1.152 million (this can be contrasted to the total purse in 1981 of $300,000 (the equivalent of only $1,005,417 in 2023 dollars ^[9] ). The original winner's share of $52,000 in 1972 made it one of the richest stops on tour, ^[3] greater than for any of the four majors; it was more than double that of the Masters, which had a first prize of $25,000 in 1972. ^[10]

Tournament highlights

• 1972: Tom Weiskopf outdueled Jack Nicklaus by one shot to win the first edition. ^{[3] [11]}
• 1974: Leonard Thompson earned the first of his three PGA Tour wins, one shot ahead of Hale Irwin. After his victory, Thompson donated $10,000 of his winnings to the Boys Clubs of America. ^[12]
• 1978: Jack Nicklaus birdies the last five holes to defeat Grier Jones by one shot, ^[13] for his third consecutive win at Inverrary.
• 1980: Johnny Miller records his first tour win since the 1976 Open Championship, finishing two shots ahead of Bruce Lietzke and Charles Coody. ^[14]
• 1981: Curtis Strange had a four-shot lead before the final into the final round. ^[15] In the end, Tom Kite won and avoided a playoff because Jack Nicklaus missed a 3-footer for par. ^[16]
• 1986: Monday qualifier Kenny Knox wins by one-shot over Clarence Rose, Jodie Mudd, Andy Bean, and John Mahaffey in spite of shooting a third round 80. ^[17]
• 1987: Mark Calcavecchia wins his first Honda Classic title. ^[18] Only the year before he worked as a caddy at the tournament.
• 1990: John Huston wears three different pairs of shoes in practice and during the tournament after the PGA declared his wedge-soled Weight-Rites illegal. ^[19]
• 1991: Steve Pate shoots the worst last-round score by a PGA Tour tournament winner in ten years, a 75, but still holds on to win by three shots over Paul Azinger and Dan Halldorson. ^[20]
• 1992: Corey Pavin defeats Fred Couples in a sudden-death playoff only after holing a 136-yard 8-iron shot for eagle on the 72nd hole to tie for the lead. ^[21]
• 1996: Tim Herron becomes the first PGA Tour rookie in 13 years to win a tournament wire-to-wire. He defeats Mark McCumber by four shots. ^[22]
• 2000: Dudley Hart birdies the last four holes to defeat J. P. Hayes and Kevin Wentworth by one shot. ^[23]
• 2004: Thirty-eight-year-old PGA Tour rookie Todd Hamilton wins by one shot over Davis Love III. ^[24] Hamilton would go on to win The Open Championship later that same year.
• 2007: Mark Wilson wins the biggest playoff in the history of the tournament. ^[25] His birdie on the third hole of sudden death defeats José Cóceres. Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley, the other participants in the four-man playoff, had been eliminated on the second playoff hole.
• 2012: Rory McIlroy wins and claims the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. ^[26] Brian Harman shot a course record 61 in the second round. ^[27]
• 2022: Sepp Straka becomes the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour.

Tournament hosts

Years	No.	Venue	City	State
2007–present	15	PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion Course)	Palm Beach Gardens	Florida
2003–2006	4	Country Club at Mirasol
1997–2002	6	TPC at Heron Bay	Coral Springs
1996	1	TPC Eagle Trace
1992–1995	4	Weston Hills Golf and C.C.	Weston
1984–1991	8	TPC Eagle Trace	Coral Springs
1972–1983	11	Inverrary Country Club (East Course)	Lauderhill

• No event in 1976, Inverrary hosted the Tournament Players Championship.

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse (US$)	Winner's share ($)
Cognizant Classic
2024	Austin Eckroat	263	−17	3 strokes	Min Woo Lee Erik van Rooyen	9,000,000	1,620,000
The Honda Classic
2023	Chris Kirk	266	−14	Playoff	Eric Cole	8,400,000	1,512,000
2022	Sepp Straka	270	−10	1 stroke	Shane Lowry	8,000,000	1,440,000
2021	Matt Jones	268	−12	5 strokes	Brandon Hagy	7,000,000	1,260,000
2020	Im Sung-jae	274	−6	1 stroke	Mackenzie Hughes	7,000,000	1,260,000
2019	Keith Mitchell	271	−9	1 stroke	Rickie Fowler Brooks Koepka	6,800,000	1,224,000
2018	Justin Thomas	272	−8	Playoff	Luke List	6,600,000	1,188,000
2017	Rickie Fowler	268	−12	4 strokes	Morgan Hoffmann Gary Woodland	6,400,000	1,152,000
2016	Adam Scott	271	−9	1 stroke	Sergio García	6,100,000	1,098,000
2015	Pádraig Harrington (2)	274	−6	Playoff	Daniel Berger	6,100,000	1,098,000
2014	Russell Henley	272	−8	Playoff	Russell Knox Rory McIlroy Ryan Palmer	6,000,000	1,080,000
2013	Michael Thompson	271	−9	2 strokes	Geoff Ogilvy	6,000,000	1,080,000
2012	Rory McIlroy	268	−12	2 strokes	Tom Gillis Tiger Woods	5,700,000	1,026,000
2011	Rory Sabbatini	271	−9	1 stroke	Yang Yong-eun	5,700,000	1,026,000
2010	Camilo Villegas	267	−13	5 strokes	Anthony Kim	5,600,000	1,008,000
2009	Yang Yong-eun	271	−9	1 stroke	John Rollins	5,600,000	1,008,000
2008	Ernie Els	274	−6	1 stroke	Luke Donald	5,500,000	990,000
2007	Mark Wilson	275	−5	Playoff	José Cóceres Camilo Villegas Boo Weekley	5,500,000	990,000
2006	Luke Donald	276	−12	2 strokes	Geoff Ogilvy	5,500,000	990,000
2005	Pádraig Harrington	274	−14	Playoff	Joe Ogilvie Vijay Singh	5,500,000	990,000
2004	Todd Hamilton	276	−12	1 stroke	Davis Love III	5,000,000	900,000
2003	Justin Leonard	264	−24	1 stroke	Chad Campbell Davis Love III	5,000,000	900,000
2002	Matt Kuchar	269	−19	2 strokes	Brad Faxon Joey Sindelar	3,500,000	630,000
Honda Classic
2001	Jesper Parnevik	270	−18	1 stroke	Mark Calcavecchia Geoff Ogilvy Craig Perks	3,200,000	576,000
2000	Dudley Hart	269	−19	1 stroke	J. P. Hayes Kevin Wentworth	2,900,000	522,000
1999	Vijay Singh	277	−11	2 strokes	Payne Stewart	2,600,000	468,000
1998	Mark Calcavecchia (2)	270	−18	3 strokes	Vijay Singh	1,800,000	324,000
1997	Stuart Appleby	274	−14	1 stroke	Michael Bradley Payne Stewart	1,500,000	270,000
1996	Tim Herron	271	−17	4 strokes	Mark McCumber	1,300,000	234,000
1995	Mark O'Meara	275	−9	1 stroke	Nick Faldo	1,200,000	216,000
1994	Nick Price	276	−8	1 stroke	Craig Parry	1,100,000	198,000
1993	Fred Couples	207 [lower-alpha 1]	−9	Playoff	Robert Gamez	1,100,000	198,000
1992	Corey Pavin	273	−15	Playoff	Fred Couples	1,100,000	198,000
1991	Steve Pate	279	−9	3 strokes	Paul Azinger Dan Halldorson	1,000,000	180,000
1990	John Huston	282	−6	2 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia	1,000,000	180,000
1989	Blaine McCallister	266	−22	4 strokes	Payne Stewart	800,000	144,000
1988	Joey Sindelar	276	−12	2 strokes	Ed Fiori Sandy Lyle Payne Stewart	700,000	126,000
1987	Mark Calcavecchia	279	−9	3 strokes	Bernhard Langer Payne Stewart	600,000	108,000
1986	Kenny Knox	287	−1	1 stroke	Andy Bean John Mahaffey Jodie Mudd Clarence Rose	500,000	90,000
1985	Curtis Strange	275	−13	Playoff	Peter Jacobsen	500,000	90,000
1984	Bruce Lietzke	280	−8	Playoff	Andy Bean	500,000	90,000
Honda Inverrary Classic
1983	Johnny Miller (2)	278	−10	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus	400,000	72,000
1982	Hale Irwin	269	−19	1 stroke	George Burns Tom Kite	400,000	72,000
American Motors Inverrary Classic
1981	Tom Kite	274	−14	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus	300,000	54,000
Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic
1980	Johnny Miller	274	−14	2 strokes	Charles Coody Bruce Lietzke	300,000	54,000
1979	Larry Nelson	274	−14	3 strokes	Grier Jones	300,000	54,000
1978	Jack Nicklaus (2)	276	−12	1 stroke	Grier Jones	250,000	50,000
1977	Jack Nicklaus	275	−13	5 strokes	Gary Player	250,000	50,000
1976: No tournament
1975	Bob Murphy	273	−15	1 stroke	Eddie Pearce	260,000	52,000
1974	Leonard Thompson	278	−10	1 stroke	Hale Irwin	260,000	52,000
Jackie Gleason Inverrary-National Airlines Classic
1973	Lee Trevino	279	−9	1 stroke	Forrest Fezler	260,000	52,000
Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic
1972	Tom Weiskopf	278	−10	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus	260,000	52,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources: ^{[28] [29]}

Multiple winners

Four men have won the tournament more than once.

2 wins

• Jack Nicklaus: 1977, 1978
• Johnny Miller: 1980, 1983
• Mark Calcavecchia: 1987, 1998
• Pádraig Harrington: 2005, 2015

Notes

1. Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

1. Treglown, Dick (February 28, 1972). "Weiskopf wins Gleason crown". Palm Beach Post. p. D1.
2. "The Cognizant Classic". thecognizantclassic.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
3. "Weiskopf no longer the brat". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. February 28, 1972. p. 3B.
4. Shain, Jeff (February 22, 2018). "Flashback: Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic". Pro Golf Weekly. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
5. Smith, Jeff (February 26, 2019). "The Honda Classic Primer: History, TV, Field, Odds". Pro Golf Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
6. "Golf: Honda Classic". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 13, 2006. p. C6.
7. "Golf: Honda Classic". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 6, 2007. p. C4.
8. Global firm IMG buys company that runs Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens
9. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
10. "Golf: Masters". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. August 10, 1972. p. 4B.
11. "Weiskopf captures Inverrary golf title". Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Associated Press. February 28, 1972. p. 10.
12. "Leonard Thompson wins Inverrary Classic". Spartanburg Herald. South Carolina. Associated Press. February 25, 1973. p. B1.
13. "Nicklaus rally tops Jones". Morning Journal and Record. Meriden, Connecticut. UPI. February 27, 1978. p. 10.
14. "Miller snaps slump with Inverrary golf win". The Montreal Gazette. March 10, 1980. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
15. "Strange Hits 66-201 Leads Inverrary by Four". The New York Times. March 8, 1981. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
16. Mell, Randall (March 8, 1998). "Nicklaus' Greatest Finish: 1978 at Inverrary?". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
17. "Longshot Knox Takes Honda Classic Title". Herald-Journal. March 2, 1986. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
18. "Former Caddy, Calcaveccia wins Honda Golf Classic". Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. March 9, 1987. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
19. Mayo, Michael (March 11, 1990). "Huston's Feats Incredible in 3rd Pair of Shoes, 28-Year-Old Leads Honda by 1". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
20. "Pate Fights Winds, Wins Honda Classic". The Albany Herald. Georgia. March 11, 1991. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
21. Green, Bob (March 16, 1992). "Eagle helps Pavin eventually win Honda Classic in playoff". Daily Union. Junction City, Kansas. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
22. "Herron shakes off rookie status in Honda Classic win". Times Daily. Alabama. March 12, 1996. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
23. "Hart right at home". Boca Raton News. Florida. March 13, 2000. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
24. "Hamilton captures Honda Classic". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. March 15, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2021– via Google News Archive.
25. Reynolds, Tim (March 5, 2007). "Wilson wins Honda Classic in playoff". USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
26. Harig, Bob (March 4, 2012). "Rory McIlroy takes No. 1 spot". ESPN. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
27. Harig, Bob (March 2, 2012). "Brian Harman flirts with golf history". ESPN. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
28. The Honda Classic – Winners – at golfobserver.com
29. The Honda Classic – Winners – at PGATour.com

External links

• Official website
• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site
• PGA National Resort & Spa – Champion course

26°49′44″N80°08′28″W / 26.829°N 80.141°W / 26.829; -80.141