Shane Lowry. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Four storylines for the Cognizant Classic: Shane Lowry headlines the weak field

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 7:42 PM ET

The PGA Tour's Florida Swing kicks off this week with the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at PGA National Resort. Scottie Scheffler and many other top players in the world aren't in the field this week, but that doesn't mean there aren't juicy storylines to be found.

Let's dive into the biggest ones at the 2026 Cognizant Classic.

Can Shane Lowry finally conquer PGA National?

Lowry is quietly riding a lengthy winless streak. The Irishman did win the Zurich Classic alongside Rory McIlroy two years ago, but his last solo win outside of the DP World Tour came all the way back at the 2019 Open Championship. He hasn't won a regular PGA Tour event by himself since 2015.

If Lowry is going to end this skid, PGA National seems like the perfect place for it. In his last four starts here, the 38-year-old has finished runner-up, T5, T4 and T11. He's also the co-favorite at +1600 odds (FanDuel) to win the tournament this year. This could be Lowry's best chance to return to the winner's circle in 2026.

Brooks Koepka looks to get off the schneid

We are so BacK pic.twitter.com/4q3zAL2hDl
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) January 28, 2026

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour earlier this month and finished T56 and cut in his first two starts of the season. The problem has been the putter, which hasn't cooperated in 2026. Through six rounds, Koepka ranks 171st on the PGA Tour in strokes gained from putting and 172nd in one-putt percentage.

That's out of 172 qualified players, by the way. Yeah... not great.

Koepka has a chance to build some momentum at PGA National in a weak field, but that won't happen if the putter lets him down again.

A chance for PGA Tour rookies to shine

With no elite players in the field this week, the Cognizant Classic winner could come from anywhere in the bunch. This is a golden opportunity for some talented rookies to announce themselves to the world.

Keep an eye out for Johnny Keefer, David Ford, Haotong Li, Jordan Smith and Kristoffer Reitan at PGA National. All five rookies have the game to win on the PGA Tour, and this is a great week to prove it.

18-year-old Blades Brown is back

The last time we saw Brown on the PGA Tour, he nearly shot a 59 in the second round of The American Express in January. The youngster went on to finish T18 at PGA West, his best finish on the PGA Tour through his first 10 starts.

Brown will return to the big leagues this week after two appearances on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he's back now with the confidence that he can hang with the best players in the world. He'll be one of the more entertaining players to follow out at PGA National.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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