Top Golf Pick: Daniel Berger to Finish Top 10 (+350) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
After last week’s winner Jake Knapp at (+3300) for readers and followers, this week’s event on the PGA Tour for our golf preview is the Cognizant Classic, formerly the Honda Classic.
The event opens the curtains on the “Florida Swing” stage of the PGA Tour at the PGA National in Palm Beach.
Check out the golf betting lines and odds available at the top-rated online sportsbooks.
Cognizant Classic 2024
February 29 – March 03, 2024 at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Course Notes
- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- PGA National Resort and Spa Champion Course
- Par 71, 7215 yards
- Designers: Tom and George Fazio
- Bermuda grass greens
The PGA National is an exposed-to-the-elements track, where a complete range of players have thrived here over the years.
Plotters like former champion Russell Henley with strong tee-to-green games can be seen to their best effect. That said, many major champions have their name on the roll of honour, from Jack Nicklaus to Rory McIlroy, and as you can see below, the most recent one was Justin Thomas in 2018.
Weather Forecast
Currently, the weather forecast for Palm Springs, Florida, is reasonably calm. Slightly easier on Thursday and Friday with light rain forecast for the weekend.
Roll of Honour
Is It Berger Time in Florida?
We believe this week is the perfect opportunity for Daniel Berger to get back in the winner’s circle since returning from injury to the PGA Tour at the start of the year.
The thirty-year-old Florida native has previously gone agonizingly close to winning his home state event, the Cognizant Classic –formerly known as Honda Classic–, on three occasions in the past. Indeed, he lost a sudden death playoff for the title in 2015 to Padraig Harrington on his course debut.
Then, in 2022, he held the 54-hole lead only to unusually fall away on the final day. For good measure, sandwiched in between was a 4th-place finish in 2020.
Zalatoris’ Script, Berger’s Act
Not long after his 2022 final-day flop, Berger’s injury issues began with back and disc problems. It was not until the start of this year that he made it back on to the PGA Tour.
He is now in a very similar position to what Will Zalatoris found himself in at the Genesis Invitational, with three events behind him, two of which he has performed creditably in.
With his game sharpening nicely week on week, as the rust falls off, there looks a big effort due. We saw Zalatoris find his A-game at the Genesis Invitational the week before last and now, I believe it will be Daniel Berger’s turn to go close this week in an event he has a long-standing affinity with.
Take the best price of (+3500) with Bovada about Daniel Berger in this week’s Cognizant Classic.
Golf Pick: Daniel Berger to Win Outright (+3500) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Is Lee Hodges Starting to Find His 2024 Mojo?
Yes, we believe that Lee Hodges is close to finding his best game in time for this week in Florida
Lee Hodges served notice that his game was trending back into form nicely at the Genesis Invitational. He had a solid week that saw his best result of 2024 when he finished 24th.
Prior to that, 2024 had seen Hodges slow out of the blocks and struggling for form. However, his Genesis effort was perfect timing given that the twenty-eight-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama, has proven a strong liking for the PGA National with back-to-back top 20 finishes in 2023 and 2022.
It’s not that long ago that Hodges broke his maiden tag on the PGA Tour with an impressive seven-shot victory at the 3M Open last July.
We are expecting a strong week for Lee Hodges in the opening “Florida Swing” event, so take the best price of (+12500) with Bovada.
Golf Pick: Lee Hodges to Finish in Top 10 (+1100) BetOnline
Golf Pick: Lee Hodges to Win Outright (+12500) Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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