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The field for a PGA Tour event and how strong it is can often be pared down to the venue. If the course is not well-received, then the tournament will have a hard time attracting top players (outside of the signature events which they are all likely to play regardless).
But even more problematic than the course? The date.
If a tournament is on the wrong weekend, it doesn’t matter how good the course is or how great the amenities. There are only so many weeks in the year, and players set up their schedules based on when and where the tournaments are played.
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And in recent years, the former Honda Classic (now Cognizant Classic) found itself in a tough spot—following the popular Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles and preceding the popular Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
The latter two events are now $20 million signature events, which would make the situation worse if it were not for the fact that an extra week on the calendar this year gave the new Cognizant Classic some breathing room.
It still precedes the Arnold Palmer and the Players Championship, but having the Mexico Open follow Genesis this year gave the new-look Cognizant a boost. The field has 19 players from the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, up from just eight last year.
And the tournament at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has Rory McIlroy for the first time since 2018 and another past champion, Rickie Fowler.
