Never before has there been as definitive of an example of why so many New Yorkers and masses from the northeastern United States in general flock to Florida for the winter. If the timing of that observation is lost on you, just flip on any glowing rectangle for video, headlines or social media accounts of the storm that’s battering the region as you watch and read.

Without advance planning, escaping affected areas can be the hardest part, but the guarantee that awaits those who do will be splashed across the same media later this week. Indeed, the PGA TOUR has arrived in the Sunshine State for the Florida Swing, which is also an annual migration.

The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches gets things going, and in a climate that explains why the evacuees are called snowbirds. Analysis of PGA National’s Champion Course, what’s new, what the field of 123 must do to excel, additional targets at stake and much more is detailed below.

One of these decades, 4D television will allow all viewers to experience the local conditions of a broadcast no matter where they are. Until then, there’s no time like the present to dive into the weather forecast for Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where PGA National is located.

Daytime highs likely to eclipse 80 degrees will be the norm. So will a prevailing seabreeze from the southeast across the first three days. It’ll kick up as it warms in the afternoon when the chance for precipitation increases. The wind for Sunday’s finale might swing around to push from the northeast.

Hope that debriefing warmed you up a bit, if necessary. If last year’s edition of the Cognizant Classic is any indication, scoring also will be sizzling.

In its second spin as a par 71 in 2025, PGA National averaged 69.262 (for a field of 144). That’s more than a stroke lower than its clip when it last played as a par 70 in 2023, when Chris Kirk established the course record for the tournament at 266 (14 under). Austin Eckroat answered with the course record in relation to par – 17 under (267) in 2024 – but then Joe Highsmith snuck under both bars en route to his breakthrough victory a year ago. The lefty posted 19-under 265 in relatively benign conditions.

Partly in response to the trend, PGA National has made a few changes in advance of this year’s 20th edition. Its debut aligned with the inaugural FedExCup in 2007.

Both the par-4 second and par-5 18th holes are equipped with new tees. No. 2 is 20 yards longer and can be stretched to 484 yards. It averaged 4.101 last year and hasn’t dipped below par for the entirety of a tournament since 2018. Meanwhile, with another 36 yards on what already was the longest hole on the course, the finisher now tips at 592 yards. As a result of the modifications, PGA National now reads a course-record 7,223 yards on the scorecard.

Despite the added length at the last hole, it still presents an opportunity to score, and a timely one at that, as the bridge between "The Bear Trap" and the clubhouse and potentially the podium. Nos. 15, 16 and 17 comprise the famed par-3-4-3 stretch through the penultimate hole. However, it showed signs of being tamed last year when the field averaged just 0.201 strokes over par in the aggregate. What’s more, No. 17 averaged 2.969 for the week to mark the first time any of the three holes came to rest under par since the course debuted.

History never predicts the future, but it can foster hope. At the same time, overseeded rough has been allowed to scale to 3 inches, so expectations must continue to be tempered. That reflects an increase of 3/4 of an inch from the first two years that PGA National tested as a par 71. With the field splitting eight or nine (of 14) fairways on average, cause for pause over some lines will be necessary. Yet, non-overseeded Bermudagrass greens average a welcome 7,000 square feet and are governed to 12 feet by the Stimpmeter, so length will play up off the tee. That strategy is debatable with water in play on almost every hole, but it will be a potent weapon baked into savvy course management.

As always, the winner will stock up on the usual spoils, both short- and long-term, but there are valuable exemptions on the line for those who do not prevail.

For one, the Cognizant Classic contributes to the Aon Next 10 and the carryover of the Aon Swing 5 for entry into next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. (The Aon Swing 5 will then reset for the RBC Heritage.)

In addition, the field for THE PLAYERS Championship will be using the FedExCup ranking at the conclusion of the Cognizant Classic to help fill its field. Through The Genesis Invitational, there are 103 automatic qualifiers for the field of 120 at TPC Sawgrass. With three golfers currently inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking projected to gain entry at the same checkpoint – Alex Noren (16th), Pierceson Coody (45th) and Kristoffer Reitan (46th) – that’d leave 14 openings. With two of those reserved for the winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open, at least 12 in order of the FedExCup ranking would qualify. Through The Genesis, that cohort extends from Adam Scott at 18th through Zach Bauchou at 70th. If all qualifiers commit, Tom Kim (74th) and Dan Brown (77th) would be the first two alternates.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. Refer to the timing of his contributions below. He’s also active as @RobBoltonGolf on X where you can connect with him.

MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Fantasy Insider; Expert Picks*; Sleepers**
SUNDAY: Qualifiers

* Rob also is included in Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf that publishes on Tuesday.
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