# Cognizant Classic

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". Prior to a schedule change in 2021, this was frequently the first of the Florida events in late winter following the "West Coast Swing."
National Airlines was the sponsor in 1973 with Jackie Gleason. American Motors Corporation backed the event in 1981 as the "American Motors Inverrary Classic". From 1982 until 2023, American Honda Motor Company was the title sponsor, and the tournament was known as The Honda Classic. In late 2023, Cognizant became the new title sponsor, and the event's name was changed.

## Tournament history

The tournament's predecessor, the National Airlines Open Invitational, ran for three seasons from 1969 through 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.
Gleason hosted a popular TV variety show with many friends in the entertainment industry and was well known on the PGA Tour at the Doral stop. He was eager to put his name on the new tournament. 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 when PGA Tour officials removed him from Tournament Players Championship promotions and focused on commercialization to provide more revenue.
The 1981 event was renamed "American Motors Inverrary Classic" as American Motors Corporation sponsored it. The following two years, it was known as the "Honda Inverrary Classic" after a switch in sponsor to American Honda Motor Company.
During this time, the tournament was staged at different Broward County courses giving the Honda Classic "a reputation as a rootless tournament that struggled to attract the top golfers" and it faced decreasing attendance. In 1984, the tournament moved to TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, where it remained until 1991.
From 1992 through 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 until 2002. In 2003, the event moved to Palm Beach Gardens, first at the Country Club at Mirasol through 2006, then to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in 2007.
Since 2007, the tournament's primary 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. The event grew in attendance and charitable contributions under IMG, but the player field suffered primarily because of the schedule that was set by the PGA Tour. By late 2023, Honda ended sponsorship and there was concern about the demise of the biggest sporting event held in Palm Beach County. However, control of the event was moved to PGA Tour's Championship Management Division, a six-year sponsorship was signed with Cognizant, and the event was renamed.

### Player participation

Some celebrated players have won this tournament, including Nicklaus in 1977 and 1978, the only consecutive winner in its history. However, the Honda Classic had acquired a reputation for struggling to attract the top players as it moved from course to course in South Florida. Since 2007, tournament has seen an 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 $1,037,592 in 2024 dollars). The original winner's share of $52,000 in 1972 made it one of the richest stops on tour, 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.

## Tournament highlights

* 1972: Tom Weiskopf outdueled Jack Nicklaus by one shot to win the first edition.
* 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.
* 1978: Jack Nicklaus birdied the last five holes to defeat Grier Jones by one shot, for his third consecutive win at Inverrary.
* 1986: Monday qualifier Kenny Knox won by a stroke over Clarence Rose, Jodie Mudd, Andy Bean, and John Mahaffey in spite of shooting a third round 80.
* 1990: John Huston wore three different pairs of shoes in practice and during the tournament after the PGA declared his wedge-soled Weight-Rites illegal.
* 1991: Steve Pate won by three strokes despite returning the worst final-round score by a PGA Tour tournament winner in ten years, a 75.
* 1992: Corey Pavin defeated Fred Couples in a sudden-death playoff after holing an 8-iron from 136-yards on the final hole to tie for the lead.
* 1996: Tim Herron became the first PGA Tour rookie in 13 years to win a tournament wire-to-wire.
* 2004: Thirty-eight-year-old PGA Tour rookie Todd Hamilton won by one shot over Davis Love III. Hamilton would go on to win The Open Championship later that year.
* 2012: With his win, Rory McIlroy rose to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. Brian Harman shot a course record 61 in the second round.
* 2025: Jake Knapp scored a 59 during the first round. He finished in a tie for sixth, 4 strokes behind winner Joe Highsmith.

## Tournament hosts

| Years | No. | Venue | City | State |
| 2007–present | 18 | PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion Course) | Palm Beach Gardens | Florida |
| 2003–2006 | 4 | Country Club at Mirasol | Palm Beach Gardens | Florida |
| 1997–2002 | 6 | TPC at Heron Bay | Coral Springs | Florida |
| 1996 | 1 | TPC Eagle Trace | Coral Springs | Florida |
| 1992–1995 | 4 | Weston Hills Golf and C.C. | Weston | Florida |
| 1984–1991 | 8 | TPC Eagle Trace | Coral Springs | Florida |
| 1972–1983 | 11 | Inverrary Country Club (East Course) | Lauderhill | Florida |
* 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 ||||||||
| 2025 | Joe Highsmith | 265 | −19 | 2 strokes | Jacob Bridgeman J. J. Spaun | 9,200,000 | 1,656,000 |
| 2024 | Austin Eckroat | 267 | −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 | −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: