The first of four Florida stops on the PGA Tour continues Friday at the Cognizant Classic, where Austin Smotherman and Nico Echavarria have gained separation on the leaderboard from the rest of the field.
Unfazed by a quadruple bogey on the 17th hole, David Ford rallied with an incredible approach shot for eagle on PGA National’s second hole. He followed it up with an equally impressive eagle on 3, completely undoing the four strokes gained from his front nine. And if that wasn’t enough, Ford’s hole-out par save on 4 gave him three consecutive makes from off the green.
Daniel Berger has the best combined opening-round score of any player on Tour at PGA National since 2020. Berger, who shot a 4-under 67 on Thursday, sits comfortably inside the Cognizant Classic’s top 10 after 18 holes.
Austin Smotherman entered the 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches fully rested after having the last two weeks off. He put it to good use during Thursday’s opening round, making six straight birdies on his way to a 9-under 62.
David Ford’s opening round at PGA National went sideways after he found himself caught in the Bear Trap on the 17th hole. Ford finished with a quadruple bogey after a few strokes without a shoe went nowhere. Meanwhile the Golf Channel booth recalled Bill Haas finding bottom of the same hole 15 years prior on his way to winning the 2011 Tour Championship.
Gary Woodland opened his back nine at PGA National with back-to-back birdies thanks to this long putt on 11. A moment later, Patton Kizzire saw his tee shot almost sink in for an ace. The lipout around the cup forced Kizzire to settle for a birdie putt of his own. Both players getting back to even on the first round.
Austin Smotherman entered the 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches fully rested after having the last two weeks off. He put it to good use during Thursday’s opening round, making six straight birdies on his way to a 9-under 62.
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Highlights from the final round of the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, where it took a sudden-death playoff to determine the winner at TPC Scottsdale.
Coody’s strong start to the season continued at the WM Phoenix Open, where the 26-year-old Coody tied for 10th. He will keep playing, too, as he qualified for his first two signature events via the Aon Swing 5.
Hideki Matsuyama lost for the first time in his PGA Tour career carrying a lead into Sunday. His driver betrayed him throughout the final round, failing to hit a single fairway on the front nine. Matsuyama eventually lost a playoff to Chris Gotterup.
Chris Gotterup spoke to Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner after his thrilling playoff win over Hideki Matsuyama at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.
Matsuyama had to back off two shots on the 18th hole because of audible noises from the crowd before ultimately losing his bid for a third WM Phoenix Open title to a walk-off birdie by Chris Gotterup.
Hideki Matsuyama’s third WM Phoenix Open title was denied in a drama-filled playoff on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale. Chris Gotterup bested the Masters champion for his second win on Tour this year.
Here’s how much Chris Gotterup will earn from this year’s WM Phoenix Open purse after rallying to win in a playoff over Hideki Matsuyama at TPC Scottsdale.
The top-ranked player in the world made a charge up the leaderboard thanks to a bogey-free 64 on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale but fell short of his third win at WM Phoenix Open.
Andrew Magee joins “Golf Central” to discuss his iconic hole-in-one at the par-4 17th 25 years ago at TPC Scottsdale. The four-time PGA Tour winner also talks about his career and what he’s up to nowadays.
The WM Phoenix Open is known as the biggest party event on the PGA Tour. But there is more to it. WM highlights sustainability and community -- to go along with the fun -- at TPC Scottsdale.