The post The key gear switch that led to Nico Echavarria’s Cognizant victory appeared first on Golf.

The post The key gear switch that led to Nico Echavarria’s Cognizant victory appeared first on Golf.

Nico Echvarria made an under-the-radar but crucial gear change before his third PGA Tour victory at the Cognizant Classic.

During his post-tournament press conference, Echavarria revealed he just switched to Srixon’s Z-Star Diamond golf ball from the firmer Z-Star XV.

“I changed to a different model because the greens were firm, so I think that helped a lot with the control of coming into the green,” he said. “I went from the XV to the diamond, which is a little softer and spinnier.”

As it turns out, this was a change Echavarria has been mulling for a little while now. He signed with Srixon last offseason and originally tested both of the company’s primary Tour balls, the Z-Star XV and the Z-Star Diamond. Before joining the Srixon team, Echavarria played the firmer, but spinnier Pro V1x.

That decision was driven by his goals with his swing last year, Srixon Director of Tour Operations Michael Jolly told GOLF.

“At times last season, he was much steeper and generating a lot of spin,” Jolly said. “With both balls, he’s seeing less curve and more stability in the wind, which ultimately were the key factors in his decision to make the switch to Srixon overall.”

With the extra spin he was generating, that made the XV the more optimal fit at the time.

He tested at different points last season, but never seriously considered making the move to the Diamond until this offseason, when he started testing with Srixon’s team again.

To start the season, he still leaned on the XV for every start except the WM Phoenix Open, where in the dry and firm conditions, he decided to give the Diamond a first trial run. Playing the Diamond in Phoenix was also crucial because the ball doesn’t spin as much there. So having a spinnier ball can be ideal.

But that’s also why testing golf balls for the early part of the season can be challenging, Jolly said.

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“We know spin numbers at Phoenix are typically low, San Diego can be a bit unpredictable, and the different grasses from week to week often produce varying launch and spin profiles,” he said. “All that makes it challenging for a player to not only switch golf balls, but to fully trust the data they’re seeing.

“That’s why Cognizant felt like such a great test. It gave him a chance to put the ball in play during competition, in weather and course conditions where he trusted what he was seeing and validate the decision under real pressure.”

Between the two balls, Echavarria’s numbers off the tee don’t change very much, but where the two separate is with the irons, and he sees about 300 RPMs of additional spin.

“The biggest difference has really been with his irons throughout the bag, added stopping power combined with the ability to hit more shots in different windows,” Jolly said. “As he told us today, ‘I’ve just realized I can really play when I have more spin.'”

He said he also preferred the slightly softer feel around the greens.

After his win, where he finished fourth in the field in SG: Approach, Echavarria told the Srixon team he will be sticking with the Diamond for good.

A lot of times, it’s actually more surprising for a player to win in their first week with a new ball than it is with new clubs. Remarkably, it’s the second time it’s happened this year already with Collin Morikawa switching to TaylorMade’s new TP5x before his win at Pebble Beach.

What probably gave Echavarria some confidence was having played the ball last month in Phoenix. He didn’t play well at the WM — he missed the cut — but it was a first test of what the ball can do.

Once he and the Srixon team got to more normal conditions in Florida last week, then they could finally pull the trigger and make the switch. It was a long awaited move, but one that clearly worked out in the end.

Want to find the best golf ball for your game in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post He lost the Cognizant Classic but didn’t leave PGA National empty-handed appeared first on Golf.

The post He lost the Cognizant Classic but didn’t leave PGA National empty-handed appeared first on Golf.

Austin Smotherman tapped in his three-foot birdie putt on Sunday and exhaled. With the Florida sun fading over PGA National, the 31-year-old smiled, shook hands with playing competitor Shane Lowry and walked off the green with the look of a man who had just won his first PGA Tour event.

Except he hadn’t.

Smotherman brilliantly navigated his way around a treacherous PGA National through three rounds. He entered Sunday tied for the lead, and said he had “chills” as he looked toward a day that could be career-changing. Smotherman fired a two-under 69 on Sunday, but that wasn’t enough to keep pace with Nico Echavarria, who grabbed the trophy after Lowry collapsed over the final three holes.

Austin Smotherman couldn’t get it over the line. Winning your first PGA Tour event, no matter your age, is a terrifying task. Everything has to go right. It didn’t for Smotherman, but he didn’t leave PGA National empty-handed.

He entered the week at No. 31 in the Aon Next 10. A strong finish through the Bear Trap on Sunday would mean the difference between a ticket to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a Signature Event, and a trip to the Puerto Rico Open, an opposite-field event.

As Lowry melted down beside him, Smotherman made pars at 16 and 17 before getting up-and-down from 82 feet for birdie on 18 to jump into a tie for second and book his trip to Bay Hill.

“Huge. First-ever Signature Event, first time playing Bay Hill,” Smotherman said after the round. “Watched it on TV, a lot of iconic shots. I’ll go see them in person and realize just how tough Arnie used to make that place.

“That’s not a bad spot to be, knowing that the work is done,” Smotherman said of the closing birdie to get into API. “It wasn’t exactly holding the trophy or getting to a playoff, but held the lead for 54 holes. Was way back; birdies down the stretch are going to matter a ton.”

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By: GOLF Editors

A T2 finish gave Smotherman 208.333 FedEx Cup points, vaulting him to 22nd in the FedEx Cup and No. 8 in the Swing 10. Smotherman, who lost his PGA Tour card after the 2024 season and earned it back via the Korn Ferry Tour last year, knew exactly how important every shot was coming down the stretch. Even when Lowry’s lead grew to five on the back nine, Smotherman’s focus didn’t drift and his morale didn’t drop. He might not win, but he was going to make the most of what he described as the best week of golf he has played on the PGA Tour in his career.

“This was kind of just my first really big pedestal,” Smotherman said. “Kind of had a back door-ish top 5 in the Mexico Open at Vidanta a couple years ago, and never really had the same kind of moments coming down the stretch … This will be a week I always look back at.”

This past week, in a Cognizant field without top names due to the PGA Tour’s scheduling crunch, could help change things dramatically for Smotherman should he be able to build on it with even a decent showing at Bay Hill.

Two weeks ago at Riviera, Jordan Spieth finished in a tie for 12th, which earned him 105 FedEx Cup points. Afterward, Spieth, who finished last season outside the top 50, referred to the Signature Events as “house money” in a player’s quest to accrue the points needed to finish inside the top 50 and become eligible for all Signature Events the following season. For comparison, had Smotherman finished in a four-way tie for 12th this week, as Spieth did in Riviera, he would have only earned 59.2 points compared to the 105 Spieth earned. A good week or two at a Signature Event can be the difference in finishing inside the top 70, top 50 or fighting for your card.

Prior to his week at the Cognizant, Smotherman had just one career top-five finish. He had made just 47 of 81 cuts and had to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025. All of that has taught Smotherman to be present in the moment, to celebrate the small wins and not wish that his road had been something different.

“I think it’s just acknowledging that all of us out here have our own path in our careers, however it is, and comparison is kind of a thief of joy, so I’m going to follow in my career, the things I’ve done, the joyous moments we’ve had, which are more than I can count really,” Smotherman said. “Just little things daily even. Appreciative of playing on the PGA Tour every single day. It’s pretty awesome.”

He secured a different kind of win on Sunday at PGA National. And for the first time, that path now leads to Bay Hill and all the possibilities it can unlock if another career week awaits at Arnie’s Place.

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The post PGA Tour winner made remarkable prediction ahead of victory appeared first on Golf.

The post PGA Tour winner made remarkable prediction ahead of victory appeared first on Golf.

Sports psychologists say one of the healthiest tools in an athlete’s arsenal is a prolific sense of visualization.

According to several studies from the NIH, visualization can help elite athletes strengthen neural pathways, improve muscle memory, and prepare for high-leverage situations better than their in-the-moment counterparts. In other words, according to those who best understand the inner workings of elite athletes, seeing the future can literally help you achieve it.

The problem, if you’re a pro like Nico Echavarria? Well, you don’t frequently see the future.

“Not very often,” the 31-year-old pro said Sunday. “I can’t remember the last time I told [my wife] I was going to win a tournament.”

As the 31-year-old pro explained Sunday evening, his experiences as either Raven Symone or Nostradamus have, to date, been few and far between. But that changed last week, when Echavarria approached his (newly minted) wife Claudia, and financial advisor, John Kovacs, with an unusual prediction.

“Yeah, we were at an event in the afternoon at Panther National with the Evans Scholar Foundation,” Echavarria said. “I told them, ‘Hey, I think I can win this week.’ I played the Bear’s Club in the morning. I hit it really good. I played well.”

Call it an earned extra dose of confidence or a brief glimpse into Sunday evening, but Echavarria’s prediction proved telling. Up the road from the Bear’s Club and Panther National, at PGA National, Echavarria made his prediction come true (with a little help). He fired three mid-60s rounds in four days at the Cognizant Classic, including a thrilling Sunday 66, to claim his third PGA Tour victory in Palm Beaches by two shots on Sunday evening.

Echavarria’s win did not come without its own dose of drama. His victory came after the shocking, late-stage struggles of Shane Lowry, who carried a massive lead into the famed “Bear Trap” and went on to lose by two. But it was the fulfillment of his own prophecy nonetheless — even if he might not have viewed it quite that clearly.

“I had this feeling that things were starting to click,” Echavarria said. “I played well in Riviera. Unfortunately I didn’t make a single putt and missed the cut by one, but I knew that coming into Bermuda greens, it was going to be my forte of putting on a different surface.”

With the benefit of a comfortable putting surface and a tee time close to home, Echavarria’s dream became reality on Sunday evening. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to hear that’s just how he envisioned it.

“I think the rain helped me with the greens. I struggled a little bit on Friday with how crunchy they were, and I think the surfaces on Saturday and Sunday were absolutely perfect,” Echavarria said. “Very happy with moving down here, winning this event, and representing my country.”

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The post 2026 Cognizant Classic payout: Here’s how much every player made appeared first on Golf.

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic payout: Here’s how much every player made appeared first on Golf.

The Cognizant Classic once again finds itself at a crossroads in the new look PGA Tour schedule.

On the front side of its final week of February spot on the calendar, it’s preceded not only by back-to-back Signature Events, but also the WM Phoenix Open and Farmers Insurance Open, two very popular events on Tour.

On the back side, it’s followed by another Signature Event at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PGA Tour’s flagship event at the Players Championship.

It may not have the $20 million purse of those huge events, but it’s still enough to be life-changing, no matter who the winner is.

With many stars choosing to take the week off, Shane Lowry took advantage of the chance to play an event while sleeping at home. He was searching for his first individual win on the PGA Tour in seven years at an event he loves dearly.

Lowry has also dominated PGA National the past five seasons, despite not coming up with a victory. But he came up short once again at the Cognizant, falling victim to the famous Bear Trap with back-to-back double bogeys.

Nico Echavarria capitalized by hanging on to win his third PGA Tour title.

Below is a breakdown of what everyone in the field earned this week in South Florida. The tournament has a $9.6 million purse with $1.78 million going to the winner.

What every player made at the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches

WIN: Nico Echavarria $1.78 million

T2. Taylor Moore $726,400
Shane Lowry
Austin Smotherman

5. Ricky Castillo $393,600

T6. Nicolai Højgaard $324,000
William Mouw
Keith Mitchell

T9. Brooks Koepka $252,000
Rasmus Højgaard
Matti Schmid
Joel Dahmen

T13. Pontus Nyholm $170,400
Max Homa
Patton Kizzire
A.J. Ewart

T17. Matthieu Pavon $132,000
Sudarshan Yellamaraju
Chad Ramey
Kristoffer Reitan
Takumi Kanaya
Zecheng Dou

T23. Jordan Smith $77,600
Ryan Gerard
Mackenzie Hughes
Kevin Roy
Zach Bauchou
Adrien Dumont de Chassart
Mark Hubbard
Aaron Rai
Beau Hossler

T32. Haotong Li $54,816
David Ford
Daniel Berger
Kevin Streelman
Jimmy Stanger

T37. Christiaan Bezuidenhout $45,600
Eric Cole
Steven Fisk

T40. Danny Walker $31,776
Max McGreevy
Hank Lebioda
Patrick Fishburn
Matt Wallace
Dan Brown
Austin Eckroat
Garrick Higgo
Ben Silverman
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Lee Hodges
Thorbjørn Olesen

T52. Carson Young $22,992
Alex Smalley
Seamus Power
Michael Brennan

T56. Emiliano Grillo $22,176
Chan Kim
Adrien Saddier

59. Tom Kim $21,792

T60. Adam Schenk $21,504
Davis Thompson

62. Billy Horschel $21,216

T63. Jackson Suber $20,832
John Parry
Chandler Phillips

66. Dylan Wu $20,448

67. Joe Highsmith $20,256

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The post At the Cognizant Classic, Brooks Koepka finds his touch — and his confidence appeared first on Golf.

The post At the Cognizant Classic, Brooks Koepka finds his touch — and his confidence appeared first on Golf.

Brooks Koepka has been back on the PGA Tour for nearly a month. Now, his confidence appears to be returning, too.

After opening with a scruffy 74 at this week’s Cognizant Classic, Koepka rebounded with a second-round 66 to make the cut on the number, then carried that momentum into the weekend with his sharpest play since returning to Tour competition. On Sunday, he posted a 6-under 66 — tied for the low round of the day — an encouraging step foward as the five-time major champion seeks to regain his winning form.

The biggest difference showed up on the greens.

Koepka needed just 18 putts through his first 16 holes Sunday and finished the round with 23 total despite a disappointing three-putt for par on the par-5 finisher. It was a key turnaround for a player who said his poor putting had been bleeding into other parts of his game.

“Honestly, it was just the putter,” Koepka said. “I wasn’t making any putts, I felt like I had to hit it to tap-in distance, and that was putting pressure on everything else.”

Seeing a few putts fall this week allowed him to return to what he calls a “conservatively aggressive” approach — trusting targets, accepting pars on difficult holes and allowing his confidence to grow naturally.

“To be able to make a few of those putts, you can build a rhythm and build momentum,” he said.

The progress marks a welcome sign for Koepka, who has returned to the PGA Tour as something of a prodigal son — the first marquee player to come back after leaving for LIV Golf. His reinstatement came through the Tour’s new Returning Member Program, which opened a pathway back with provisos.

Among the conditions: a $5 million charitable contribution, ineligibility for the Tour’s player equity program for five years, and the requirement that Koepka play his way into signature events rather than rely on sponsor exemptions. A portion of that donation, including $1 million directed to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, is tied to this week’s Cognizant Classic.

Since returning to the PGA Tour, Koepka has seen mixed results, starting with a T56 at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and a missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open.

Koepka, though, is known for saving his best for golf’s biggest stages, and two are fast-approaching: the Players Championship and, soon after, the year’s first major at Augusta National.

He’s in a position to look ahead, now that an adjustment period is behind him

“I think a lot of that was the first week,” Koepka said of his return to the Tour. “Once you get inside the ropes, it feels natural. Getting all the media stuff out of the way was huge, and now it’s just a matter of going to play and build a rhythm.”

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The post 2026 Cognizant Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown appeared first on Golf.

The first event of the Florida Swing concludes Sunday as the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches will contest its final round at PGA National.

Through the 54-hole mark, two names are tied atop the leaderboard: Shane Lowry and Austin Smotherman. For Lowry, a win would represent his fourth overall PGA Tour victory and first in almost two years. Smotherman, on the other hand, is seeking his first Tour victory after a two-win campaign last season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

But surviving the Bear Trap and coming out on top won’t be easy. As the field readies for the final round in south Florida, nine players sit within five shots of the duo’s 13-under lead, including past Tour winners such as Nico Echavarria, Joel Dahmen, Keith Mitchell and Patton Kizzire.

Lowry and Smotherman are set to tee off in the final pairing at 1:45 p.m. ET, while Echavarria and Taylor Moore will go off in the penultimate pairing 10 minutes prior — and each will have their eyes on the winner’s check of $1.72 million.

Check out below for a full purse breakdown.

Cognizant Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown

1st: $1.728 million

2nd: $1.0464 million

3rd: $662,400

4th: $470,400

5th: $393,600

6th: $348,000

7th: $324,000

8th: $300,000

9th: $280,800

10th: $261,600

11th: $242,200

12th: $223,200

13th: $204,000

14th: $184,800

15th: $175,200

16th: $165,600

17th: $156,000

18th: $146,400

19th: $136,800

20th: $127,200

21st: $117,600

22nd: $108,000

23rd: $100,320

24th: $92,640

25th: $84,960

26th: $77,280

27th: $74,400

28th: $71,520

29th: $68,640

30th: $65,760

31st: $62,880

32nd: $60,000

33rd: $57,120

34th: $54,720

35th: $52,320

36th: $49,920

37th: $47,520

38th: $45,600

39th: $43,680

40th: $41,760

41st: $39,840

42nd: $37,920

43rd: $36,000

44th: $34,080

45th: $32,160

46th: $30,240

47th: $28,320

48th: $26,784

49th: $25,440

50th: $24,627

51st: $24,096

52nd: $23,520

53rd: $23,136

54th: $22,752

55th: $22,560

56th: $22,368

57th: $22,176

58th: $21,984

59th: $21,792

60th: $21,600

61st: $21,408

62nd: $21,216

63rd: $21,024

64th: $20,832

65th: $20,640

66th: $20,448

67th: $20,256

68th: $20,064

69th: $19,872

70th: $19,680

71st: $19,488

72nd: $19,296

73rd: $19,104

74th: $18,912

75th: $18,720

76th: $18,528

77th: $18,336

78th: $18,144

79th: $17,952

80th: $17,760

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown appeared first on Golf.

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Sunday TV coverage: How to watch Round 4 appeared first on Golf.

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Sunday TV coverage: How to watch Round 4 appeared first on Golf.

The 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches concludes on Sunday with the final round at the Champion Course at PGA National. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Sunday, including full Cognizant Classic TV coverage, streaming details and Round 4 tee times.

How to watch Cognizant Classic on Sunday

No one has played PGA National better over the past five seasons than Shane Lowry, with the Irishman’s Saturday 63 putting him at 57 under cumulatively in that span.

But yet, Lowry hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since 2024 and hasn’t won an individual PGA Tour event since 2019, when he broke through at the Open Championship for his marquee victory.

“It’s not necessarily easy to lead around this golf course. There’s a lot of very difficult shots,” Lowry said as he shares the 54-hole lead at the Cognizant. “But yeah, I’m up there where I want to be. I’ve had a few chances to win this tournament, and hopefully I can convert it tomorrow.”

He’ll start the day tied with journeyman pro Austin Smotherman and the two will be in Sunday’s final group at 1:45 p.m. ET.

You can watch the final round of the Cognizant Classic on TV via Golf Channel starting on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET before NBC picks it up at 3 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive streaming coverage beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage all day long.

Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the final round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.

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How to watch on TV Sunday

Golf Channel will air final-round TV coverage of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches from 1-3 p.m. ET on Sunday with NBC taking over from 3-6 p.m. ET.

How to stream online Sunday

You can stream the final round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting on Sunday at 7:45 a.m. ET in addition to featured group and hole coverage. Peacock will stream the Golf Channel and NBC broadcasts.

2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches Round 4 tee times (ET)

Tee No. 1

8:05 a.m. – Joe Highsmith
8:10 a.m. – Tom Kim, Dylan Wu
8:20 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Adam Schenk
8:30 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Carson Young
8:40 a.m. – Alex Smalley, Danny Walker
8:50 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Max McGreevy
9:00 a.m. – Haotong Li, David Ford
9:10 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Seamus Power
9:20 a.m. – Chan Kim, John Parry
9:30 a.m. – Michael Brennan, Hank Lebioda
9:45 a.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Chandler Phillips
9:55 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Adrien Saddier
10:05 a.m. – Dan Brown, Austin Eckroat
10:15 a.m. – Jordan Smith, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
10:25 a.m. – Garrick Higgo, Pontus Nyholm
10:35 a.m. – Eric Cole, Daniel Berger
10:45 a.m. – Brooks Koepka, Ben Silverman
10:55 a.m. – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Ryan Gerard
11:05 a.m. – Nicolai Højgaard, Mackenzie Hughes
11:20 a.m. – Kevin Roy, Zach Bauchou
11:30 a.m. – Max Homa, Kevin Streelman
11:40 a.m. – Steven Fisk, Lee Hodges
11:50 a.m. – Matthieu Pavon, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
12:00 p.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Adrien Dumont de Chassart
12:10 p.m. – Rasmus Højgaard, Thorbjørn Olesen
12:20 p.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Mark Hubbard
12:30 p.m. – William Mouw, Aaron Rai
12:40 p.m. – Matti Schmid, Takumi Kanaya
12:55 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Zecheng Dou
1:05 p.m. – Beau Hossler, Keith Mitchell
1:15 p.m. – A.J. Ewart, Joel Dahmen
1:25 p.m. – Jimmy Stanger, Ricky Castillo
1:35 p.m. – Nico Echavarria, Taylor Moore
1:45 p.m. – Shane Lowry, Austin Smotherman

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Sunday TV coverage: How to watch Round 4 appeared first on Golf.

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Sunday tee times: Final-round groupings appeared first on Golf.

The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Sunday tee times: Final-round groupings appeared first on Golf.

The final round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches gets underway Sunday, March 1, at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. You can find full Cognizant Classic tee times for Sunday’s final round at the bottom of this post.

Featured tee time for Round 4

Shane Lowry hasn’t won an individual event on the PGA Tour since his marquee victory at the 2019 Open Championship and hasn’t won on U.S. soil in nearly 11 years.

But that could all change on Sunday as Lowry’s 63 on Saturday thrust him into a share of the 54-hole lead at the Cognizant Classic. All three of Lowry’s PGA Tour victories came with at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

He’ll have to contend with journeyman pro and 36-hole leader Austin Smotherman, who birdied his final hole at PGA National Saturday to join Lowry at 13 under.

Lowry and Smotherman will play alongside each other in Sunday’s final grouping at 1:45 p.m. ET.

You can watch Sunday’s final round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches from 1-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and then 3-6 p.m. ET on NBC. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on Sunday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.

Check out the complete Round 4 tee times and groupings for the Cognizant Classic below.

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2026 Cognizant Classic tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

Tee No. 1

8:05 a.m. – Joe Highsmith
8:10 a.m. – Tom Kim, Dylan Wu
8:20 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Adam Schenk
8:30 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Carson Young
8:40 a.m. – Alex Smalley, Danny Walker
8:50 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Max McGreevy
9:00 a.m. – Haotong Li, David Ford
9:10 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Seamus Power
9:20 a.m. – Chan Kim, John Parry
9:30 a.m. – Michael Brennan, Hank Lebioda
9:45 a.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Chandler Phillips
9:55 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Adrien Saddier
10:05 a.m. – Dan Brown, Austin Eckroat
10:15 a.m. – Jordan Smith, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
10:25 a.m. – Garrick Higgo, Pontus Nyholm
10:35 a.m. – Eric Cole, Daniel Berger
10:45 a.m. – Brooks Koepka, Ben Silverman
10:55 a.m. – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Ryan Gerard
11:05 a.m. – Nicolai Højgaard, Mackenzie Hughes
11:20 a.m. – Kevin Roy, Zach Bauchou
11:30 a.m. – Max Homa, Kevin Streelman
11:40 a.m. – Steven Fisk, Lee Hodges
11:50 a.m. – Matthieu Pavon, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
12:00 p.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Adrien Dumont de Chassart
12:10 p.m. – Rasmus Højgaard, Thorbjørn Olesen
12:20 p.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Mark Hubbard
12:30 p.m. – William Mouw, Aaron Rai
12:40 p.m. – Matti Schmid, Takumi Kanaya
12:55 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Zecheng Dou
1:05 p.m. – Beau Hossler, Keith Mitchell
1:15 p.m. – A.J. Ewart, Joel Dahmen
1:25 p.m. – Jimmy Stanger, Ricky Castillo
1:35 p.m. – Nico Echavarria, Taylor Moore
1:45 p.m. – Shane Lowry, Austin Smotherman

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The post 2026 Cognizant Classic Saturday TV coverage: How to watch Round 3 appeared first on Golf.

The 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches continues on Saturday morning with the third round at the Champion Course at PGA National. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Saturday, including full Cognizant Classic TV coverage, streaming details and Round 3 tee times.

How to watch Cognizant Classic on Saturday

Thanks to a sizzling first-round 62 followed by a second-round 69 to reach 11 under par, Austin Smotherman is in position to claim his first PGA Tour victory this weekend, as the 31-year-old pro holds a three-shot lead over the field with two rounds remaining.

“How do I feel? Pretty ecstatic, pretty excited to be in this position,” Smotherman said on Friday. “Yeah, I was just trying to be steady. Austin Smotherman golf out there today. Anything under par I thought would have been following up round like yesterday, which was a special one, and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.

“Kind of nice to see those go in and feel like you’re stealing them on a course where you’re just hoping to get down in two from that range, and you have that distance a lot if you get stuff on the wind going away, all these slopes, greens are fast,” he continued. “Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome.”

But in order to claim that big win, Smotherman will need to stay ahead of some stiff competition. There are 11 other players within six shots of his lead, including major winner Shane Lowry (-5).

You can watch the third round of the Cognizant Classic on TV via Golf Channel starting on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive streaming coverage beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage all day long.

Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the third round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.

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How to watch on TV Saturday

Golf Channel will air third-round TV coverage of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches from 10-3 p.m. ET on Saturday.

How to stream online Saturday

You can stream the third round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting on Saturday at 7:45 a.m. ET in addition to featured group and hole coverage. Peacock will stream the Golf Channel broadcast.

2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches Round 3 tee times (ET)

Tee No. 1

7:28 a.m. – Zecheng Dou, Matthieu Pavon, Max McGreevy
7:40 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Chan Kim, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
7:52 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Brooks Koepka, Ben Silverman
8:04 a.m. – Steven Fisk, Ricky Castillo, Eric Cole
8:16 a.m. – Max Homa, Thorbjorn Olesen, Kevin Streelman
8:28 a.m. – Matti Schmid, Takumi Kanaya, Kevin Roy
8:40 a.m. – Seamus Power, Chad Ramey, Carson Young
8:52 a.m. – William Mouw, Michael Brennan, Daniel Berger
9:04 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Shane Lowry, Jimmy Stanger
9:16 a.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Pontus Nyholm, Hank Lebioda
9:28 a.m. – Nico Echavarria, Joel Dahmen, Mark Hubbard
9:40 a.m. – Austin Smotherman, Taylor Moore, A.J. Ewart

Tee No. 10

7:28 a.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Alex Smalley, Danny Walker
7:40 a.m. – Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dan Brown
7:52 a.m. – John Parry, Austin Eckroat, Beau Hossler
8:04 a.m. – Lee Hodges, Matt Wallace, Keith Mitchell
8:16 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Jackson Suber, Adrien Saddier
8:28 a.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Zach Bauchou, Dylan Wu
8:40 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Adam Schenk, Chandler Phillips
8:52 a.m. – Tom Kim, Patton Kizzire, Haotong Li
9:04 a.m. – David Ford, Billy Horschel, Garrick Higgo
9:16 a.m. – Joe Highsmith, Nicolai Hojgaard
9:28 a.m. – Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Jordan Smith

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