Sepp Straka will try to pick up his second Cognizant Classic victory when he competes in the 2025 Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches this week. Straka, the 2022 champion, is one of the top-ranked golfers in the 2025 Cognizant Classic field. Shane Lowry is the 20-1 favorite, according to the latest 2025 Cognizant Classic odds, while Straka, Russell Henley and Sungjae Im are all listed at 22-1 on the PGA odds board. Should you include any of those golfers in your 2025 Cognizant Classic bets?
Defending champion Austin Eckroat, who won as a 100-1 longshot last season, is listed at 50-1 to defend his title. Eckroat is priced at +450 (risk $100 to win $450) to finish inside the top 10 this year. The 2025 Cognizant Classic begins Thursday at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Before making any 2025 Cognizant Classic picks, you need to see the 2025 Cognizant Classic predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.
McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he gave out numerous winners in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open and Xander Schauffele (20-1) at the PGA Championship. He already nailed Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot in The American Express this year. Anyone who followed his betting picks could have been way up on betting apps and sportsbooks.
Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2025 Cognizant Classic field and locked in his best bets and top longshot sleepers. You can only see them here.
Top 2025 Cognizant Classic expert picks
McDonald loves the value of Davis Thompson at +4000 (risk $100 to win $4,000) this week. Thompson sits inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, joining 15 other golfers inside the top 50 in this week’s field. He has made the cut in five of his first six events of the season and is coming off his best showing of the campaign.
Thompson finished T13 in the Genesis Invitational, leading at the halfway point before struggling against a loaded field over the weekend. He has been trending in the right direction off the tee and around the green and is competing against a much softer field this week. McDonald thinks this is an excellent opportunity for Thompson to pick up the second win of his young career.