GOLF

PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Cognizant Classic

By Alex Hunter @Hunta512
Feb 23, 2025

For the first event of the Florida swing, the PGA TOUR is hosting the Cognizant Classic at PGA National (par 71, 7,167, Bermuda greens) in Palm Beach Gardens. This tournament was formerly known as the Honda Classic, and PGA National has been the host of this event since 2007. Last year, Austin Ekcroat (-17) won this event by three strokes. There will be 144 players competing this week, and a standard top-65 and ties will be cut following the first two rounds.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The CliffsNotes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

Build unlimited custom stat models with official PGA TOUR data.
Hundreds of filters to find the exact data split you’re looking for.
Save custom reports and run them again with next week’s field.
Download anything you want to your computer with the click of a button.
See expert models each week.

DraftKings $10,000+ Range

Shane Lowry ($10,500)

Lowry has never missed a cut in seven starts at PGA National and has been very close to winning at this course the last three years, finishing runner-up, T5th and T4th, in that order. Hailing from Ireland, Lowry knows how to handle the difficult and windy conditions of PGA National better than anyone in this field, and the former Open Championship winner should contend at the Florida track again this week. In his last 10 starts, Lowry has carded seven finishes of T13 or better, including a runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this month. The Irishman should have been priced higher this week, and beginning your cash game lineup with Lowry is a smart move for the Cognizant Classic.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Daniel Berger ($9,900)

Berger’s salary hasn’t been this high in almost a year, but he is worth the large investment this week. The Florida native has made five of eight cuts at PGA National, with three finishes coming inside the top five. That includes a runner-up finish in 2015, in which he lost the event in a playoff. Berger now returns to PGA National playing his best golf in years. In his last four starts, Berger has finished T21st, MC, second, and T12th, in that order. The veteran has gained strokes in every major category in back-to-back starts, so he shouldn’t disappoint this week.

Sepp Straka ($9,400)

Straka won the 2022 Honda Classic at PGA National and then proceeded to finish T5th at the track the next year. The Austrian has a 7-under 64 on his resume at this course, and of all the players in this field who have competed at PGA National more than once, Straka ranks first in strokes gained per round at the venue (via the Rabbit Hole). Including a two-shot win at the American Express, the 31-year-old has finished inside the top 15 in four of six starts in 2025, and he ranks 13th in SG: Approach for the season. Straka carries the fourth-best odds to win the Cognizant Classic but is only the sixth-most expensive option for DFS, making him a stellar value.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Kurt Kitayama ($8,200)

Kitayama has advanced to the weekend in 10 of his last 13 starts and he has posted four top-25 finishes during this span. Kitayama’s ball striking has been excellent, ranking first in the field in SG: Tee-to-Green over the past 50 rounds. He has also played well at PGA National, finishing T47th and third in his two appearances. Kitayama is gaining 1.81 strokes per round at PGA National, trailing only Straka among players in the field with multiple appearances at this venue. Kitayama is simply too cheap for his upside and is a strong option for cash games.

Andrew Novak ($8,000)

Novak is an outstanding combination of compelling course history and current form that needs to be attacked this week. The 29-year-old has made three of four cuts at PGA National, including finishes of T29th and T9th in the last two years. Novak also enters this week after finishing T3rd, T13th, MC and T13th in his last four starts. Novak gained strokes across the board in his last outing, which came at the challenging South Course of Torrey Pines for the Genesis Invitational, and he ranks top-20 in both SG: Approach and SG: Putting when we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

J.J. Spaun ($7,800)

Spaun has finished inside the top-30 in two of his four starts at PGA National, and the consistent veteran has only missed one cut in his last 16 starts. 12 of these finishes have been top-30 results — including a T3 at the Sony Open in January — and Spaun’s irons have been the key to his success. The 34-year-old ranks first in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds, which sets him up perfectly for PGA National, where four of the past five winners have finished the event in the top seven in that department.

Lucas Glover ($7,800)

Glover and his elite ball-striking have a long history of succeeding at PGA National. The former major champion has advanced to the weekend in six of his last seven starts at the Florida venue, with all those finishes being results of T35 or better. That includes a T4 finish back in 2019. Returning to PGA National this week as the maker of nine of his past 11 cuts and ranking third in SG: Approach over his last 50 rounds, Glover is a safe choice this week.

Jhonathan Vegas ($7,500)

Vegas was priced up to $8,600 for his last start at PGA National, and the veteran is a steal at this low salary. He has only missed one cut in 11 starts at PGA National, with five top-30 finishes in his last seven starts at the track. Vegas has made 14 of his last 16 cuts coming into this week and ranks 10th in the field in SG: Approach over the last 50 rounds.

Bud Cauley ($7,300)

Cauley is coming off a T21 at the WM Phoenix Open, marking his sixth top-35 finish in his last seven starts. Cauley notably was one of only five players to gain strokes in every major category at TPC Scottsdale and has shot under par in 10 straight rounds. In this type of form, Cauley has top 20 upside at the Cognizant Classic, which is the Florida native’s home event. Cauley grew up just a few hours north of PGA National in Daytona Beach and has made four cuts in a row at PGA National, including three top-30 finishes.

Kevin Roy ($7,200)

Roy is fresh off a T17 at the Mexico Open last week, which is his fourth top-20 finish in his last six starts across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour collectively. He has shot under par in 10 of his last 12 rounds and ranks fifth in the field in SG: Approach over their last 50 rounds. Roy finished T29th in his lone start at PGA National two years ago, and he brings even better upside this time around. At No. 204 in the world, Roy sits 218 spots higher in the Official World Golf Rankings than when he made his debut at PGA National in 2023.

Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code LABS1.

DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range

Matteo Manaserro ($6,800)

Manaserro has made eight consecutive cuts worldwide, and the Italian professional has racked up three top-30 finishes during this cut streak. It has been over a decade since Manasserro last competed at PGA National, but the 31-year-old was great in his two career starts at this track, finishing T29th in 2013 and T14th in 2014. Manaserro’s pristine iron play makes him a great match for PGA National, and he is an awesome bargain at this sub-$7,000 salary.