World No. 27 Rickie Fowler has become one of the first golfers to commit to the Cognizant Classic on the PGA Tour.
Rickie Fowler has become one of the first PGA Tour stars to commit to the Cognizant Classic.
The tournament was previously known as the Honda Classic until the title sponsor withdrew its support after 42 years in 2023.
The event has caused a great deal of distress in recent years because of its subpar fields.
Simply put, the tournament itself is fine; it’s just that the top players find it difficult to justify their time away from the PGA Tour schedule.
However, Fowler’s decision to enter the competition may indicate that things are about to change.
The Honda Classic previously found itself wedged between Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational and the preceding Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The revamped 2024 schedule now means there is a week between the West Coast Swing and the start of the Florida Swing (Cognizant).
One of Fowler’s six Tour victories came at The Honda Classic in 2017. The American defeated Gary Woodland and Morgan Hoffmann by four shots.
He skipped the tournament in 2023 for the first time in 13 years.
Only four of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking teed it up at PGA National last year. No player from the top-10 was involved.
In a statement, Cognizant’s executive director Joie Chitwood told the Palm Beach Post: “As one of the most exciting players on the PGA Tour, he [Fowler] is a tremendous addition to our field and is sure to generate a plethora of excitement for our partners and fans during tournament week.”
Cognizant signed a six-year deal to become the new title sponsor of the tournament last December.
Fowler enjoyed somewhat of a career resurgence last season.
He stepped back into the winner’s circle for the first time in four years when he clinched the Rocket Mortgage Classic in dramatic fashion.
Along with eight top-10 results, Fowler was picked for the American Ryder Cup team that lost in Italy in September of last year.
It was evident that the 35-year-old was ill, so his time at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club was not enjoyable.
After four appearances, his record in the competition is now a miserable 3-7-5.