At PGA National, Joe Highsmith claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the 2025 Cognizant Classic, held from Feb. 26th – Mar. 2nd. Highsmith won after making the cut by one stroke.
Highsmith rallied from a four-shot deficit with three straight birdies around the turn. The dagger was a 20-foot birdie putt on the par 3 17th. He ended the weekend with two of the lowest scores in PGA National history: rounds of 64 on Saturday and Sunday.
While it’s hard to say that a field is weak on the PGA Tour, many golf stars chose to take the week off and focus on upcoming, more essential, tournaments, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.
However, this week still featured several ranked players, such as Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. Spetih is trying to find form after recovering from wrist surgery, while Fowler has been absent from the top of the leaderboards for a while. Despite their recent struggles, the two opened their weeks with 65s and 64s, respectively, placing them in the top 20 at the end of the week.
Several Benjamin students attended the tournament, following players around the course after school on Thursday and Friday and during the days on Saturday and Sunday.
“Speith is probably my favorite golfer, and watching him in person was really cool. I followed him on the back nine on Sunday, which was when he started playing really well,” junior Caroline Smith said.
Starting hot by scoring the 14th 59 in PGA Tour history, Jake Knapp had many believing he was a lock to win on Sunday. He shot 12 under on Thursday, putting him four shots in front of the golfer in second place.
“I totally thought he was going to win. He was so hot coming into the weekend and everything was going his way,” sophomore Andrew Tsar noted.
Knapp, trying to become the first first-round-leader and final-round-winner in tournament history, had a one-shot lead when his wedge to the 11th green came up short into the water. Although his ball was half submerged, he tried to blast it out, but it trickled down the slope and back into the water. He tried again, and the ball held up in the rough; he ended the hole with a triple bogey.
“It was just sad to watch. He has been playing so well the entire weekend then on Sunday and on the back nine, one hole just brings him out of contention. I wanted him to win so badly, and it was really rough to see,” sophomore Matthew Stigliano shared. He went to follow Knapp on Saturday and Sunday.
One of the more memorable tales of the weekend is that of Luke Clanton, who earned his tour card with his picture-finish on the 18th green on Friday. Clanton, throughout the weekend, finished at -12. A fan favorite, Clanton shot 4-under 67 on Thursday and 5-under 66 on Friday, securing his achievement on the 18th hole by draining an 18-foot birdie putt. Junior Luc Borzillieri was nothing but happy for Clanton.
“Seeing him clinch his tour card in person was super cool. He was hot throughout the day, and when I got to the tournament after school, I followed him on the back nine. Later, when he made the putt on 18, I was right by the green when the crowd cheered for Clanton. He is my favorite golfer right now, and I think he has a successful career ahead of him,” Borzillieri noted.
Golfers are next scheduled to tee it up at Ponte Vedra’s TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship on March 14-17.
