There’s plenty of Florida flavor on the PGA Tour this week as golfers leave the West Coast swing behind and head to the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches as it tees off Thursday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
And funny enough, the best place to start would be with Irishman Shane Lowry.
An adopted Floridian who makes his home in the town of Jupiter a few minutes away, Lowry is appearing at the Cognizant Classic for the ninth time.
The three-time PGA Tour winner might be considered the favorite at PGA National this week, and in fact, he came a hair away from winning in 2022. No players in this week’s field are ranked top-25 in the world.
“I really enjoy Florida golf,” Lowry said Wednesday. “It’s funny, when I moved here first or when I started coming, when I played the old Honda Classic as it was back when I started playing here, I couldn’t figure out how to chip around these greens. I wish it was overseeded back then.
“But I figured it out, I moved here, and you kind of learn how to deal with the Bermuda and the Florida grasses, and I do love Florida golf now.”
He loves it so much, in fact, that he’s playing the first three events of the Florida swing — this week, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship – to make for a run of five straight weeks of competition for the 2019 Open champion.
Getting to sleep in his own bed makes that more feasible.
“I think if it was five weeks in a row and there was no home weeks in there, I wouldn’t play five weeks in a row,” he said. “I think the fact I’m saying at home this week makes it easier. I get to drive to Bay Hill next week, so there’s no flights. I get to see my family. … There’s a lot in there that makes the five weeks easier than sort of if you’re five weeks away from home.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Luke Clanton is happy to be home as well.
The 22-year-old Florida native played the Cognizant last year on a sponsor’s exemption while still attending Florida State. By making the cut, the up-and-comer earned the 20th and final point needed to earn a full-time card through the PGA Tour University system. He tied for 18th, shooting three rounds in the 60s.
Clanton played junior golf events at PGA National and also enjoyed coming as a fan.
“I came here since I was probably 8 years old with my best friend,” Clanton said. “We used to come here I think it was every Friday and Sunday. Our moms used to drop us off, and we’d go run around and be a bunch of idiots, but it was a lot of fun.”
The most accomplished player on the property, and the hometown favorite, will be one and the same: Brooks Koepka. The five-time major champ is making his third start in his return to the PGA Tour after his four-year stay with LIV Golf.
“This is a true hometown event,” said Koepka, who is from West Palm Beach. “… It’s just enjoyable to see faces you haven’t seen in a long time. Sometimes it’s the only time I see people is when I’m here at this event. It’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
The defending champion is Joe Highsmith, who won his first career title here last year. It’s also the last week for players to qualify for next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational signature event via the Aon Next 10 or Aon Swing 5 points standings.
