The shortest shot of the PGA Tour season came through for us last week at the Mexico Open as Jake Knapp claimed his maiden title. What was thought to be a stress-free Sunday quickly turned sweaty, but it is nice to get one under our belt as the PGA Tour turns to Florida for the 2024 Cognizant Classic.

Formerly known as the Honda Classic (and the Classic at Palm Beaches for a few months), the Cognizant Classic will welcome an unusually strong field to PGA National. A victim of scheduling changes the last few weeks, the Cognizant Classic had fallen on hard times in terms of attracting top talent to the difficult par-71 layout, but this year will be different as players look to find their footing with the Masters less than 50 days away.

Headlining the action is world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, a former champion at PGA National. McIlroy first ascended to world No. 1 with his win at this tournament when he fended off a charging Tiger Woods those many years ago. The Northern Irishman won in early January in Dubai but has since struggled to find consistency in his game across a couple PGA Tour starts. If those loose swings materialize at PGA National a big score could be in the waiting as water is featured on 15 of 18 holes including the daunted Bear Trap finishing stretch.

McIlroy is joined in the field by his fellow European Ryder Cup members Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry. A large international contingent features Sungjae Im, Tom Kim and Min Woo Lee while the American bunch is rounded up by Cameron Young and defending champion Chris Kirk.

2024 Cognizant Classic odds leaders

• Rory McIlroy: +600
• Cameron Young: +2200
• Russell Henley: +2500
• Matt Fitzpatrick: +2800
• J.T. Poston: +3000
• Tom Kim: +3000
• Min Woo Lee: +3000

So which 2024 Cognizant Classic players should you target or avoid? And which player could bring a MASSIVE payday? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Patrick McDonald's best value picks