The 2025 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches begins on Thursday at PGA National, as the PGA Tour begins its Florida swing. Sixteen of the top 50 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking will compete in the 144-man Cognizant Classic field. Shane Lowry is the +2000 favorite in the 2025 Cognizant Classic odds as he gets set for his fourth event of the season. 

Other top 2025 Cognizant Classic contenders include Russell Henley (+2200), Sungjae Im (+2200) and Sepp Straka (+2200). Defending champion Austin Eckroat is a +5000 longshot on the PGA odds board, while 2023 champion Chris Kirk is +7000. Eckroat is priced at +450 (risk $100 to win $450) to finish inside the top 10, while Kirk is +1200 (risk $100 to win $1,200) to crack the top five. Eckroat, Kirk and Im will be paired together in Thursday's first round with the trio set to tee off at 12:29 p.m. ET.  

Before locking in any 2025 Cognizant Classic picks, you NEED to see the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he gave out numerous winners in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open and Xander Schauffele (20-1) at the PGA Championship. He already nailed Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot in The American Express 2025. Anyone who followed his lead could have been WAY UP!

Now, McDonald has been digging into the 2025 Cognizant Classic field to find the best betting value and just locked in his best bets and longshots to back. 

This week, McDonald loves the value of Davis Thompson, who is a 40-1 longshot. "Early-season returns were not stellar for Thompson, but something clicked at the Genesis Invitational. Receiving a FaceTime lesson from his coach before the tournament, the John Deere Classic winner led at the halfway point before falling flat over the weekend amidst the stars. He gained strokes with his irons for the first time all season, and that should carry over to the Florida Swing where I expect Thompson to find additional success. The 25-year-old continues to trend upwards both off the tee and around the green giving him the full package ahead of this week's tournament."

Moreover, McDonald is jumping on several underdogs, including one MASSIVE LONGSHOT who's priced at more than 140-1! This golfer "possesses all the skills to contend on the PGA Tour." Anyone who backs this golfer could cash in HUGE. You need to see who it is before locking in any 2025 Cognizant Classic picks of your own.

So which 2025 Cognizant Classic players should you target, and which surprising longshot could bring a MASSIVE payday? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Patrick McDonald's best Cognizant Classic picks, all from the expert who already nailed Sepp Straka at 66-1!