Cognizant Classic
A professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour held in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Cognizant Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour played in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Although the event is now identified with the Cognizant name, it has operated under a long succession of titles and sponsorship arrangements, most prominently as The Honda Classic from 1982 through 2023. Its modern home is the Champion Course at PGA National Resort, where the tournament has been staged since 2007. The event's direct history begins in 1972, when Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic replaced the National Airlines Open Invitational on the South Florida golf calendar. The predecessor tournament had been played at the Country Club of Miami in Hialeah from 1969 to 1971. Gleason, a major television entertainer and a familiar figure around professional golf, lent his name to the new tournament at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill. The inaugural event carried an unusually large purse for its era, helping establish it as a significant stop on the PGA Tour. The tournament experienced several identity and venue changes during its first decades. It was promoted as the Tournament Players Championship in 1976, when Jack Nicklaus won, and Gleason's association ended after the 1980 season as tour officials shifted toward a more commercially focused operating model. American Motors Corporation became the title sponsor in 1981. American Honda Motor Company then assumed sponsorship, producing the Honda Inverrary Classic name in 1982 and 1983 and eventually the widely recognized Honda Classic title. During the 1980s and 1990s, the tournament moved repeatedly among golf courses in Broward County. It was held at TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Weston Hills Golf & Country Club, and TPC at Heron Bay. These relocations contributed to a perception that the event lacked a stable identity and had difficulty consistently attracting the strongest available player field. The move to Palm Beach County in 2003, followed by the relocation to PGA National's Champion Course in 2007, gave the tournament a permanent venue and a clearer regional identity. The PGA National setting also supported the event's charitable development. Since 2007, the principal beneficiary has been the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, chaired by Barbara Nicklaus. The tournament has become one of the most prominent annual sporting events in Palm Beach County and has used its professional competition, hospitality programs, and community presence to generate charitable support. IMG acquired the tournament management company in 2013. Attendance and charitable contributions grew during IMG's management, although the event continued to face challenges caused by the PGA Tour schedule, especially competition from other tournaments and the placement of the Florida swing. Despite those constraints, the PGA National venue and long-running Honda sponsorship made the tournament a durable part of the tour calendar. Honda ended its title sponsorship after the 2023 edition, creating uncertainty about the event's future. Rather than closing, operational control moved to the PGA Tour's Championship Management division, and Cognizant signed a six-year title sponsorship agreement. The tournament was consequently renamed the Cognizant Classic. The change marked a new commercial phase while preserving the event's South Florida location, PGA Tour status, PGA National venue, and charitable connection with Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. The tournament's sporting history includes victories by major champions and notable tour figures. Jack Nicklaus won three successive editions from 1976 through 1978, a record run in the event's history. Rory McIlroy's 2012 victory moved him to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. Sepp Straka became the first Austrian to win a PGA Tour event at the tournament in 2022. The 2025 edition featured Jake Knapp's opening-round 59, while winner Joe Highsmith became the first player in nine years to win a…
History
The tournament's immediate predecessor was the National Airlines Open Invitational, held at the Country Club of Miami in Hialeah from 1969 through 1971. In 1972, the PGA Tour schedule introduced Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill. The new tournament was staged earlier in the year and opened with a purse of $260,000, making it one of the richest events on the tour at that time. Jackie Gleason was a prominent television entertainer who maintained strong connections with professional golf. His name helped give the event an entertainment-oriented identity, but the relationship ended after the 1980 tournament as PGA Tour officials emphasized a more commercial approach to promotion and revenue generation. The 1976 edition was marketed as the Tournament Players Championship and was won by Jack Nicklaus. American Motors Corporation sponsored the 1981 tournament, which was titled the American Motors Inverrary Classic. American Honda Motor Company became the sponsor the following year. The event was known as the Honda Inverrary Classic in 1982 and 1983 before the Honda Classic name became established. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the tournament changed venues frequently, including stops at TPC Eagle Trace, Weston Hills Golf & Country Club, and TPC at Heron Bay. The lack of a permanent venue contributed to attendance challenges and difficulty attracting the strongest fields. The tournament moved to Palm Beach Gardens in 2003, first using the Country Club at Mirasol. In 2007 it moved to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa, which became its long-term home. The permanent location improved the event's continuity and helped establish it as a major annual gathering in Palm Beach County. The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation became the primary beneficiary in 2007, linking the tournament to a major regional children's-health charity. IMG acquired the event's management company in 2013. Under IMG, attendance and charitable contributions improved, but the tournament remained vulnerable to the PGA Tour's scheduling structure and the difficulty of assembling a consistently elite field during the Florida portion of the season. The event's status as a regular PGA Tour tournament nevertheless gave it a stable competitive platform. Honda's title sponsorship ended after the 2023 edition. The PGA Tour's Championship Management division assumed control, and Cognizant entered into a six-year title sponsorship agreement. The resulting rebrand to the Cognizant Classic preserved the tournament's competitive and charitable framework while replacing one of the longest-running title identities in its history. The tournament has produced several notable sporting moments. Nicklaus won three consecutive editions from 1976 to 1978. Leonard Thompson donated part of his 1974 winnings to the Boys Clubs of America. Corey Pavin defeated Fred Couples in a 1992 sudden-death playoff after holing an approach shot to tie the lead. Todd Hamilton won as a PGA Tour rookie in 2004 and later captured The Open Championship. McIlroy's 2012 victory elevated him to world number one, Straka's 2022 win made him Austria's first PGA Tour champion, and the 2025 event was marked by Knapp's 59 in the opening round.
- 2025
Jake Knapp shoots 59
[1]Jake Knapp records a 59 in the opening round; Joe Highsmith wins the tournament.
- 2023
Cognizant era begins
[1]Honda sponsorship ends, PGA Tour Championship Management assumes control, and Cognizant becomes the new title sponsor under a six-year agreement.
- 2013
IMG acquires tournament management company
[1]IMG takes over the event's management company.
- 2007
PGA National becomes the permanent venue
[1]The event moves to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa, its continuing home.
- 2007
Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation becomes primary beneficiary
[1]The tournament establishes its continuing principal charitable relationship with the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation.
- 2003
Tournament moves to Palm Beach Gardens
[1]The tournament relocates to Palm Beach Gardens and is initially played at the Country Club at Mirasol.
- 1984
Tournament moves to TPC Eagle Trace
[1]The event relocates to TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, where it remains through 1991.
- 1982
Honda sponsorship begins
[1]American Honda Motor Company assumes title sponsorship, beginning the event's long Honda-branded era.
- 1981
American Motors becomes title sponsor
[1]The tournament is renamed the American Motors Inverrary Classic.
- 1978
Jack Nicklaus completes three straight victories
[1]Nicklaus wins his third consecutive edition, the only three-year winning streak in the tournament's history.
Products and positioning
A South Florida PGA Tour tournament positioned around elite professional golf, a demanding championship course, regional sports culture, corporate hospitality, and charitable impact. Its long succession of title sponsors has made naming-rights partnerships central to the event's commercial identity.
Professional golf tournament · 1972
Cognizant Classic
The annual PGA Tour competition held at the Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens. The tournament combines four-round professional stroke-play competition with spectator access, hospitality, sponsor activations, and charitable programming. Its identity has changed with title sponsorship, but the event remains rooted in South Florida and the PGA Tour schedule.
Historical tournament identity · 1982
Honda Classic
The name used for the tournament during American Honda Motor Company's title-sponsorship period from 1982 through 2023. The Honda era was the event's longest continuous modern commercial identity and helped associate the tournament with Palm Beach County after its move to PGA National.
Cause-related event program · 2007
Charitable and community program
The tournament's principal charitable platform benefits the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. Since 2007, the event has connected professional golf, corporate participation, and regional fundraising with children's healthcare initiatives.
Brand decisions
2023
Replace Honda with Cognizant as title sponsorStrategyBackground
Honda ended its title sponsorship after more than four decades, raising uncertainty about whether the major Palm Beach County sporting event would continue.
Action taken
The PGA Tour's Championship Management division took control, Cognizant signed a six-year sponsorship agreement, and the tournament was renamed the Cognizant Classic.
Aftermath
The tournament remained on the PGA Tour schedule with its PGA National venue and charitable framework intact, while beginning a new commercial naming era.
2007
Establish PGA National as the long-term venueStrategyBackground
Repeated venue changes had weakened the tournament's continuity and contributed to attendance and player-field challenges.
Action taken
The tournament moved to the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens.
Aftermath
The permanent venue strengthened the event's regional identity and supported improved attendance, charitable activity, and player participation.
1972
Launch a new South Florida PGA Tour eventOtherBackground
The National Airlines Open Invitational had ended after its 1969–1971 run, creating an opportunity for a successor event on the PGA Tour schedule.
Action taken
The tour introduced Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill.
Aftermath
The new tournament became the foundation for the event that later operated under the Honda Classic and Cognizant Classic names.
Inaugural purse. 260000 (1972)
Sources2 sources
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