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The 2024 Cognizant Classic is set to begin on Thursday, February 29. The ninth event of this season will take place at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The Cognizant Classic will mark the return of the stars after most of them missed last week's Mexico Open. The first event of the Florida swing will have 19 of the top 50 players in the OWGR on the field this week.
While Rory McIlroy, Russell Henley, Cameron Young, and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the oddsmakers' favorites to win on the PGA Tour this week, a few sleeper picks might draw fans' attention at Palm Beach.
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Here are five sleeper picks to watch at the Cognizant Classic 2024.
Five sleeper picks to watch at the Cognizant Classic 2024
#1 Daniel Berger
As per BetMGM, Daniel Berger is +4000 to win the Cognizant Classic, but he can be the one to win it all this week given his record at Palm Beach.
Berger stayed out of action for 19 months and hence missed last year's edition. However, in his last appearance at Palm Beach in 2022, he finished solo fourth, that too after he squandered a five-stroke lead and shot 74 in the final round. The previous year, he had finished T4 and also had a playoff defeat in his debut at the event.
Speaking of his recent form, Berger has made two cuts in three starts since making a comeback this season.
#2 Denny McCarthy
Denny McCarthy is +800 to finish in the top five this week. So far, he has not even made the top 20. This long drought has come for the first time since the start of the 2022–23 season.
Last year, McCarthy missed the cut at the PGA National, but he also had a T3 finish in 2021. So far this season, he has been consistent and is not far away from a top-10 finish.
#3 Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Christiaan Bezuidenhout started his 2024 season with a runner-up finish at the American Express, where amateur Nick Dunlap took all the limelight with his historic win. Following that, he has had a better season than the amateur golfer and has made three straight top-30 finishes after missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.
This week, the 29-year-old South African is +450 to make the top ten at the Cognizant Classic. Speaking of his record at the event, he is 2-for-2 so far, with T25 being his best result.
#4 Dylan Wu
Dylan Wu is coming to the PGA National after his T24 finish at the Mexico Open at Vidanta last Sunday. Last year, he had a T10 finish at the Cognizant Classic.
Wu is +500 to break into the top 50 this week. Speaking of his recent form, he has made two cuts in his last three starts.
#5 Chesson Hadley
Hadley has quite a mixed record at the Cognizant Classic so far. He is 4-for-8 at the event and has never made a cut in two successive editions. The T20 finish in 2019 is his best result so far, which he missed in the next two starts here.
This year, Hadley is +130 to at least make a top-40 finish at the PGA National. Speaking of recent form, he has made three cuts in four starts this season.
