"It's not a long golf course" – Rickie Fowler plays down rival Jake Knapp’s 59 at Cognizant Classic 2025

While Jake Knapp's 12-under 59 at Cognizant Classic sent shockwaves to the PGA Tour, rival Rickie Fowler has downplayed his performance. The first round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches concluded on Thursday, February 27.

Knapp scored a historic 59 at the PGA National, recording the first sub-60 round at the course and in Florida's PGA Tour history. In the post-round press conference, his PGA Tour rival Fowler was asked if he expected a 59 on the course. He pointed out the relative ease of the course, saying (via ASAP Sports):

"I mean, obviously now, yes, it's doable. If you drive it well -- it's not a long golf course. You're going to get a lot of -- take advantage of the par-5s, but you're going to get a lot of wedges and short irons."

The Champions Course at PGA National Resort is a par 71 and 7,167 yards course. Fowler said that despite the favourable course conditions, executing shots and making putts is crucial. Acknowledging that shooting a 59 was difficult regardless of the course length, he said:

"With this place, we've seen some low scores, guys get after it when the conditions are right. But obviously no one has shot 59 before out here."

Rickie Fowler himself scored a 7-under 64 in the first round with the help of eight birdies against a bogey. He is currently tied for fifth with Sam Ryder, Davis Riley, Jesper Svennson, Keith Mitchell and J.J. Spaun.

Of the 144 players that teed off at the tournament, 115 scored 70 or under, resulting in the lowest tournament round scoring average (68.62) in PGA National history.

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Jake Knapp on PGA National Course: "It's very execution based"

After making history with his 12-under 59 score at the 2025 Cognizant Classic, Jake Knapp was asked about his consistent success at PGA National. Knapp scored 66 twice last year in the second and fourth rounds, tying for fourth.

Jake Knapp said that the course layout didn't have any unnecessary challenges or unpredictable elements (via ASAP Sports):

"I just think it's a course that doesn't have -- there's no real goofiness to it or anything like that. It's just kind of right in front of you. It's very execution based. You just have to hit the shots that the hole calls for."

"It's not a course where you can overpower it, either. I don't hit a lot of drivers out here. It's more of a positional golf course for me, and just try to make sure that from pitching wedge to 6-iron I'm hitting the ball well, and that should take care of the rest," he added.

Jake Knapp will tee off at 12:18 p.m. ET with Tom Hoge and Mason Andersen in the second round of the Cognizant Classic at PGA National Resort, the Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.