Sub-60 club newest member Jake Knapp stands by PGA National course amid critics: "You just have to hit the shots"

Jake Knapp fired up a historical 12 under par 59 round at the 2025 Cognizant Classic on Thursday. While the entire golf world is praising the 30-year-old for his accomplishment, some critics took to social media to state that the course and pin positions were set up too easy for a world-class field at Palm Beach Gardens.

The PGA National's Champions Course is considered to be one of the most challenging golf courses in the world. Jake Knapp is no stranger to the layout as the UCLA graduate played the Cognizant Classic last year and recorded a tied-for-fourth-place finish by carding in two rounds of 66.

In his second appearance at the tournament, Jake Knapp seems to have the course layout all figured out. In a post-tournament interview, he revealed that he doesn't think too much about the course except for the shot that's right in front of him.

Jake Knapp, who is leading the tournament by 4 strokes, said (via ASAP Text):

"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...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."

Jake Knapp stated that making sure his iron game was strong was the key to firing up a round that went on to set the new course record with zero bogeys. The PGA Tour winner's sub-60 round made him the 15th player in the history of the circuit to accomplish the feat.

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Jake Knapp's 2025 Cognizant Classic Round 1 Stats

Here's a look at Jake Knapp's stats for his 12 under par 59 score at the 2025 Cognizant Classic (via PGA Tour):

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

• Stat: + 2.213
• Ranking: 1

Strokes Gained: Approach to Green

• Stat: + 3.360
• Ranking: 1

Strokes Gained: Around the Green

• Stat: + 1.519
• Ranking: 4

Strokes Gained: Putting

• Stat: + 2.651
• Ranking: 10

Strokes Gained: Total

• Stat: + 9.225
• Ranking: 1

Driving Accuracy

• Stat: 85.71 percent (12/14)
• Ranking: T6

Average Driving Distance

• Stat: 321.00 yards
• Ranking: 10

Longest Drive

• Stat: 335 yards
• Ranking: 11

Greens in Regulation

• Stat: 88.89 percent (16/18)
• Ranking: T7

Scrambling

• Stat: 100 percent (2/2)
• Ranking: T1

Putts per Green in Regulation

• Stat: 1.50 putts
• Ranking: T14

Total Feet of Putts Made

• Stat: 96 feet
• Ranking: 16

Birdies

• Stat: 12
• Ranking: 1

Pars

• Stat: 6
• Ranking: T100

Note: Stat rankings are subject to change as more than half the field is yet to complete their rounds.