{"id":488634,"date":"2026-02-25T01:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/488634\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T01:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:03:12","slug":"with-pga-tours-return-to-sunshine-state-fantasy-players-benefit-from-wide-open-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/488634\/","title":{"rendered":"With PGA TOUR’s return to Sunshine State, fantasy players benefit from wide-open field"},"content":{"rendered":"

7H AGO<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

4 Min Read<\/p>\n

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Golfbet News<\/p>\n

<\/a>*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]>\"Nicolai<\/p>\n

Nicolai H\u00f8jgaard sinks 19-foot eagle putt on No. 13 at WM Phoenix Open<\/p>\n

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Written by Rob Bolton<\/p>\n

The conclusion of the West Coast swing always feels like it should align with the end of a segment in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Of course, that\u2019s not how it works. Beginning with this week\u2019s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, three tournaments remain in Segment 1 before we can turn the page and reset starts for all golfers.<\/p>\n

Still, the annual cross-country journey to PGA National\u2019s Champion Course does present a couple of strategic checkpoints.<\/p>\n

With the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship following the Cognizant Classic and, therefore, putting a wrap on Segment 1, most of our usual suspects are sitting this one out. Many played both ends of the most recent fortnight of Signature Events as well as other stops on the West Coast swing immediately preceding those lucrative opportunities, so this is their lone week to take a breath. The Genesis Invitational champion Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin and Adam Scott all withdrew from the Cognizant Classic on Monday \u2013 all would have appeared in my Power Rankings<\/a>. They are why future possibilities below feature only two golfers.<\/p>\n

The other significant component is how PGA National opens the parade of Bermudagrass greens in Florida. Yes, Waialae Country Club (Sony Open in Hawaii) is also equipped with non-overseeded Bermudagrass, but it\u2019s been more than a month since the PGA TOUR launched 2026 on Oahu. Golfers from the Southeast always lick their chops when it\u2019s the Sunshine State\u2019s turn to take center stage. It\u2019s a reality that contributed to a few endorsements in my Power Rankings.<\/p>\n

So, with one of the most wide-open fantasy fields of the early season, expect some churn in the ranks. But because it\u2019s early, try to resist the tug to retreat into conservative tendencies. This is a moment to strike. With roster management a non-starter at PGA National, build a lineup that weaves in natives of the Southeast who expect to find form on turf on which they grew up playing. We\u2019ll get back to the familiar machinations of how to ration our remaining starts for stars next week.<\/p>\n

Nicolai H\u00f8jgaard \u2026 I\u2019m approaching this tournament like it\u2019s the first of the season. That allows me to adhere to my first rule of fantasy golf, which is to have fun. With the pressure of roster management building the last couple of weeks, it can stifle the kind of freedom to which we\u2019re treated at PGA National.<\/p>\n

At the same time, and as always, it\u2019s important to be smart. The elder H\u00f8jgaard twin is in a groove and he\u2019s rested. Those are big reasons why he\u2019s No. 3 in my Power Rankings, but deviation from the norm is the swing thought.<\/p>\n

Shane Lowry … Not only is he most-owned at 72% at last check, but he\u2019s also likely the captain for a majority of those invested, and rightfully so. The No. 2 in my Power Rankings is the play for front-runners, which I am not.Ryan Gerard … No. 1 in the Power Rankings, second among saved rosters at 56% and bursting with the kind of cachet that warrants all of it, but his longer-term inconsistency isn\u2019t strong enough to default into this role, even among league leaders. I\u2019m compromising with a roster spot to burn, if necessary \u2013 I have one start remaining \u2013 but I prefer more sizzle in a week thirsting for something aggressive.<\/p>\n

The savviest among loyal readers may feel like I\u2019ve omitted weather from the master plan outlined above. To be certain, if early forecasts demanded respect for either side of the draw, you\u2019d already have read about it, so it\u2019s not a headline. Still, given the location of the tournament, attention must remain on the conditions, particularly the wind, so also remain fluid with your choices. If you\u2019re ever unsure or if stacking isn\u2019t obvious, default into a blend.<\/p>\n

Daniel BergerShane LowryNicolai H\u00f8jgaard (C)Johnny KeeferJordan Smith (1)Ryan Gerard (2)*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]>\"Newest<\/p>\n

Newest renovations to \u2018The Bear Trap\u2019 at Cognizant Classic<\/p>\n

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings, which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out those who demand a pause and why.<\/p>\n

Max Homa … Given his familiarity, it makes sense that he\u2019s the seventh-most popular among saved rosters at 25%, but he doesn\u2019t warrant even a fraction of a unit in, say, a top-30 betting market right now. There were flashes on his native West Coast, but nothing that resembled consistency. Finished T20 in his last trip to PGA National, but that was seven years ago.Tom Kim … Although it\u2019d be easy to measure, I don\u2019t keep track of frequencies among golfers who have populated this section over time, but he\u2019d contend for, if not lead, the most chosen. And he continues to scuffle relative to the expectations with which he graced us across his first three seasons on the PGA TOUR. Arrives for his second appearance at PGA National (T62, 2024) having cashed in eight straight starts, but it\u2019s been more than a year since his last top 10, and he has only two top 25s in the interim.Stephan Jaeger … Meanwhile, it\u2019s unlikely that he\u2019s never appeared in this section, but he\u2019s returning at 10% among saved rosters, so that\u2019s more juice than the expectation. Despite my narrative at the top, you don\u2019t need to dip this deep into the field to line up a serviceable sixsome. What\u2019s more, he\u2019s just three-for-five with one top-45 finish at PGA National, and his T5 at the Farmers Insurance Open four weeks ago was a bonus, not the extension or the beginning of a trend. Continues to be best utilized as a complementary piece in full-season formats.Erik van Rooyen … With a T2 and a T9 in the last two editions of the Cognizant Classic, it stands to reason that course-history buffs alone would comprise more than the 2.6% of rosters saved at last check, but recency bias usually tips the balance for rank-and-filers like the South African in his sixth appearance. He\u2019s opened the season with four missed cuts in as many starts.Nick Dunlap … Hasn\u2019t pegged it in earnest since an undisclosed injury knocked him out of The American Express after his second round. He can concur with what The Beatles sang to us about the road being long and winding. Now two years post-breakthrough at PGA WEST, he\u2019s fully exempt as a winner on the PGA TOUR through 2027, but the 22-year-old has absorbed his fair share of blows as he navigates his early career.K.H. Lee … This is his first start on the PGA TOUR since he withdrew before the second round of the Texas Children\u2019s Houston Open 11 months ago with an injured back. After a 32-week break, he made a couple of starts abroad and then another two on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, all to the result of a single payday. Because he\u2019s logged two of his 17 career top 10s on the PGA TOUR at PGA National, despite its relative challenge, the track record presents a good spot to resume his career in the big leagues. With 19 starts via a Major Medical Extension<\/a>, he steps forward as a nice find in full-season formats if all others in his vicinity of the Priority Ranking<\/a> have been nabbed. You\u2019ll find it in category 36.Paul Waring … The 41-year-old begins his second season on the PGA TOUR with a medical extension for the extended time missed due to a shoulder injury. He offers only nine starts. He was sidelined for 21 weeks until he got back after it in early December on the DP World Tour. Now in a combined four starts on his home circuit, he\u2019s cashed three times. Unlike Lee, the Brit doesn\u2019t present much long-term value, but if he catches fire, toss him into consideration in DFS.<\/p>\n

NOTE: This section consists of notables in this week\u2019s field for whom more than three starts may be considered in Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple tournaments are listed (e.g., \u201c1\u201d for strongest, \u201c2\u201d for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change throughout Segment 1, no matter how many tournaments remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer’s commitment.<\/p>\n

Brooks Koepka … Cognizant (2)Shane Lowry … Cognizant (1); Arnold Palmer (2); PLAYERS (3)<\/p>\n

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET today.<\/p>\n

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Feb 23, 2026<\/p>\n

Power Rankings: See who bests Lowry to lead field at Cognizant Classic<\/a>Power Rankings<\/a>\"Image\"Image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"7H AGO 4 Min Read Golfbet News *:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17ygvlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}]]> Nicolai H\u00f8jgaard sinks 19-foot eagle putt on No. 13 at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-488634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}