2025 Cognizant Classic expert picks, predictions, odds: Golf insider backing Davis Thompson at PGA National

Sepp Straka will try to pick up his second Cognizant Classic victory when he competes in the 2025 Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches this week. Straka, the 2022 champion, is one of the top-ranked golfers in the 2025 Cognizant Classic field. Shane Lowry is the 20-1 favorite, according to the latest 2025 Cognizant Classic odds, while Straka, Russell Henley and Sungjae Im are all listed at 22-1 on the PGA odds board. Should you include any of those golfers in your 2025 Cognizant Classic bets? 

Defending champion Austin Eckroat, who won as a 100-1 longshot last season, is listed at 50-1 to defend his title. Eckroat is priced at +450 (risk $100 to win $450) to finish inside the top 10 this year. The 2025 Cognizant Classic begins Thursday at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Before making any 2025 Cognizant Classic picks, you need to see the 2025 Cognizant Classic predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he gave out numerous winners in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open and Xander Schauffele (20-1) at the PGA Championship. He already nailed Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot in The American Express this year. Anyone who followed his betting picks could have been way up on betting apps and sportsbooks.

Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2025 Cognizant Classic field and locked in his best bets and top longshot sleepers. You can only see them here.

Top 2025 Cognizant Classic expert picks

McDonald loves the value of Davis Thompson at +4000 (risk $100 to win $4,000) this week. Thompson sits inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, joining 15 other golfers inside the top 50 in this week’s field. He has made the cut in five of his first six events of the season and is coming off his best showing of the campaign. 

Thompson finished T13 in the Genesis Invitational, leading at the halfway point before struggling against a loaded field over the weekend. He has been trending in the right direction off the tee and around the green and is competing against a much softer field this week. McDonald thinks this is an excellent opportunity for Thompson to pick up the second win of his young career.   

“Early-season returns were not stellar for Thompson, but something clicked at the Genesis Invitational,” McDonald told SportsLine. “Receiving a FaceTime lesson from his coach before the tournament, the John Deere Classic winner led at the halfway point before falling flat over the weekend amidst the stars. He gained strokes with his irons for the first time all season, and that should carry over to the Florida Swing where I expect Thompson to find additional success.” See who else to back here.

How to make 2025 Cognizant Classic golf picks

McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2025 Cognizant Classic and has also selected an epic longshot who’s priced over 140-1. This golfer “possesses all the skills to contend on the PGA Tour.” You can only see the picks at SportsLine.

So which players should you target for the 2025 Cognizant Classic, and which golfer could bring a huge payday of more than 140-1? Check out the 2025 Cognizant Classic odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top picks for the 2025 Cognizant Classic, all from the expert who gave out Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot at the 2025 American Express.

2025 Cognizant Classic odds, field

See the full Cognizant Classic picks, best bets and predictions here.

Shane Lowry +2000
Russell Henley +2200
Sungjae Im +2200
Sepp Straka +2200
Daniel Berger +2800
Taylor Pendrith +3000
Min Woo Lee +3300
Byeong Hun An +3500
Keith Mitchell +3500
Denny Mccarthy +4000
Cameron Young +4000
Jordan Spieth +4000
Davis Thompson +4000
Michael Kim +4500
Ben Griffin +4500
Patrick Rodgers +5000
Billy Horschel +5000
Kurt Kitayama +5000
J.J. Spaun +5000
Max Greyserman +5000
Luke Clanton +5000
Andrew Novak +5000
Austin Eckroat +5000
Alex Smalley +5500
Rickie Fowler +5500
Lucas Glover +5500
Gary Woodland +5500
Jhonattan Vegas +5500
Nicolai Hojgaard +6000
Brian Harman +6000
Harry Hall +6000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +6000
Taylor Moore +6000
Chris Kirk +7000
Beau Hossler +7000
Seamus Power +7000
Niklas Norgaard +7500
Bud Cauley +7500
Jake Knapp +8000
Lee Hodges +8000
Eric Cole +8000
Kevin Roy +9000
Ryan Gerard +9000
Doug Ghim +9000
Mackenzie Hughes +9000
Pierceson Coody +9000
C.T. Pan +9000
Thorbjorn Olesen +9000
Brian Campbell +9000
Michael Thorbjornsen +10000
Isaiah Salinda +11000
Ryan Fox +11000
Adam Schenk +11000
Nicolas Echavarria +11000
Erik Van Rooyen +11000
Sam Ryder +11000
Jesper Svensson +12000
Chan Kim +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Mac Meissner +12000
Joe Highsmith +12000
Greyson Sigg +12000
Justin Lower +12000
Adam Svensson +12000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee +12000
Matt Wallace +12000
Mark Hubbard +12000
Matt Kuchar +12000
Victor Perez +12000
Tom Hoge +12000
Quade Cummins +15000
Patrick Fishburn +15000
Antoine Rozner +15000
Kristoffer Ventura +15000
Jackson Suber +15000
Andrew Putnam +15000