'A Little Disappointing' - Players Unhappy With Easier PGA National Setup
Billy Horschel led the criticism of the setup at PGA National after some dramatic low scoring at the Cognizant Classic including Jake Knapp's 59


The Champions Course at PGA National was once one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour, but many players describe recent changes as "disappointing" as it made even the famous Bear Trap too easy on a day of incredible low scoring at the Cognizant Claassic.
Jake Knapp led the way with a brilliant 59 - the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history - but he wasn't the only one to go low in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic.
In admittedly perfect weather conditions with little wind, 115 players were under par in the first round, with 15 of them shooting 65 or better.
All this on a course that had a scoring average of 71.41 over the last decade as one of the most difficult venues on the PGA Tour - but changes have made even the Bear Trap much less of a test.
And ahead of this year, overseeding of the usual bermudagrass with rye, for the first time since 2014, served to soften fairways and greens and the removal of some bunkers all combined to make the course easier - to the disappointment of a lot of the players.
"It's just a little disappointing because it's such a great test of golf," said Billy Horschel, who also tackled an alligator before going on to lead the criticism of the course setup.
"I think the overseed has - the rough is not long enough. It's not penal enough when you miss the fairway.
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"If you had Bermuda rough and Bermuda fairways and if you missed the green you had to chip it off Bermuda instead of overseeded rye, it makes it a little bit tougher.
"Hopefully the wind picks up. Hopefully we see a little bit of PGA National because it is fun playing this golf course when it's tough. I think a lot of us do enjoy it.
"I really wish we would just play this as a straight Bermuda. From tee to green, everything be straight Bermuda. I know it doesn't look prettier on TV and I know that's one of the reasons why it's overseeded.
"So it is a little disappointing that - I'd say the condition of the course is very scorable."
I miss the old PGA National.February 27, 2025
Horschel was not the only one though, with several other players noting that the overseeding at PGA National had made the course far easier than usual.
"I didn't realize that it was overseeded, and the fairways being overseeded changes it a lot because it'll make the fairways softer which makes them wider, and then around the greens it's significantly easier than the dormant Bermuda," noted Jordan Spieth.
"You're looking at easily a stroke a round on just the change in the grass types in the fairway."
Russell Henley reacted to Knapp's 59 by saying: "Doesn't really surprise me. The place is overseeded now, and they've taken out some bunkers and made a couple changes. When the wind is down like this, I think it's definitely gettable.
"But it doesn't matter what the condition is. Anytime you shoot 59, it's great, and it's unbelievable."
“I thought I played well, but then someone shot 59,” said Daniel Berger after shooting 63.
“The course was not the old Bear Trap we’re used to.”
Joel Dahmen kept it short and sweet as he weighed in on X, simply saying: "I miss the old PGA National."
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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