Finally, The Florida Swing is here, and the stakes couldn’t be higher! The PGA Tour lands in Palm Beach Gardens this Thursday for the 2025 Cognizant Classic, marking the start of an exciting stretch of tournaments. After weeks of West Coast action, players are now transitioning to the Bermudagrass greens and challenging water hazards that define the Florida swing, with PGA National’s notorious Champion Course ready to test the field’s mental fortitude.

With a hefty $9.2 million purse on the line—$1.656 million going to the winner with 500 crucial FedEx Cup points—Thursday’s opening round promises to deliver plenty of drama as players jockey for early position. The field includes past champions, major winners, and local favorites, all looking to conquer one of the PGA Tour’s most demanding tests and kick off the Florida Swing in style.

Marquee groupings set to deliver Thursday fireworks

The tournament organizers have delivered some must-watch groupings for Thursday’s opening round, with several star-packed trios ready to tackle PGA National’s challenging layout. The early morning wave features Sepp Straka (the 2022 champion) teeing off at 7:29 a.m. from the 10th tee alongside Billy Horschel and Cameron Young. Straka, currently ranked 19th in the world, has shown excellent early-season form and looks comfortable on Florida layouts.

Just eleven minutes later, at 7:40 a.m., from the 10th tee, Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, and Jordan Spieth will command attention from the gallery. Spieth, making his first-ever competitive start at PGA National, brings his creative shot-making to one of the Tour’s most demanding courses. Meanwhile, Fowler, a Jupiter resident, enjoys home-field advantage at a venue where he claimed victory in 2017.

In the afternoon wave, defending champion Austin Eckroat begins his title defense at 12:29 p.m. from the first tee alongside Chris Kirk and Sungjae Im—a group featuring three past champions of this event. Kirk claimed victory in 2023, while Im triumphed in 2020, setting up a fascinating battle of former winners.

The Aon Swing 5 battle adds another compelling storyline to Thursday’s action. Six players, including Nicolai Højgaard (teeing off at 1:02 p.m. from the first tee), are fighting for the final available spots in next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The pressure to perform will be evident from the opening tee shot for these bubble players.

Here’s the complete list of Round 1 tee times for Thursday’s action:

First Tee

• 6:45 a.m.: Patrick Rodgers, Rico Hoey, Mac Meissner
• 6:56 a.m.: Beau Hossler, Taylor Montgomery, Ryo Hisatsune
• 7:07 a.m.: Doug Ghim, Carson Young, Victor Perez
• 7:18 a.m.: Jake Knapp, Tom Hoge, Webb Simpson
• 7:29 a.m.: Matthieu Pavon, Nick Hardy, Zach Johnson
• 7:40 a.m.: Erik van Rooyen, Vincent Norrman, Adam Svensson
• 7:51 a.m.: Davis Riley, Camilo Villegas, Matt Kuchar
• 8:02 a.m.: Peter Malnati, Taylor Moore, Adam Schenk
• 8:13 a.m.: Danny Willett, Harry Higgs, Sami Valimaki
• 8:24 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Jesper Svensson, Quade Cummins
• 8:35 a.m.: Kevin Roy, Kevin Velo, Ben Polland
• 8:46 a.m.: Matteo Manassero, Jackson Suber, Matthew Riedel
• 11:45 a.m.: Andrew Novak, Matti Schmid, Chan Kim
• 11:56 a.m.: Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd, Greyson Sigg
• 12:07 p.m.: Joel Dahmen, Keith Mitchell, Jacob Bridgeman
• 12:18 p.m.: Matt McCarty, Jhonattan Vegas, Mackenzie Hughes
• 12:29 p.m.: Austin Eckroat, Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im
• 12:40 p.m.: Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland, Min Woo Lee
• 12:51 p.m.: Brian Campbell, Davis Thompson, Byeong Hun An
• 1:02 p.m.: Eric Cole, Ben Griffin, Nicolai Højgaard
• 1:13 p.m.: J.J. Spaun, C.T. Pan, Ben Martin
• 1:24 p.m.: Pierceson Coody, Paul Waring, Steven Fisk
• 1:35 p.m.: Antoine Rozner, Taylor Dickson, Braden Thornberry
• 1:46 p.m.: Alejandro Tosti, Will Chandler, Karl Vilips

10th Tee

• 6:45 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Sam Ryder, Patrick Fishburn
• 6:56 a.m.: Michael Kim, Luke Donald, Mark Hubbard
• 7:07 a.m.: Daniel Berger, Max Greyserman, Luke Clanton
• 7:18 a.m.: Rafael Campos, Brice Garnett, Lee Hodges
• 7:29 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Billy Horschel, Cameron Young
• 7:40 a.m.: Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, Jordan Spieth
• 7:51 a.m.: Nico Echavarria, Lucas Glover, Brian Harman
• 8:02 a.m.: Andrew Putnam, Justin Lower, Joe Highsmith
• 8:13 a.m.: Ryan Palmer, Charley Hoffman, Isaiah Salinda
• 8:24 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Frankie Capan III, Tim Widing
• 8:35 a.m.: Kris Ventura, Thriston Lawrence, Cristobal Del Solar
• 8:46 a.m.: Paul Peterson, Ricky Castillo, Patrick Sheehan
• 11:45 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Chandler Phillips, David Skinns
• 11:56 a.m.: Chad Ramey, Will Gordon, Ben Silverman
• 12:07 p.m.: K.H. Lee, Nate Lashley, Henrik Norlander
• 12:18 p.m.: Chris Gotterup, Taylor Pendrith, Luke List
• 12:29 p.m.: Kurt Kitayama, Seamus Power, Brandt Snedeker
• 12:40 p.m.: Patton Kizzire, Emiliano Grillo, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• 12:51 p.m.: Harry Hall, Matt Wallace, Francesco Molinari
• 1:02 p.m.: Bud Cauley, Vince Whaley, Ben Kohles
• 1:13 p.m.: Trey Mullinax, David Lipsky, Ryan Fox
• 1:24 p.m.: Thorbjørn Olesen, William Mouw, Thomas Rosenmueller
• 1:35 p.m.: Dylan Wu, Niklas Norgaard, Bo Hoag
• 1:46 p.m.: Max McGreevy, Rikuya Hoshino, Justin Hicks

With the stage set and players ready to tackle PGA National’s demanding layout, golf fans worldwide wonder how to catch all the action. Let’s dive into the viewing options. 

How to catch all the action of the 2025 Cognizant Classic

Golf Channel will provide live television coverage of Thursday’s first round from 2-6 p.m. ET. Early birds can catch comprehensive coverage on ESPN+ beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET, which provides exclusive access to featured groups and keyholes throughout the day. The NBC Sports app will also stream coverage from 2-6 p.m. ET, coinciding with the Golf Channel broadcast window. Radio enthusiasts can tune into SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio from 12-6 p.m. ET for live commentary and updates from around the course.

The broadcast schedule remains consistent for Friday’s second round, with Golf Channel and streaming platforms providing the same coverage windows. Weekend coverage expands, with NBC taking over the broadcast from 3-6 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday, while Golf Channel handles the early portion from 1-3 p.m. ET.

With PGA National’s Champion Course consistently ranking among the toughest tests on Tour—particularly the water-laden “Bear Trap” that has derailed many championship bids—viewers can expect plenty of drama as players navigate this challenging layout. Will Austin Eckroat successfully defend his title, or will someone like local favorite Rickie Fowler reclaim the trophy? Who’s your pick to win? The comments section is all yours!