The second round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches once again resulted in a ‘tsunami’ of under-par scores. Perhaps there were fewer stratospheric results than on Thursday, due to slightly harder and faster greens, but the generally good play and the opportunities provided this week by the Champion Course at the PGA National Resort were enough to fill the leaderboard with red numbers, making it increasingly tight.
Jake Knapp (-13), after his impressive display yesterday with a tremendous 59 that catapulted him to the lead with a comfortable four-shot advantage, struggled this afternoon and barely managed to hold onto the top spot alone, with a birdie on his last hole of the day to card a 70. Before that, he had three birdies, far from yesterday’s 12, a bogey… and a painful double bogey that squandered his margin.
— Golf Clips (@clips_golf) February 28, 2025
The harsh reality of golf, which inexplicably makes you go from signing a card with 13 under to having to settle, thankfully, for one under par in just over 24 hours, on the same course and with similar playing conditions, took its toll on the American golfer. Although he wasn’t the only one who experienced the bitter side of this complex sport on Friday.
Jordan Spieth (-7), for example, who played brilliantly and was very close to the lead, fell like few others in the famous Bear Trap with a bogey on the 15th and a triple bogey on the 17th. Meanwhile, Charley Hoffman (-8), who arrived at the 17th tee with a clean card, free of bogeys, hit an incredible shot sending his ball into the garden of a house by the lake, inaccessible to the players. Double bogey ensued.
The wait is over.
@FSUGolf junior Luke Clanton is officially #TOURBound! pic.twitter.com/3352qn4PGL— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 28, 2025
Players like the Frenchman Mathieu Pavon (-12), second alone with a great 64, or Michael Kim (-11), Daniel Berger (-11), Dough Ghim (-11), and Jesper Svensson (-11), tied in third place, took advantage of the day to position themselves for the weekend. However, the one who enjoyed Friday the most, besides Rickie Fowler (-10), back in the fight, was none other than the young amateur Luke Clanton (-9).
The golfer from the University of Florida, Number One in the World Amateur Ranking, arrived at the tournament with a sponsor’s invitation and 19 points in his PGA Tour University Accelerated account. In other words, he only needed one more to secure a PGA Tour card, or in other words, he just needed to make the cut, which was set at five under par. With the support of his entire family on the course, he achieved it in style, with a great 66 crowned with a birdie on the last hole, which he celebrated as the occasion deserved.
