Steve Palmer's Cognizant Classic final-round golf betting tips and predictions

Where to watch the Cognizant Classic

Sky Sports Golf, 7pm Sunday

Best bets

Shane Lowry to win the Cognizant Classic
4pts 9-5 bet365

Min Woo Lee top-five finish
3pts 6-4 bet365, BoyleSports, Hills

Story so far

Shane Lowry is one of three players tied for the lead through three rounds of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches – the Irishman looking for an overdue victory at PGA National.

Lowry was an unlucky runner-up in this tournament two years ago, then finished tied last year, so formbook students had no excuses for not angling towards the 2019 Open champion.

The reason Lowry was available at 35-1 is because his 2024 campaign had been lacklustre until this week, with a best finish of 25th place in the Farmers Insurance Open. The Florida-based 36-year-old has stepped up a gear in the Sunshine State this week, though, and reached 13 under par through 54 holes.

Two PGA rookies are alongside Lowry on the leaderboard – David Skinns and Austin Eckroat – with a further three-shot gap to those in fourth place. Lowry is a best-price 9-5 to convert this golden opportunity in his third PGA Tour title.

Cognizant Classic leaderboard

-13 Shane Lowry, David Skinns, Austin Eckroat
-10 Jacob Bridgeman, Min Woo Lee, Martin Laird, Kevin Yu, Victor Perez
-9 Andrew Novak, CT Pan
-8 Russell Henley, Ben Silverman, David Lipsky, Rickie Fowler, Alex Noren, Max Greyserman, Peter Malnati, Parker Coody, Nico Echavarria, K.H Lee, Matthieu Pavon, Jake Knapp, Cameron Young, Bud Cauley, Garrick Higgo

Best odds for the Cognizant Classic

9-5 S Lowry, 15-4 A Eckroat, 8 D Skinns, 12 M W Lee, 25 K Yu, V Perez, 33 J Bridgeman, 40 C Young, M Laird, 45 R McIlroy, 50 bar

Cognizant Classic final-round predictions

Shane Lowry is scheduled to tee off at 6.40pm UK and Ireland time, with decent weather expected, aside from the chance of a late thunderstorm. PGA Tour chiefs appear to be taking another gamble with their tee-times.

Lowry will be praying for better luck than he got at PGA National in 2022. Sepp Straka got to play the par-five 18th hole in good weather, making a decisive birdie, then the heavens opened on Lowry in the group behind. Teeing off on the 18th in heavy rain made the hole play much longer and tougher, Lowry could only manage a par, so Straka won by a shot.

Lowry has been down the stretch at PGA National in the heat of battle before – he knows what it is like to enter the notorious Bear Trap holes with a winning opportunity – and the experienced Dubliner has a huge experience edge over his fellow leaders.

Lowry has won a WGC at Firestone. He has won an Open Championship under immense pressure at Royal Portrush. He won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2022. He was a Ryder Cup winner last year. These are achievements that David Skinns and Austin Eckroat can only dream about – and Lowry arguably deserves to be a shorter price than he is with 18 holes to play.

Skinns showed understandable fragility with his approach shot to the 18th hole at the end of round three – getting away with an ugly connection – and further nerves seem inevitable throughout the denouement. The 42-year-old Englishman, a three-time Korn Ferry Tour champion, has never bettered 29th place on the PGA Tour and this is the first cut he has made this year.

Eckroat is more difficult to dismiss, but the world number 101 missed the cut on his PGA National debut last year, has not been overly impressive this season, and the 25-year-old Oklahoman has not even won at Korn Ferry Tour level. Lowry is different gravy to both Skinns and Eckroat.

With a six-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy, who endured some Bear Trap hell on Saturday and will start Sunday with no margin for error, Lowry has the Cognizant Classic at his mercy.

Min Woo Lee may prove to be the biggest danger to Lowry backers. Lee is a world-class golfer slowly but surely entering the elite. A runner-up cheque behind Lowry could be set to further bolster the Australian's career.

From a share of fourth place, Lee looks a bargain at 6-4 for a top-five finish. The 25-year-old knows how good he is and said: “I think I'm a great player, and I feel like I could come out here and win.”

That self-belief is justified for a player who clearly enjoys Florida conditions, having contended in the Players Championship at Sawgrass last March.

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