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It was a drama-filled week at the Cognizant Classic @PGA National Golf Club. After an opening-round 59 (-12), it seemed certain that Jake Knapp would run away with the tournament. Knapp, a UCLA grad who turned pro in 2016, is not only known for swinging it like Fred Couples, but is perhaps better known for his background of being a bouncer at a night club before pursuing the PGA Tour. Currently ranked 99th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 44th in the FedEx Cup, the 1 time winner on the PGA Tour has unbelievable talent. Backing up his stellar first round with a -1, 70 and a -3, 68, Knapp held the 54-hole lead at -16, one shot ahead of Michael Kim.
The biggest surprise of this final round Sunday was Joe Highsmith’s charge up the leaderboard. Highsmith started the weekend by making the cut by 1 shot at -5 under, and proceeded to shoot a -7, 64 on moving day. Starting Sunday at -12, Highsmith fired a -7, 64 to catapult him to the top of the leaderboard with the help of Jake Knapp’s triple-bogey, 7 on the par-4 11th. 24-year-old Joe Highsmith is on his second year on tour and a graduate from Pepperdine University. Highsmith played well enough in the 2024 season to finish inside the top 125 on the money list and retain his tour card. In 34 events, Highsmith has made 16 cuts, has had two top-5 finishes and 4 top-10 finishes. This is a statement win for Joe Highsmith, and hopefully it will help him build the momentum and confidence he needs to keep competing in big tournaments.
The coolest part of today in my opinion, however, was when Joe was waiting for the final group to get off of the course, and Jake Knapp and Michael Kim both respectfully congratulated him:
Gracious in defeat, Jake Knapp congratulated @JoeHighsmith33 on his first TOUR win 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GEa4xTvvIF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 3, 2025
With the help of Joe LaCava IV, yes, the Joe LaCava’s son, Highsmith is the first player to make the cut on the number and go on to win the event since Brandt Snedeker at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open, and it is just the third time it’s been done in the last 15 years.
