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The PGA Tour's Florida Swing kicked off this week with the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, and through three rounds, it's anyone's ballgame.
Two players are tied atop the leaderboard and five more are within three shots, with several of those contenders seeking their first career victory on Tour and the $1.7 million winner's prize that comes with it.
Here are the biggest storylines you need to know about the final round of play at the Cognizant Classic. Here's why Sunday matters:
The big story: Could we get another first-time winner?
Last week, the golf world watched as Jacob Bridgeman secured his first career PGA Tour win by holding off a late charge from some of the game's greats to emerge victorious at the Genesis Invitational. This week at the Cognizant Classic, there's a good chance of another player breaking into the winner's circle for the first time.
Of the seven golfers within three shots of the lead entering Sunday, four of them are seeking their maiden triumph on Tour. Co-leader Austin Smotherman is one of them and he'll be looking to not only win, but achieve something that is quite rare these days: A wire-to-wire victory. Thanks to a blistering round of 9-under 62 on Thursday, Smotherman was the solo leader after each of the first two rounds and made back-to-back birdies on the final two holes Saturday to maintain a share of the lead heading into the final round.
Jimmy Stanger, Ricky Castillo and A.J. Ewart are the other three contenders trying to nab their first win. Stanger made seven birdies in his final 15 holes Saturday to card a 6-under 65 and put himself in solo fifth place after three rounds, while Castillo shot 64 to vault into a tie for sixth with Ewart at 10 under, three shots off the lead.
The frontrunner: Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry entered the week as one of the pre-tournament betting favorites and has lived up to the billing thus far. He made eight birdies Saturday en route to a bogey-free round of 63, which puts him in a tie for the lead at 13 under with Smotherman. Lowry has finished 11th or better each of the last four years at the Cognizant Classic but has yet to win it.
"My goal going out today was to get myself in the last two groups going out tomorrow," Lowry said after his round Saturday. "You want to be near the leaders, keep an eye on them and see what they're doing. If the conditions are like this tomorrow, there is low scores out there, so someone could come from the pack. It's not necessarily easy to lead around this golf course. There's a lot of very difficult shots. But yeah, I'm up there where I want to be. I've had a few chances to win this tournament, and hopefully I can convert it tomorrow."
Unlike most of the players around him on the leaderboard, Lowry has been there and done that. The 38-year-old Irishman is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, but it's been a while since he hoisted a trophy. His last victory came at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a two-man team event he won with Rory McIlroy. The 2019 Open Championship marked Lowry's most recent "individual" victory and also cemented him as a major champion. He cna rejoin the winner's circle for the first time in nearly two years with another stellar round Sunday.
The challengers: Austin Smotherman, Nico Echavarria, Taylor Moore
Since shooting 62 on Thursday, Smotherman has played some up-and-down golf but has managed to stay in the mix and put himself in prime position for his first Tour win. He was even par through 16 holes Saturday before a birdie at the par-3 17th and another at the closing par-5 18th to regain a share of the lead.
When asked what it feels like to be tied for the lead entering Sunday, Smotherman said "A bit of chills still hearing that. Most excited for tomorrow. Hitting golf shots in front of all these fans and hearing people yelling your name and refocusing and trying to do it again the next shot, I think it's a fun challenge. Start of the week, this is what you kind of prep and play for. Not that you expect to be there, but when you are there, you know you're ready, and I feel like I am ready."
Ready as he may be, Smotherman will have to overcome some proven winners on the PGA Tour, including Lowry, Nico Echavarria and Taylor Moore.
Echavarria is looking to secure his third career Tour victory and a solid round of 65 on Saturday puts him in a great spot to do so, just one shot off the lead. The 31-year-old from Colombia had made just one cut in five starts prior to the Cognizant Classic, but he turned that one made-cut into a top 10 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
"Very excited," Echavarria said. "I didn't get off to the best start of the year, but I knew that we were close... I knew that a course like this fits me well. I'm very excited of playing good golf tomorrow, and hopefully we have a chance to win."
Taylor Moore is tied for third with Echavarria after a third consecutive round of 4-under 67 at PGA National. Moore is looking for his second win in his career and his second win on the Florida Swing. His maiden victory came at the 2023 Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor.
Moore doesn't seem like one to take in the fanfare, either. When asked what he's most excited for in Sunday's final round, he gave an answer that suggests he's all business: "Just competing. I'm looking forward to 18 more holes, one more day. Just keep my head down and keep going."
The reasonable longshot: Keith Mitchell
The man they call Cashmere Keith did a total 180 from Friday to Saturday and put the "move" in Moving Day at the Cognizant Classic. After making six bogeys en route to a disappointing 2-over 73 in the second round, Mitchell came out firing on Saturday morning, pouring in birdies on three of his first four holes and eventually signing for a bogey-free 64, vaulting himself up 29 spots on the leaderboard.
Mitchell enters the final round at 8 under, five shots back of the leaders, meaning he'll need another really good score to give himself a chance of winning, but he's certainly comfortable on this golf course. His one and only victory on Tour came right here at PGA National in 2019. Don't be surprised if Cashmere Keith makes some noise on Sunday.
The holes to watch: The Bear Trap
When it comes to water hazards, perhaps there is no part of a golf course more hazardous than the 15th, 16th and 17th at PGA National's Champion Course. It's known as "The Bear Trap," named after its maker, the "Golden Bear" Jack Nicklaus, who helped design this treacherous stretch of holes that often separates the winner from the contenders at the Cognizant Classic.
The 15th is a par 3 that typically measures about 180 yards, depending on the location of the tee box and flagstick. While the length isn't anything too challenging, hitting the green requires a fully carry over water. Missing right means your ball is wet, missing left leaves you chipping back toward the lake and a miss long will usually find the sand.
The par-4 16th poses challenges both similar and different from the holes that come before and after it. Finding the fairway is quite the task in itself, with water running down the right side and a massive sand trap nestled on the left. A good tee shot will typically leave players with no more than a wedge into the green, but that shot also requires a full carry over water into a two-tiered green guarded by bunkers in front and back.
No. 17 is where things can get really shaky for a player in contention on Sunday. The layout is quite similar to the 15th, with nothing but water between the tee and green. This hole can measure anywhere between 140 and 180 yards depending on the tee box setup, but either way, a precise iron shot is a must if players want a chance at birdie or par. A miss left, right, or short puts you in the drink, and a miss long will find the bunker behind the green and force a sand shot back toward the water.
These three holes are a doozy anytime, but especially for a player trying to win a PGA Tour event. Expect some carnage at The Bear Trap on Sunday at the 2026 Cognizant Classic.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Sunday Matters for Cognizant Classic final round at PGA National