Pros, fans not happy with how easy PGA National is playing: 'Not the old Bear Trap that we're used to'

Pros, fans not happy with how easy PGA National is playing: ‘Not the old Bear Trap that we’re used to’

What happened to the PGA National we all know and love?

The Champion Course, site of the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, has hosted the PGA Tour event in Florida since 2007. It’s notoriously one of the more difficult courses on Tour. In 2020, Sungjae Im won with a score of 6 under for the week.

After the morning wave of the 2025 event, there were 13 players at 6 under or better, and that’s not even highlighting Jake Knapp’s record round of 12-under 59, the 15th sub-60 score in PGA Tour history.

Part of the reason for low scores was there was virtually no wind Thursday morning at PGA National. That, combined with softer conditions from recent rains and an offseason overseed with Ryegrass, the Champion Course was at the mercy of the world’s best players in the first round, and people were not happy.

Daniel Berger shot a bogey-free 63 to open, and he’s still four shots off the lead.

“I thought I played well, but then someone shot 59,” Berger said. “Clearly the course was not the old Bear Trap that we’re used to. But still a great start to the event, and just got to continue to do what I did today for the next three days.”

Added Jordan Spieth, who opened in 65: “I didn’t realize that it was overseeded, and the fairways being overseeded changes it a lot because it’ll make the fairways softer which makes them wider, and then around the greens it’s significantly easier than the dormant Bermuda. You’re looking at easily a stroke a round on just the change in the grass types in the fairway.”

The course was playing more than three shots under par in the opening round, which is asinine considering how tough the venue has played in the past.

Aside from players chiming in from the course, others, and numerous fans and media members, chimed in on social media. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions to how easy PGA National was playing Thursday.

Big rye overseed and no wind make this course much easier but did not think I’d be 6 shots back after a 65 😅

— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) February 27, 2025

Things that have hurt the PGA Tour more than losing a Jon Rahm to LIV.

-removing match play from the schedule.

-turning PGA National into a muni.

— Geoff Fienberg (@gfienberg17) February 27, 2025

Daniel Berger after shooting 63 at PGA National:

“I thought I played well, but then someone shot 59. Clearly the course was not the old Bear Trap we’re used to.”

Remember when PGA National was hard?

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) February 27, 2025

Why are the scores so low at THE COGNIZANT PGA tour event when the scores on this same course at PGA NATIONAL are usually high? Because: they overseeded. Basically no rough. And they wanted lower scores. Pros complained the course was too hard.

— Jim McLean Golf (@McLeanGolf) February 27, 2025