PGA Tour: Shane Lowry eight shots off leader Austin Smotherman at Cognizant Classic in Florida
Austin Smotherman claims one-shot lead at the end of the opening round of the Cognizant Classic, with Aaron Rai the top Englishman on three-under; Brooks Koepka finishes three-over par following recent return to PGA Tour from LIV Golf
Thursday 26 February 2026 23:21, UK
Austin Smotherman tied the best round of his career as he shot a nine-under 62 to lead the way while Shane Lowry is eight shots back after the opening round of the Cognizant Classic on Thursday.
Smotherman - fuelled by six consecutive birdies on holes seven through 12 - tapped in for a birdie on the par-five finishing hole for the second 62 in his PGA Tour career. He also shot 62 in the first round of the Bermuda Championship in October 2022.
Nico Echavarria shot 63 in the morning half of the draw at PGA National. No one else from the morning wave shot better than 67, with Taylor Moore and Jackson Suber coming in with those scores.
- Jacob Bridgeman holds off late Rory McIlroy surge at Genesis Invitational
- Got Sky? Watch golf and more LIVE on your phone
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream no contract
Smotherman became the seventh player to shoot 62 or better at PGA National in this event. The others: Jake Knapp (59 in Round 1, 2025), Matt Jones (61 in Round 1, 2021), Brian Harman (61 in Round 2, 2012), Chris Kirk (62 in Round 2, 2023), Brandon Hagy (62 in Round 2, 2021) and Tiger Woods (62 in the final round, 2012).
He held a first-round lead one other time coming into this week, the 2023 Mexico Open, and hasn't won in any of his first 81 starts on tour.
"It was a pretty easy round," Smotherman said, "on a golf course that shouldn't be this easy."
Lowry sits in a tie for 36th on one-under alongside Nicolai Højgaard, the Irishman firing three bogeys across his front nine while finishing with four birdies on his way to a round of 70.
England's Aaron Rai is three-under after an opening 68, while Danny Willet shot level par down in a tie for 52nd.
Brooks Koepka was three-over after a round of 74 following his recent return to the PGA Tour.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
"This is a really good golf course," said Billy Horschel, who shot a two-under 69 on Thursday. "It's a very fair golf course. When it blows hard, it's a challenge, and when it's sort of benign like it is today, it's gettable. A few years ago the rough was longer and then they started cutting it down and then they overseeded the golf course.
"Listen, I think the Tour gets a bad rap, and it's not anything against the owners of PGA National. I understand where they would want to overseed. People want it to look pretty on TV, and if it looks pretty on TV, maybe people will want to come play it."
