⛳ Inside the Cognizant Classic: Highsmith's Historic Win & Golf's Wildest Week Yet

Good morning. This is your Happy Valley Golf Team newsletter. Let’s get it!

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• How a 24-year-old outsmarted the ‘Bear Trap’ with a $1.65M secret - It involves tacos & tiger-like focus

• Jake Knapp’s 59 curse revealed: Why 12 birdies Thursday led to Sunday sorrow - Spoiler: It’s not the champagne

• FSU junior Luke Clanton’s bunker shot heard ‘round campus - The 20-second play that earned his Tour card – and broke his parents

• Illegal’ chipping trick? Watch the move that’s banned in 7 states - Spoiler: It’s 100% legal… and 100% game-changing

Unsolicited Golf Tips

Watch: What Nobody Tells You About Chipping Onto The Green

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Joe Highsmith Tames the "Bear Trap" to Claim Maiden PGA Tour Title at Cognizant Classic

In a tournament where PGA National Resort's Champion Course forgot to bring its teeth, 24-year-old Joe Highsmith delivered a bite of his own - sinking a career-defining performance to win the Cognizant Classic by two strokes with a record-shattering 19-under.

From Mexican Momentum to Florida Fairytale

The week after Brian Campbell's against-all-odds playoff victory in Mexico, Highsmith continued the trend of breakthrough wins, proving that 2025 is the year of the underdog. His final round 65 resembled a seasoned veteran's closing act, not a sophomore player who'd missed three of his first five cuts this season. The Pepperdine alum's $1.65 million payday could buy approximately 412,500 tacos from last week's Mexico Open venue - not that he's counting.

Key to Highsmith's success was mastering PGA National's newly widened fairways and the par-5 10th hole - lengthened to 550 yards this year. He played the four par 5s in 11-under, including a hole-out eagle from the rough on Sunday that made the "Bear Trap" trio (holes 15-17) look more like a teddy bear picnic.

The Sub-60 Curse

Jake Knapp's opening salvo stole headlines. The Californian fired a 12-under 59 on Thursday - the 15th sub-60 round in Tour history and first since 2020. However, replicating golf's magic number proved tougher than finding a parking spot at a Florida spring training game:

• Round 1: 59 (12 birdies, 0 bogeys)

• Next 54 Holes: 67-68-70 (6 birdies, 3 bogeys)

Knapp's Saturday struggles saw him drop three shots at the turn before rallying with back-to-back birdies at 16-17. "I feel like I played pretty solid...if you consider losing your swing for nine holes solid," he joked post-round. His T2 finish still earned $819,600 - roughly $13,660 per hole played.

Watch: Jake Knapp plays ball from the water, triples in Cognizant Classic

Course Conditions: Where's the Wind?

PGA National's traditional March gusts went MIA, leaving players to attack a defenseless course:

• Scoring Average: 68.5 (Round 1) vs. 70.10 in 2024

• Greens Hit: 71.2% (Up from 64% in 2023)

• Birdies/Eagles: 1,813 total (52% increase from 2024 🤯)

The conditions were so ripe that even Jordan Spieth's trademark Sunday charge (67) could only muster a T15 finish.

Aaand Everyone Else..

• Rickie Fowler's Resurgence: The orange-clad fan favourite shot 64-68 over the weekend, his best finish (T6) since last July.

• Russell Henley's Precision: Led field in Greens in Regulation (82.4%), proving accurate iron play still matters even on a softened track.

• The Van Rooyen Rollercoaster: Erik van Rooyen's Sunday 64 included a 8-under stretch through 10 holes...followed by three back-nine bogeys. Golf's version of a sugar crash.

• Luke Clanton’s Campus Quick-Step: Florida State’s junior locked up his PGA Tour card via the University Accelerated Program with a T8 finish (-12), banking 20 points in nine months. The world No. 1 amateur sealed it with a bunker-to-birdie on 18, leaving parents sobbing louder than a Seminoles fourth-quarter collapse.

Watch: Luke Clanton’s PHENOMENAL round to clinch PGA TOUR card

What's Next for Highsmith?

Beyond the oversized check and Cristal showers, Highsmith's win unlocks him:

• Entry to all remaining Signature Events (starting with Arnold Palmer Invitational)

• 2025 Masters and PGA Championship invites

• 2026 Sentry exemption

• Lifetime supply of "I Survived The Bear Trap" T-shirts (unofficial)

As the Florida Swing moves to Bay Hill, one thing's clear - PGA National might need to hire a course dietician. Once the Tour's toughest nutritional challenge, it's now serving up birdie buffets. But for Joe Highsmith, it'll forever taste like victory.

News You Need to Know

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Cody.