Cognizant Classic: Joe Highsmith goes from bottom of leaderboard to top in thrilling win
A stunning comeback from Joe Highsmith helped the Americans beat Florida’s Cognitive Classic from the bottom of the rankings in two rounds.
Gao Smith needed to make a five-foot putt in No. 18 to advance on Friday and enter the weekend’s eight shots behind the leader.
However, the 24-year-old hit 64-7 64 with the lowest 36 hole score in 53-year game history and finished with 19-under 19 and earned his first PGA Tour victory.
“I probably beat the best round of my life,” said Gosmith.
“(My mom) should have left in reincarnation, but I thought, ‘Well, what if I’m like five under five, what about mom?’
“I did a great job in the front and then I saw her on the 12th hole and it was like, ‘Yes, she canceled her flight’.”
This is the third time a player has been laying off staff in 15 years since the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open and continues to win.
The victory means Highsmith gets automatic entry at Augusta next month and at the PGA Championship in May. It can also bring his PGA Tour card to 2027 and enter the rest of the season’s PGA Tour signature event, starting with the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting Thursday.
“I didn’t really play with any of the best players in the world, especially last year or even this year,” Gauss Smith said.
“It would be fun to get into the competition and learn how I stacked up with some of these.”
Jacob Bridgeman tied for second place with JJ Spaun, with Max McGreevy and Ben Griffin hitting another shot.
Jake Knapp Friday’s first round of matches 12 shots 59 shots 59 shotsRanked sixth after 72 points in the final round, including No. 11 Treble Tabo.
