The Power Fade: 2025 Cognizant Classic
The Approach for Key fades at the 2025 Cognizant Classic
What’s going on TJ Nation! Ann Arbor's Own Good Ol' AK Allen Klutts here bringing you another edition of the Power Fade: The Fades 8K and Above You Need to Smash Your DraftKings GPP's!
Heartbreak and Triumph. While Brian Campbell caught an all time lucky bounce to win his first career PGA TOUR Event, many including myself saw heart break as our Aldrich Potgeiter tickets went down in flames. Nevertheless, we move on and we are finally back in the Lord's timezone for east coast golf!
The PGA TOUR returns to Florida, as we head to a familiar venue with a poor name. PGA National plays host to the sigh... Cognizant Classic. The former Honda Classic is played on a Par 71 that tips out at roughly 7,200 yards. Water, water, and more water is in play this week as 15 of the 18 holes feature opportunities to find the drink.
Iron play will be put to the test in the Palm Beaches as PGA National is a textbook definition of a second shot golf course. If your irons are off this week, expect to struggle to find the weekend.
Scoring this week will not be what we saw in Mexico. While there are birdie chances to those striking the ball well, winning scores have historically hovered around -11 to -13. I would fully expect this hold true once again.
As we look to build upon a successful week for the PF last week (Kitayama MC, Knapp backdoor T25) let us take a look at who our Power Fades are for the Cognizant Classic!
Taylor Pendrith ($9,500)
Our first Power Fade of the week is a man who many think has leveled up this year, but his course history combined with DraftKings price makes for a great fade this week. Oh Canada! Not this week buddy, Taylor Pendrith is our first Power Fade of the week, coming to us at a lofty $9,500 on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
Pendrith is an interesting case this week. He has played well this season, not quite getting home for a win yet but good enough that that people are committed.
When looking into the stats this week, Pendrith does struggle in key areas that make you wonder if fading the Canadian is the prudent play.
Pendrith ranks 75th in proximity from the key range of 175-200 yards. In a week where keeping the ball close to the hole will be key, this is concerning. Furthermore, Pendrith has been a magnet for bogeys. Taylor ranks 90th in Bogey Avoidance. Pair this with his 98th in SG Around the Green you can find a correlation to these struggles.
For those of you have been reading the PF for a while now, you may notice a favorite stat of mine, and this week its time to shine again! SG Par 3 makes a comeback this week, and TP hasn't shined in this stat either. Ranking 98th in SG Par 3 on this course is a recipe for disaster.
With the soft pricing this week, I believe many will try to jam in Pendrith with a Henley or Shane Lowry up top. Considering the worsening course history for Pendrith, (T25, T42, MC) it may be time to avoid this Canadian product until the price comes down.
Michael Kim ($8,400)
Our second Power Fade of the week is a man who has an elite social media game, but when it comes to PGA National hasn't been very good. Michael Kim is our second Power Fade of the week at $8,400 on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
Michael Kim has resurrected his career this year and is playing incredible golf. I don't believe this is a statement many will disagree with.
However, Kim hasn't had this sustained success across his entire career. When you look at the stats as he rolls into the Cognizant, Kim ranks 81st in proximity from 175-200 yards. Par 3's have been a bugaboo for the So Cal native as he ranks 106th in the field.
At some point people are going to notice how well Kim has played on the west coast and ownership will follow. In a field that isn't strong people will look to those DraftKings game logs for guidance, and that should push Kim's ownership.
Historically, Kim has been brutal at PGA National. With a career best finish of 57th and multiple MC's when he was a 6K player, why would we pay in the mid 8K's for these results. Kim has had a nice run, but it ends at the hands of PGA National.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade! We will return to you next week we head to Orlando and Arnie's Tournament. Signature Event Season Returns! Bay Hill here we come!
Follow me on X @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until Next Time.... Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"With the soft pricing this week, I believe many will try to jam in Pendrith with a Henley or Shane Lowry up top. Considering the worsening course history for Pendrith, (T25, T42, MC) it may be time to avoid this Canadian product until the price comes down."
— AK
Meet the Author:
Allen Klutts
A long time Tour Junkies fan and Nut Hut Member, Allen has always been an enthusiastic PGA DFS player and is looking to bring that passion to his writing. A frequent participant on the Wednesday Night Live Stage Chat, who DB once compared to Norm from the TV show "Cheers" for always kicking off the live stage segment, Allen lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and two year old son.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.