Can Rickie Fowler help this upcoming PGA Tour stop regain its swagger? Organizers are hoping so

One of the PGA Tour’s most recognizable names who makes his home in Palm Beach County is returning to the Cognizant Classic.

Rickie Fowler skipped last year’s event after making 13 consecutive starts. The Jupiter, Florida, resident is returning in 2024, possibly a sign the field could see a significant upgrade.

Fowler is No. 27 in the Official World Golf rankings and coming off a year in which he had eight top 10 finishes and won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, his sixth PGA Tour victory and first in more than four years. He also was a member of the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team that lost to Europe in Rome.

“As one of the most exciting players on the PGA Tour, he is a tremendous addition to our field and is sure to generate a plethora of excitement for our partners and fans during tournament week,” Cognizant executive director Joie Chitwood said.

Fowler, 35, won the Cognizant in 2017 with a four-shot victory over Gary Woodland and Morgan Hoffmann. Two years later, he finished tied for second, one shot behind Keith Mitchell.

Cognizant, formerly known as the Honda Classic, will be held Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

More: What is the PGA Tour doing to help boost the Cognizant Classic field?

With the PGA Tour adjusting the 2024 schedule to add a week between the West Coast Swing and Cognizant, the start of the Florida Swing, the hope is the field receives a boost.

The 2023 field included four of the top 30 golfers in the world rankings at the time, its fewest in at least a decade. None in the top 10 played for the third consecutive year.

Cognizant signed a six-year deal as the new title sponsor last month and the PGA Tour’s Championship Management division now is running the tournament.

Tom D’Angelo is a sports columnist, reporter at the Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @tomdangelo44.