The event now known as the Cognizant Classic secured its place in the history books in 1986, when a Monday qualifier managed to go on and win on the PGA Tour for the first time.
The Cognizant Classic has had a number of notable winners down the years. Jack Nicklaus won in successive years in the late 1970s, while Rory McIlroy went to world number one with his victory in 2012.
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But perhaps the most remarkable victory in the event’s history came 40 years ago, when Kenny Knox ended the week at TPC Eagle Trace as the only player who was under par.
How Kenny Knox became the first Monday qualifier on the PGA Tour to win
Knox was not a full member of the PGA Tour heading into 1986. In fact, he had registered just one top 10 in his career leading into the tournament then known as the Honda Classic.
The 29-year-old had not played in any of the previous seven events of the season. As he told the PGA Tour website in 2020, Knox’s sponsors had recently decided to stop supporting him.
Nevertheless, he opted to try and qualify for the Honda Classic without playing a practice round. A 67 was good enough to earn him a place in a field that included Nicklaus, weeks before his incredible final win at The Masters.
Knox led by two shots after the first round. However, as reported by UPI, he clearly had no plans to think too far ahead.
“If I don’t have anything else like this the rest of my life, I had this one day,” he said.
His lead was halved at the halfway stage. The weather then began to play a starring role, with the winds picking up and the temperatures plummeting.
Knox made more PGA Tour history with his third round of 80
Knox shot 80 during the third round. However, that only left him two shots back with 18 holes to play. The likes of Hale Irwin and Fred Couples shot 81, with the scoring average for the field above 79.
There was one slightly embarrassing moment on Saturday for Knox. The television cameras began to appear towards the end of his round, just in time to see him make a double bogey on the 14th hole.
“I hit it in the right bunker. I looked across the green and pointing right at me was a camera and it had the red light on. Even I knew what that meant,” he said. “I bladed it across the green. The cameraman had to jump out of the way.”
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Knox knocked 10 shots off his score on Sunday, chipping in and holing out from a bunker. With that, he was able to win by one shot.
No Monday qualifier had ever won on the PGA Tour before Knox. Meanwhile, he is the only player to post a round in the 80s and win on the PGA Tour.
He would go on to win twice more during his career. Knox had only played in the US Open before 1986, but would go on to play in all four majors over the next six years, finishing fourth at the 1991 PGA Championship.
That event, of course, had an unlikely winner of its own, with John Daly coming in as the ninth alternate and going on to secure victory by three shots.
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