Austin Smotherman remains atop the leaderboard at the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at the start of Round 3. After an incredible 9-under first round, the 31-year-old put up a more modest 69 in Round 2 to maintain a solid cushion heading to moving day.
Taylor Moore rose to the No. 2 spot with a second straight 67, putting him three strokes behind Smotherman. Nico Echavarria was right behind the lead after the first round but fell back to a tie with A.J. Ewart in third four shots back. Joel Dahmen, Aaron Rai, Shane Lowry and Mark Hubbard are among those looking to rise before the final round.
Palm Beach County’s own Brooks Koepkasurvived the cut to play the weekend and looks to continue his blistering pace from Friday. Mother Nature is expected to play a part in today’s round with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast throughout the day in Palm Beach Gardens. If rain makes the course unplayable or unsafe, play could be delayed or pushed to Sunday, affecting the final round…