Another midweek exit has intensified the withdrawals debate at the 2026 Cognizant Classic. Will Zalatoris stepped aside minutes before his opening round. And just a day after that, Japanese star Keita Nakajima pulled out prior to his second round on Friday morning. Competing in his first full PGA TOUR season, he opened with a 2-over 73. But right after that, he opted not to tee it up again. 

An update from the official X handle of PGA Tour Communications read, “Keita Nakajima WD prior to his second round at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.”

Such a sudden move has resulted in the thinning of a field that has already been struggling with multiple high-profile absences. Earlier in the week, Jacob Bridgeman and Ben Griffin also withdrew from the event. A string of late replacements followed suit, taking a toll on the tournament’s stability. 

Bridgeman reportedly withdrew to rest after his victorious run at the Genesis Invitational. He was replaced by Lanto Griffin. Adding to the narrative, the field’s highest-ranked player at the time, Ben Griffin, withdrew on Monday. Jackson Suber replaced Griffin on the field. And Ben Silverman came in to fill up for Zalatoris.

The Cognizant Classic began on February 26 at the Palm Beach Gardens in Florida and will soon conclude on March 1. Nakajima stood at round 2 with an event par and a total projected score of 2 over par. He was tied for 89th position when he chose to withdraw from the $9,600,000 event. 

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

For Nakajima, the decision halts momentum in his breakthrough year. He finished 14th in the 2025 Race to Dubai to earn dual membership. The 25-year-old is currently the 111th-ranked player under OWGR and has been looking to build consistency on the PGA TOUR.

Overall, the situation has turned out to be extremely concerning, as almost five golfers have decided to take a step back from the greens of the Champion Course. This scenario has even forced former LIV golfer Brooks Koepka to reflect on the matter.

Brooks Koepka weighs in as back-to-back major withdrawals spark concern in Cognizant Classic

The Cognizant Classic is getting a depleted field in 2026. Following Ben Griffin and Jacob Bridgeman, one more name was added to the list of withdrawals. In an update on Thursday morning, Will Zalatoris reported a left ankle injury to sit out of the tournament. 

This is a pretty unfortunate turn of events, as Zalatoris was one of the biggest names in the tournament. Playing on a major medical extension, the US professional golfer was looking to make his third start this year, trying to come back from the major back surgeries that have hindered his career in recent times. 

Last year, he had to step off the greens following the PGA Championship. He went under the knife, having an artificial disc replacement surgery. This was done specifically to help him with two of his herniated discs. 

Referring to the withdrawals, Brooks Koepka was recently asked if the PGA Tour scoring would witness a significant decline compared to 2025. Immediately, Koepka did not hesitate and came up with a straightforward statement. 

“Yeah, I definitely think they will be lower just because of the overseed. I think you saw last year with Jake, those scores are definitely possible. Not saying anybody is going to do it this year. They very well could, but it’s definitely gotten easier,” said Koepka. 

Well, as the Cognizant Open seems to have lost some of its star power, fans will be eagerly waiting to see how things pan out over the next few days.