Unfortunately for the PGA Tour, the biggest story at this year’s Cognizant Classic isn’t the players who are in the field.

Instead, it’s the players who are not. Neither Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, nor Tommy Fleetwood will be playing in this year’s event at PGA National. The biggest names in the field are Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry.

That’s because of where this event is on the PGA Tour schedule. It follows immediately after two signature events, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, and is before two iconic events, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.

It therefore represents an ideal time for players to rest and recover before the single biggest event on the PGA Tour schedule: The Players. That’s why a change the PGA Tour is reportedly making to the 2027 schedule is much needed.

Cognizant Classic field shows why BYE weeks are needed on the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is set to make a number of sweeping changes to the PGA Tour schedule in 2027. The season is set to begin after the Super Bowl and feature around 20 events of equal value. No more signature events, and a much shorter season, which should encourage players to play more.

The new schedule will also feature BYE weeks around the year’s biggest events. This means that players will receive a week off to recover and prepare for events such as The Players and The Masters without skipping a week on the PGA Tour.

This is a much-needed change. Firstly, players won’t skip weeks, so when they do play, all the tour’s best players will be on the course together. This will also allow players to be at their best at the biggest events of the year.

It will also prevent players like Shane Lowry from doing what he’s doing on the build-up to The Players. Lowry will play for five straight weeks, with The Players being the conclusion of this brutal stretch.

Lowry loves Florida golf. He lives locally to PGA National and doesn’t want to miss the event. But to play it, he has to endure a tough schedule and will likely be exhausted by the time he arrives at TPC Sawgrass.

That’s why these changes cannot come soon enough.

What Shane Lowry said about playing on the PGA Tour for five-straight weeks

Prior to the Cognizant Classic, Lowry was asked why he decided to put himself through this gruelling schedule.

The Irishman said, “Well, I think if it was five weeks in a row and there was no home weeks in there, I wouldn’t play five weeks in a row. I think the fact I’m saying at home this week makes it easier.

“I get to drive to Bay Hill next week, so there’s no flights. I get to see my family. They get to come to Bay Hill and The Players. There’s a lot in there that makes the five weeks easier than sort of if you’re five weeks away from home.

“Then I feel like I’ve been out on TOUR a long time now, and I play a lot of tournaments where I don’t particularly like the golf course or I don’t play well around there. I need to take advantage of the courses that I play well on and that I like playing. There’s certain times you just have to do it.

“I think the five weeks, it’s all about managing my time and trying to rest and recover and just stay fresh as much as I can because obviously the fifth week is The Players, which is obviously one of our bigger tournaments.

“But there’s a lot in there that is the reason I’m playing the five weeks.”

This is a stretch that Lowry loves, so he’ll want to perform well this week to build some momentum into The Players.