The Cognizant Classic at PGA National has already had its fair share of viral moments, and we are only two days in. The first day saw Ryan Gerard tee off with a birdie, and now Isaiah Salinda was caught hitting a shot shirtless. Salinda has had a week to forget overall at the Cognizant Classic, and Friday only emphasized how much he has struggled since this shot went viral online.
Salinda opened his week at the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches with a 6-over 7,7, and things didn't get any better during Friday's second round. Salinda opened with a birdie on the 10th hole. But on the 11th, disaster struck in the form of a quadruple bogey 8 on the par-4 hole. Then, on the 17th, Salinda missed the green, his ball settling barely in the greenside lake, which forced him to take off his shoes and socks and roll up his pants. He then took it one step further, also taking off his white shirt, when he proceeded to blast away at the ball.
He was already 9 over on the week, and this didn't help at all. While his water ball found the green, he missed the par putt, his shirt still not tucked back in. A bogey there dropped him to 10 over, three shots ahead of last place.
As was previously mentioned, this was not the craziest shot of the Cognizant Classic just yet. On Thursday, Ryan Gerard stepped to the tee box on what appeared to be a relatively short Par 3 on the front nine. As he began his backswing, a black bird began flying several yards in front of the tee box, maybe 10-15 feet in the air.
Gerard’s shot struck the bird, seeming to catch a healthy chunk of wing. Feathers shot everywhere. Somehow, improbably, Gerard’s shot actually made it to the green. It rolled some distance from the hole toward the back of the green.
These two shots are quickly becoming the stories of the early PGA Tour season, over Chris Gotterup's hot start, or Scottie Scheffler's cut streak staying alive.
