Biltmore Championship picks 2026: We're high on the 'other' Jackson
After a two-week, what-felt-like-an-eternity break, the PGA Tour returns this week with the first-ever Biltmore Championship in Asheville, N.C. It's the first event of the FedEx Cup Fall, and the lone tuneup event for those competing in next week's Presidents Cup at Medinah.
A number of Presidents Cuppers are in N.C., among them Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Nico Echavarria and Ryo Hisatsune of the International team and Jackson Koivun of the American side. It's another American named Jackson, though, that a few of our experts like this week.
The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, Ryan Noonan of Betsperts, David Gordon of ESPN, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line.
Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2026 Biltmore Championship:
| Experts | Pick to Win | Dark Horse | Miscellaneous Prop of the Week | Pick to Finish Top-10 | Matchups |
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Biltmore Championship picks 2026: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions
Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: J.T. Poston (33-1, BetRivers) — Unless I’m dead wrong (been known to happen) and bombers can just overwhelm the course, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, with its lengthy rough, minuscule distance at elevation, and forest-lined nine, is going to be a fairway/wedge/putt track. AKA, the J.T. Poston special. Poston didn’t cover himself in glory following his Memorial/U.S. Open spike this summer but did see his approach play turn a corner late in the season despite a lack of high-end results. He’s been a winner at elevation in the fall swing before, and most of his career success has come at this style of course (wins at Sedgefield and TPC Deere Run, T-2 at TPC River Highlands, T-3 at Harbour Town). Never hurts to be a North Carolina native at a brand-new North Carolina course for the tour either.
Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Rasmus Hojgaard (32-1, DraftKings) — Fourth at the Rocket Classic, and runner-up at the Danish Golf Championship, Rasmus Højgaard has three top-11 finishes in his last five starts. Højgaard’s combined play across two tours has kept him sharp. Worried about all of the travel distractions? Højgaard finished third last year at the Sanderson Farms Fall Series event one week after the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
Ryan Noonan, Content Manager 4for4/Betsperts: Jackson Koivun (14-1, BetMGM) — Koivun really struggled putting in his last few starts, but I don’t expect that to continue. This is someone who profiles to be an above average baseline putter on tour. He likes bentgrass greens too, which we have this week in Asheville. Koivun has gained an average of 0.7 strokes per round in the 23 measured rounds he’s played on bent over the past two seasons.
Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Blades Brown (40-1, FanDuel) — This is the perfect opportunity for the young gun to get PGA Tour win No. 1. It’ll feel like a bonafide Korn Ferry Tour setup this week made for birdies. And he leads the field in SG/tee to green and Birdie or Better percentage over the past 24 rounds, per RickRunGood.com. That’s a potent combo in Asheville.
Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Jackson Suber (45-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — Based off Suber’s body of work over the last three-to-four months, this price feels like a discount against this weak field. If this does turn into an accuracy/wedge-fest, that should play right into his hands. Will the putter cooperate? Probably not. But the week it finally does, he’s going to be a hard man to beat.
Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Jackson Suber (45-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — Jackson Suber is my favorite bet on the board this week because he possesses a ton of upside due to his great long iron approach play. Suber ranked second in this field over the course of the year in strokes-gained/approach from 200 yards-plus, and is now traveling to a golf course with four reachable par fives and five par threes measuring over 190 yards.
David Gordon, ESPN Research: Jackson Suber (45-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — Suber has knocked on the door plenty enough times and feels underpriced here given the quality of the field. The putter was slightly below average across his last five starts but he gained in all other metrics over that span. Don't think we'll see him this high in these types of fields much longer.
Past results: With Andy Lack’s correct prediction of Scottie Scheffler to win the Tour Championship at +345, the panel now has eight outright winners in 2026. That was Andy’s first win of the year, and it came on the heels of Keith Stewart and Pat Mayo’s first win of the year, Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship. Ryan Noonan has four winners and Steve Hennessey has three. Onto the fall we go, and with a new member of the panel! Welcome David Gordon of ESPN, who you may also know as the “double hammer” king.
Listen to Golf Digest's weekly betting podcast, "The Loop," (below) where we interview the industry's leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to "The Loop" wherever you get your podcasts!
Biltmore Championship picks 2026: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win
Mayo: Zach Bauchou (80-1, BetRivers) — Like Poston, Bauchou is an accuracy/wedge/putting merchant who did all his best work in 2026 against similarly weak(ish) fields.
Stewart: Blades Brown (41-1, DraftKings) — Blades Brown has three top-nine results in his last five starts. I realize he is playing the Korn Ferry Tour, but that’s the point: Brown is playing! A majority of this field has not competed in five weeks. The Biltmore winner will need subpar scores. Blades is ranked second in the field for birdie-or-better percentage and even more importantly, he has been making plenty of birdies recently.
Noonan: Ben Kohles (60-1, DraftKings) — I don’t love what we’ve seen from Ben Kohles when he’s in contention late on Sunday, but he deserves a shoutout for how he’s put himself in that spot a few times over the past three or so months. He sits atop my Rabbit Hole model this week, and 60-1 feels more than fair.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: David Ford (125-1, BetRivers) — This is just a dart throw, but David Ford was a standout at UNC and has contended in birdie-fests in the fall before—last year at Black Desert. There are worse bets than to bet on the talent back in North Carolina than Mr. Ford.
Powers, Golf Digest: Andrew Novak (50-1, BetRivers) — After a solid start to 2026, Novak went into hibernation in the summer months. But a promising T-7 finish at the Wyndham Championship, also in his home state of North Carolina, might be just the confidence boost he needed heading into the fall season.
Lack: Emiliano Grillo (62-1, DraftKings) — Like Jackson Suber, Emiliano Grillo is a great long iron approach player and also one of the more accurate drivers of the ball in the field. Grillo has also played extremely well at similar courses such as TPC Deere Run.
Gordon: Max Greyserman (66-1, BetMGM) — I think Gresyerman is a player with more talent than his recent results might suggest, and it's the time of year where anyone can contend. Just three top 20s for Max this season but he was tied for fourth entering the weekend in his last start at the Wyndham before a disastrous round on Saturday. Maybe the Duke grad gets his first career tour win in North Carolina this week.
Biltmore Championship picks 2026: Miscellaneous prop
Mayo: Ben Martin top-30 finish (+650, DraftKings) — Despite his string of poor finishes on the PGA Tour, Martin’s approach play, specifically his wedge play, remains excellent. And this is about as good of form as you’ll find him in: he’s made TWO cuts in a row, including a T-6 last week in Tennessee at the Simmons Bank on the KFT. Outside of two random spike results at Bay Hill and Puntacana, all of his career top 10s have come at below-average-distance courses.
Stewart: Billy Horschel top-20 finish (+240, DraftKings) — Why is two-time BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel not playing in England this week? Simple, he needs precious FEC points. Horschel has an incredible record in the Carolinas, and it will continue this week in a field where he can land inside the top 20 places.
Noonan: Keita Nakajima top-20 finish including ties (+144, DraftKings) — I like this setup for Nakajima, who’s really good off the tee, gaining through both accuracy and distance. He’s flashed a few times this season, including twice this summer at the Scottish (T-3) and the DPWT’s Nexo (T-4).
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Chandler Phillips, first-round leader (67-1, Bet365) — Phillips can rack up birdies in bunches, ranking fifth in Birdie or Better percentage in this field in the past 24 rounds. And he’s sixth in SG/total, too, playing solid golf into the fall.
Powers, Golf Digest: Haotong Li top-20 finish including ties (+270, DraftKings) — After his Masters debacle, Haotong Li couldn’t make a cut to save his life for the better part of four months. He’s found something over the last three weeks on the DP World Tour, though, not only making three consecutive cuts but posting back-to-back finishes inside the top 20. This will be his fourth straight week with a ton of travel involved, so it’s certainly a risky play, but I’ll bank on him staying hot (hopefully) for one more week.
Lack: Ryo Hisatsune top Japanese finisher (+145, DraftKings) — Ryo Hisatsune really just needs to beat Keita Nakajima in this matchup, who despite being a very good long iron player, is coming off a terrible approach performance in his last start. Ryo, on the other hand, nearly made it to the Tour Championship, and is coming off a 12th-place finish at the BMW Championship.
Gordon: Corey Conners top-20 finish (+146, DraftKings) — Conners is a made-cut machine (18 for his last 19) and is rightfully among the top six outright betting favorites. He's also outside the Top 100 in SG/ putting for an eighth straight season, the only reason he won't be on my outright card.
Misc. Prop Results from the Tour Championship: Stewart: 1 for 1 (Scottie Scheffler top-three finish +115); Lack: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1; Noonan: 0 for 1; Powers: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1
Misc. Prop Results from the 2026 season: Lack: 2 for 4 (up 6.8 units); Mayo: 1 for 4 (up 5 units); Stewart: 2 for 4 (up 3.6 units); Noonan: 1 for 4 (up 2 units); Powers: 2 for 4 (down 0.02 units); Hennessey: 0 for 4 (down 4 units)
Biltmore Championship picks 2026: Matchups
Mayo: J.T. Poston (-110) over Keita Nakajima (Coolbet) — While Nakajima has been quite good, most of his spike results have come from two starts in Scotland. Additionally, he's been playing over on the DP World Tour, courses which don’t exactly line up with what he’ll encounter in Asheville.
Stewart: Ryo Hisatsune (-120) over Jackson Suber (FanDuel) — Yes, Jackson Suber had a successful summer on the PGA Tour, yet Suber’s season ended at the Wyndham Championship while Ryo Hisatsune played two rounds in the FEC playoffs. Hisatsune also earned a captain’s pick for next week’s Presidents Cup. With equal ball-striking ability, but with bigger motivation and less time off, I think there’s an edge taking Ryo over Jackson in Asheville.
Noonan: J.T. Poston (-104) over Davis Thompson (DraftKings) — We’ve already seen J.T. Poston win on a Nicklaus signature setup in June at the Memorial. Poston will keep himself in play here, and let Thompson will shoot himself in the foot with missed putt after missed putt.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Ben Kohles (DraftKings) over Nick Taylor (-114) — Ben Kohles was one of the hottest golfers among the lesser elites through the last part of the summer. Taylor hasn’t done much of anything, so I’ll gladly take Kohles here.
Powers, Golf Digest: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-122) over Rico Hoey (DraftKings) — I was as shocked as anybody by Bezuidenhout’s inclusion on the Presidents Cup team. The guy did not register a single top 10 in a non-alternate field event in 2026. Well, this event is pretty close to an alternate one based off the field strength, and one thing Bez is going to do is give you four perfectly solid rounds. Hoey’s a little more boom-or-bust, and considering the fact he hasn’t played since the Wyndham, I’m betting on some serious putter rust for for one the worst putters in the game.
Lack: Davis Thompson (-120) over Rasmus Hojgaard (BetOnline) — Walnut Cove is a far superior course fit for Davis Thompson, as I definitely worry about Rasmus Hojgaard’s lack of accuracy off the tee at this penal Jack Nicklaus design. Thompson also finished the season on a great note, particularly on approach.
Gordon: Denny McCarthy (-118) over Ricky Castillo (DraftKings) — McCarthy missed out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs this season for the first time in five years, and there's a multitude of reasons he didn't play to his standard. The season was highlighted in late July with a top-three finish in his first event with new caddie Geno Bonnalie, which followed a 10-year partnership with Derek Smith. I'm in on a decent Fall for Denny and this is how I'm backing him this week.
Matchup Results from the Tour Championship: Stewart: 1 for 1 (Scott (-114) over T. Kim); Noonan: 1 for 1 (Henley (-105) over Matsuyama); Lack: 1 for 1 (Gerard (-110) over T. Kim); Powers: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1
Matchup Results from the 2026 season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Stewart: 18-10-3 (up 6.01 units); Noonan: 17-12-4 (up 3.36 units); Powers: 19-14-0 (up 3.34 units); Lack: 19-12-2 (up 3.17 units); Mayo: 16-15-2 (up 1.12 units); Hennessey: 12-18-3 (down 6.97 units)
Biltmore Championship picks 2026: Top 10s
Mayo: William Mouw (+760, DraftKings) — The Chairman is third in SG/approach over the past three months, and the biggest crossover event I could find was Hurstbourne CC, a place where Mouw has a win and a T-10 in the two years the ISCO Championship has been played at that site.
Stewart: Kevin Yu (+410, FanDuel) — Looking at summer performance, Kevin Yu was one of the best ball strikers and scorers (birdie-or-better percentage) in this field. Yu goes as the putter performs. Now having gained strokes in five out of his last six starts with the flatstick, Kevin can certainly cash with 10 places. Yu’s ball striking at a brand-new venue with a trending putter puts me over the edge.
Noonan: Ben James (+280, DraftKings) — Jackson Koivun has stolen the spotlight but Ben James is here and ready to contend against any field. He’s mixed quite often as late, with two T-4 or better finishes in his past four starts. His putter has been unbelievable, but the ball-striking numbers are proof that this run is very real.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Davis Thompson (+240, DraftKings) — As Lack said above, Thompson is a great course fit, and if he continues his form from the end of the summer, he should certainly contend here.
Powers, Golf Digest: Blades Brown (+425, DraftKings) — While it’s mostly been on the KFT recently, Brown has consistently been around the top 10 almost every time he tees it up. And those are all birdie-fests, which is what we should expect this week at The Cliffs.
Lack: Doug Ghim (+285, DraftKings) — While it’s still difficult to imagine Doug Ghim winning a golf tournament with his poor putting, his ball-striking should place him firmly in the mix in Asheville. Ghim ranks top 25 in both ball-striking categories over the last three months and his around the green play has been steadily improving as well.
Gordon: Benjamin James (+285, DraftKings) — There's probably not a lot to say about James that hasn't already been covered. He's on the cusp of a full-on breakout, and as good as he hits it, it's the putter that might be the best part of his game.
Top-10 results from the Tour Championship: Powers: 1 for 1 (Russell Henley +132); Noonan: 1 for 1 (Viktor Hovland +130); Lack: 1 for 1 (Ludvig Aberg +110); Everybody else: 0 for 1
Top-10 results from the 2026 season: Mayo: 10 for 33 (up 36.55 units); Lack: 9 for 33 (up 10.2 units); Stewart: 8 for 33 (up 2.55 units); Noonan: 9 for 34 (up 2.5 units); Powers: 7 for 33 (down 1.43 units); Hennessey: 6 for 33 (down 8.6 units)
About our experts
Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.
Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest. Stewart is a co-founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the PGA Tour, LPGA and TGL. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter for the industry's best betting narratives. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.
Ryan Noonan is the Betting Content Manager for 4for4 and Betsperts Golf, writing articles and hosting multiple shows under the Betsperts Group umbrella, including Move The Line and our Betsperts Golf Betting Show. Find him on Twitter: @RyNoonan.
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports.
David Gordon is a research producer at ESPN with a specialty in golf and betting research. The two-time Emmy winner has served as ESPN’s broadcast researcher for the Masters dating back to 2020 and the PGA Championship since 2021. Find him on Twitter: @dgord_tweets.