Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA Podcast.

We’re going to deliver a betting preview of the Rocket Classic in just a moment. But first, a very quick recap of the 3M Open.

3M Open Recap

Twenty-one-year-old Jackson Koivun gets his first PGA Tour victory in only his 13th PGA event and his third tournament since turning professional. Koivun opened with rounds of 64 and 68, surged into the lead with a blistering 61 on Saturday, then held off his pursuers with a smooth, bogey-free 66 on Sunday.

Closest of those pursuers was Scottie Scheffler, who closed with a final-round 63. That gave him his fifth second-place finish of the season.

Koivun, a Northern California native, finished at 25-under par. Scottie was three shots back at 22-under, while Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Chandler Phillips, and Denny McCarthy tied for third at 20-under.

But we had the wrong young phenom named Jackson. We both liked Jackson Suber at the 3M Open.

Course Preview: Detroit Golf Club

And now the PGA Tour stays in the Midwest with the Rocket Classic in Detroit, Michigan.

We’re going to have a pretty good field for this one, with players trying to accrue FedExCup points in advance of the upcoming playoffs.

The Rocket Classic will be played at Detroit Golf Club, a par-70 course measuring 7,328 yards. It played as a par 72 last year, yet the course will only play 42 yards shorter than it did in 2025. Two of the short par 5s were turned into long par 4s, so the scoring isn’t going to be quite as good this year as it has been in years past.

Big hitters should have an advantage this week at Detroit Golf Club. The fairways are wide, the rough is pretty manageable, and while the fairways are tree-lined, this is not exactly a tight driving course.

A recent renovation at Detroit Golf Club restored the greens to the shape that course architect Donald Ross had intended. The greens are a mixture of bentgrass and Poa annua. Most of them slope from back to front, and Donald Ross courses typically feature fast, challenging greens. Putting will matter this week.

Aldrich Potgieter is the defending Rocket Classic champion. He finished 22-under last year and beat Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk in a playoff. Cam Davis won in 2024 at 18-under. Rickie Fowler won in 2023 at 24-under, defeating Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff. In 2022, Tony Finau finished 26-under to win.

Temperatures this week are expected to be in the low to mid-80s throughout the tournament with very little wind. There’s a chance of rain on Saturday, but it should be mostly dry otherwise.

Bo McBrayer on Detroit Golf Club

The Rocket Classic is going to call for some rocket performers. Long drivers, good off the tee, good on approach, and lots of birdie putts.

These are going to be fast greens, but not overly challenging. They roll incredibly true. That’s one thing we’ve heard over and over again at this tournament – how true the greens roll. So while they’re fast and sloped, it’s going to come down to who can make the most putts, who’s riding the hottest putter, who can hit the ball down there, flip a short iron in, and convert.

You better believe the scoring won’t be as favorable relative to par because of the change in par, but the total score at the end is probably going to be about the same. Take two shots off each day, and you’re still looking at 18-, 19-, or 20-under par on a par-70 course. That’s a lot of birdies. You’re going to have to shoot around 6-under on average each day to win this tournament. That’s basically a 64 every round. I think we can get there.

It’s going to be a lot of fun. If you can average 64 or 65 over four days, you can win this tournament. That’s how much we’re looking at birdie-or-better percentage, off-the-tee play, driving distance, and putting on the Poa annua/bentgrass mix with fast green speeds.

We’re also looking at the shortest two approach buckets. In total, between 75 and 150 yards are going to account for a lot of these approach distances. Just make birdies. Get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible.

Hopefully we see somebody with a hot putter continue to stay hot. Usually, guys who come to this course as just okay putters – but aren’t traditionally good putters – don’t suddenly get better here. This course will expose you if you’re not one of the best putters on Tour, or at least one of the hottest putters coming in.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

And now it’s time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

I’m going to take Jake Knapp at 36-1. I think the young man fits this course well. Between his combination of driving and putting, I like Knapp in Detroit.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Rocket Classic Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Jake Knapp (+3600)
• Akshay Bhatia (+4200)
• Jackson Suber (+9200)
• Aldrich Potgieter (+10500)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Bet of the week is Jackson Suber at 92-1.

I know I was a week early on Jackson Koivun – maybe I’m just a week early on Jackson Suber too.

In case that is what happens, we’re going to roll with the value here.

Bo McBrayer’s Rocket Classic Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Jackson Suber (+9200)
• Jackson Koivun (+2300)
• J.J. Spaun (+3100)
• Akshay Bhatia (+4300)
• Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+9600)
• Aldrich Potgieter (+10500)
• Jesper Svensson (+13000)

And that’s all for this week’s BettingPros PGA Podcast. Please join us again next week for the final event of the PGA Tour regular season before the FedExCup Playoffs, when we’ll be previewing the Wyndham Championship.

Until then, so long everyone.

The PGA Tour visits the Upper Midwest this week for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, just a few miles north of the Twin Cities.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is currently scheduled to play, and he is the only player ranked inside the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking in the field. Still, with the FedExCup Playoffs only a few weeks away, there is plenty at stake at the 3M Open, even if it is not a Signature Event with a star-studded field.

Course Preview: TPC Twin Cities

TPC Twin Cities is a par-71 layout measuring 7,431 yards. It was designed by Arnold Palmer with input from Minnesota native Tom Lehman.

TPC Twin Cities is a fairly long course, and water hazards come into play on 15 holes. However, the wide fairways and large bentgrass greens should make the course slightly easier than average and create plenty of low scores.

Three of the par 3s are longer than 200 yards, while all three par 5s measure between 590 and 600 yards.
The 18th hole is a particularly entertaining finishing hole. The risk-reward, dogleg par 5 dares players to go for the green in two with an approach shot over a large pond that runs down the right side of the hole and protects the front of the green.

This looks like a week to target ball strikers. Players hit greens in regulation at TPC Twin Cities at roughly a 73% rate, which is extremely high. That means players will not be doing much scrambling. Because this is a longer course with water nearly everywhere, a traditional bomb-and-gouge approach is not necessarily the answer.

Kurt Kitayama is the defending 3M Open champion after finishing 23-under par last year and defeating Sam Stevens by one stroke. Jhonattan Vegas won in 2024 at 17-under, Lee Hodges finished 24-under to win in 2023, and Tony Finau won at 17-under in 2022.

Weather Outlook for the 3M Open

The early forecast for Minneapolis calls for pleasant conditions Thursday and Friday, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-80s.

Winds should remain light Thursday before becoming slightly breezier Friday. Temperatures are expected to climb into the low 90s Saturday, with winds of around 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday could be scorching hot, with temperatures approaching the upper 90s and only light wind.

What It Takes to Win at TPC Twin Cities

We are back in Birdie Fest City this week.

Approach play, and particularly proximity on approach shots, is the name of the game. Strokes gained on approach measures how players perform relative to the field with their approach shots, and proximity is part of that calculation. However, we are placing added emphasis on overall approach proximity this week because of the wide variety of approach distances players will face.

With such large greens, overall proximity carries far more weight than anything involving scrambling or play around the green. Those areas are not particularly important when separating this field. The main priorities are approach proximity and making a ton of birdies.

There is still some value in bogey avoidance because of all the water hazards, but the wide fairways make misses off the tee relatively forgiving. We also added some driving distance into the equation.

Bomb-and-gouge golf does not necessarily provide a major advantage here, but having extra distance in the bag can help shorten approach shots and allow players to attack more flags.

Hitting 73% of the greens is not enough if a player is leaving himself 30-foot birdie putts all day. To keep pace with the eventual winner, players have to hit it close and convert those opportunities. That is exactly what Kitayama did last year. He drove the ball 330 yards, hit short irons close and made birdies.

Every time we filter for easier scoring conditions, many of the same players begin to appear. We do not always see those names near the top of our models because most PGA Tour events play more difficult relative to par than the 3M Open.

2026 3M Open Favorites at Hard Rock Bet

As of Wednesday afternoon, Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite at +260 at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook.

Kitayama is next at +2500, tied with Maverick McNealy. Tom Kim and Hideki Matsuyama are both +3000, while Keith Mitchell, Jake Knapp, and Jackson Koivun are all listed at +4000.

Is Scottie Scheffler Worth Betting at +260?

Scheffler can certainly win this tournament, provided he remains in the field before players tee off. It is somewhat surprising that he committed to this event so early in the season, and there is always a possibility he decides not to play. That is his right.

We would still be interested in exploring a market without Scheffler, but we are not betting him at +260 at Hard Rock Bet.

If he wins, good for anyone willing to lay that number. It would give Scheffler his second victory of the season and perhaps explain why he entered the event in the first place. He may simply want another win before the FedExCup Playoffs.

3M Open Best Bets of the Week

Now it is time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week for the 2026 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet: Jackson Suber (+5000)

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Jackson Suber at +5000.

I think the young man can get it done this week behind his outstanding iron play. At a course where approach proximity and birdie opportunities are so important, Suber has the type of profile that can contend.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s 3M Open Picks

• Kurt Kitayama (+2500)
• Tom Kim (+3000)
• Hard Rock Best Bet: Jackson Suber (+5000)
• Emiliano Grillo (+7500)
• Matti Schmid (+10000)

In addition to Suber, I am also betting Kitayama at 25-to-1.

I am going to ride the Tom Kim wave for one more week at 30-to-1. I am also backing Emiliano Grillo at 75-to-1 and joining Bo on Matti Schmid at 100-to-1.

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet: Kurt Kitayama (+2500)

My selection was going to be Jackson Suber at +5000, but I will pivot and confidently take Kurt Kitayama at +2500.

For outright betting purposes, let’s pretend Scheffler does not exist. If he wins, great for him and bad for us – and basically everyone other than Scheffler. I am assuming Scheffler may simply be going through the motions here. If he burns us, so be it.

Kitayama at +2500 at Hard Rock Bet is a line I love, especially for the defending champion. TPC Twin Cities is a perfect fit for his game.

Bo McBrayer’s 3M Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Kurt Kitayama (+2500)
• Jackson Suber (+5000)
• Max Homa (+5000)
• Michael Brennan (+7500)
• Jesper Svensson (+10000)
• Matti Schmid (+10000)

In addition to Kitayama and Suber, I am taking a chance on Max Homa at 50-to-1 and Michael Brennan at 75-to-1. Come on, Michael. Do something for me this season.

The two longshots on my card are Jesper Svensson and Matti Schmid, both at 100-to-1.

The final major championship of the season has arrived.

Royal Birkdale once again plays host to The Open Championship, bringing together the strongest field in golf for one final chance at major glory in 2026. As always, links golf presents a completely different challenge than anything players see during the regular PGA Tour season. Weather, creativity, trajectory control, and patience become just as important as power and putting.

After another excellent tune-up at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, many of the game’s biggest stars arrive in England in outstanding form. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, and Ludvig Åberg headline one of the deepest fields of the year.

With so many elite players peaking at the right time, we’re expecting another memorable Open Championship.

Course Preview: Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Royal Birkdale returns as Open Championship host for the first time since Jordan Spieth’s memorable victory in 2017, when he finished 12-under to capture the third major championship of his career. First opened in 1889, the historic links sits on England’s northwest coast in Southport, roughly 20 miles north of Liverpool along the Irish Sea. It will play as a par 70 measuring 7,223 yards this week.

Unlike some Open Championship venues that feature wildly undulating fairways, Royal Birkdale is considered one of the fairest tests in links golf. The landing areas are relatively flat, but they’re framed by towering sand dunes – some reaching 40 feet high – that can obscure the wind and severely punish errant drives. The course’s deep fairway bunkers are among the most penal in championship golf, often forcing players to simply pitch back into the fairway rather than attack the green.

Several holes have also been updated since Birkdale last hosted The Open. The par-4 fifth is now a drivable 321 yards but features a pond short and right of the green along with seven surrounding bunkers, creating an enticing risk-reward opportunity. The par-3 seventh has been rebuilt near the coastline where crosswinds could play a significant role, while the par-5 14th has been lengthened to 605 yards and will likely require three shots for much of the field. A brand-new 241-yard par-3 now occupies the 15th hole, and the 18th hole has been stretched to over 500 yards, ensuring there will be no easy finish.

Accuracy Over Distance

While driving distance is always valuable, this is far from a course that can simply be overpowered.

Firm fairways should provide significant rollout – practice-round reports suggest even long irons are running close to 300 yards – which minimizes the advantage of the longest hitters off the tee. Instead, success at Royal Birkdale will come from positioning tee shots correctly, avoiding fairway bunkers, and excelling with approach play. This is very much a “second-shot golf course” where accuracy off the tee outweighs pure distance.

Around the greens, creativity will also be essential. The firm, fast conditions encourage players to land approach shots short and use the contours to feed the ball toward the hole rather than attacking flags through the air. Slower greens also reduce the advantage typically enjoyed by the Tour’s elite putters, placing an even greater emphasis on scrambling, sand saves, bogey avoidance, and recovery play when mistakes inevitably occur.

Weather Could Shape the Championship

As always at The Open, the weather will be impossible to ignore.

Current forecasts call for temperatures in the 70s with sustained winds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts exceeding 20 mph throughout the championship. While those conditions are relatively manageable by Open Championship standards, a shift in wind direction could force players to attack several holes in completely different ways than they did during the opening rounds.

2026 Open Championship: Betting Guide

Unlike most PGA Tour events, links golf rewards a very specific type of player. Recent form certainly matters, but so does the ability to control ball flight, handle windy conditions, and remain patient when bad bounces inevitably happen.

This week’s betting cards reflect that philosophy. We’re targeting golfers entering the week in outstanding form, while sprinkling in a few players whose games seem tailor-made for an Open Championship.

The Open Championship Best Bets of the Week

After breaking down the board at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, these are the wagers we like most heading into Royal Birkdale.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet: Wyndham Clark (+4100)

Wyndham Clark is simply one of the hottest golfers in the world right now.

He faded slightly down the stretch at the Genesis Scottish Open, but he was once again firmly in contention, continuing what’s become an incredibly impressive run of form. He’s nuclear. Molten lava hot.

The numbers back it up. In Bo’s predictive model, Clark ranks 15th over the last 24 rounds. Expand that sample to the last 36 rounds, however, and he falls all the way to 80th.

That’s an enormous jump – and evidence that Clark has elevated his game dramatically over the past couple of months. As long as sportsbooks continue hanging odds north of 40/1, we’re happy to keep backing him.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Open Championship Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Wyndham Clark (+4100)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (+1850)
• Justin Rose (+3900)
• Tom Kim (+5900)
• Brian Harman Top 10 (including ties) (+640)

Matt Fitzpatrick is another player I love this week. In fact, I probably like him even more than Tommy Fleetwood. Justin Rose also stands out at nearly 40/1. At this stage of his career, Rose seems to save his very best golf for the majors, and returning to Royal Birkdale nearly three decades after making his Open Championship debut makes for an intriguing storyline.

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet: Tommy Fleetwood (+1800)

Tommy Fleetwood finally winning his first major championship in his hometown? Sign me up.

Fleetwood has spent years knocking on the door at major championships, and there may never be a better opportunity than this one. Winning the Claret Jug in front of his hometown fans would instantly become one of the defining moments in modern British golf.

We thought Rory McIlroy might deliver a similar story at Royal Portrush. It didn’t happen. Maybe this is Fleetwood’s week instead.

Bo McBrayer’s Open Championship Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Tommy Fleetwood (+1800)
• Tyrrell Hatton (+3600)
• Tom Kim (+5900)
• Michael Thorbjornsen (+12000)
• Johnny Keefer (+26000)

Fleetwood anchors my betting card, but I’m also taking some swings further down the board with players who have the ball-striking ability to thrive in links conditions.

The Shared Pick: Tom Kim

One player both of us landed on independently was Tom Kim.

Whenever our betting cards overlap, it’s worth paying attention.

Kim’s precision iron play and improving all-around game make him an intriguing fit for Royal Birkdale, and both of us were comfortable backing him at roughly 60/1.

Final Thoughts

The Open Championship has a way of producing unforgettable Sundays.

Maybe it’s Tommy Fleetwood lifting the Claret Jug in front of his hometown crowd. Maybe Wyndham Clark continues his scorching run of form. Or maybe another unexpected contender emerges from nowhere, as always seems to happen at The Open.

Whatever unfolds, we’re expecting another outstanding week of championship golf. Good luck with your bets, and enjoy the final major of the season.

The PGA Tour makes its annual trip across the Atlantic this week for one of the strongest non-major events on the calendar – the Genesis Scottish Open.

Below we breakdown our Genesis Scottish Open predictions and best bets, with bonus picks for the ISCO Championship in Kentucky.

Genesis Scottish Open Preview

Serving as the final tune-up before next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the Genesis Scottish Open annually attracts an elite field featuring stars from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. While it’s not designated as a Signature Event, this year’s tournament is loaded with talent. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood, and defending champion Chris Gotterup are all making the trip to North Berwick.

Only five of the top 15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are sitting this one out, making this one of the deepest fields outside of the four majors.

About the Renaissance Club: Course Breakdown

The Renaissance Club has hosted the Genesis Scottish Open since 2019 and has quickly become one of the Tour’s most unique venues. Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2008, the par-70 layout stretches to 7,282 yards along Scotland’s eastern coastline on the Firth of Forth. Whether you consider it a true links course or simply “links adjacent,” the Renaissance Club demands many of the same skills players will need next week at Royal Birkdale.

Firm fairways create plenty of rollout off the tee, rewarding players who can control trajectory while also bringing trouble into play for those who can’t. The fescue rough isn’t especially penal, but the Scottish-style bunkers certainly are. Finding one of those fairway bunkers often takes aggressive approach shots completely off the table.

Around the greens, creativity becomes just as important as technique. Rather than relying on high flop shots or traditional chips, players will frequently opt for bump-and-run shots or even putters from well off the green – the famous “Texas wedge.” Those imaginative short-game shots become especially valuable when the wind starts to blow.

The course features three par 5s ranging from 576 to 600 yards and five par 3s stretching anywhere from 147 to 218 yards, creating a balanced test that rewards complete golfers rather than specialists.

Weather Could Be a Big Story at the Scottish Open

As always in Scotland, everything begins with the forecast.

Early projections call for mostly dry conditions, relatively calm winds on Thursday, breezes in the 10-to-20 mph range on Friday and Saturday, and slightly lighter winds on Sunday. Of course, Scottish weather has a reputation for changing by the hour, so those forecasts deserve to be treated with a healthy amount of skepticism.

Tee-times are crucial

Perhaps the biggest variable will be the tee-time draw. If one wave catches significantly calmer conditions than the other – Thursday morning versus afternoon or vice versa – it could dramatically impact the leaderboard before the weekend even begins. Because of that uncertainty, we’re putting a little less faith than usual into our statistical models this week.

Instead, we’re leaning more heavily on course history, comparable-course success, recent ball striking, and players who have consistently shown they can handle changing weather conditions. The Renaissance Club has developed into a true “horses for courses” venue where many of the same names seem to contend year after year.

Not a Week for Longshots

With 75 of the best players from the PGA Tour joining 75 of the DP World Tour’s best, this isn’t the week to get overly cute with long-shot lottery tickets. We expect plenty of star power to be battling it out on Sunday, even if a surprise contender or two manages to work their way into the mix.

Now it’s time to dive into the betting board and identify the golfers we like most at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open.

Genesis Scottish Open Best Bets of the Week

After breaking down the board at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, our favorite wagers for the Genesis Scottish Open are clear.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet: Rory McIlroy +1000

Getting Rory McIlroy at 10-to-1 feels like tremendous value considering his history at the Renaissance Club. He’s won here, finished runner-up here, and consistently gains strokes on the field every time he tees it up in Scotland. This is exactly the type of course where Rory’s strengths shine.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Genesis Scottish Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Rory McIlroy (+1000)
• Wyndham Clark (+3200)
• Kristoffer Reitan (+6200)
• Tom Kim (+8600)
• Marco Penge (+10500)

Matt Fitzpatrick at +2200 is another player I’m still debating. I usually don’t like pairing multiple short-priced outrights on the same card, but his course history and current form make him awfully tempting.

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet: Marco Penge +10500

The combination of elite ball striking, tremendous length and last year’s runner-up finish makes Marco Penge one of the best values on the entire betting board. At 105-to-1, the upside is simply too great to ignore.

Bo McBrayer’s Genesis Scottish Open Picks

• Rory McIlroy (+1000)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)
• Kurt Kitayama (+5000)
• Hard Rock Best Bet: Marco Penge (+10500)
• Sudarshan Yellamaraju (+14500)
• Mikael Lindberg (+31000)
• Mikael Lindberg Top 20 (+610)

Bonus Picks: ISCO Championship

While most of the golf world’s attention will be focused on Scotland, the PGA Tour also heads to Louisville, Kentucky, for the ISCO Championship.

The move to Hurstbourne Country Club has transformed this event into a much more demanding test than in previous years. Firm fairways, fast greens, and penal rough produced a winning score of just 10-under last season, making course management every bit as important as birdie-making.

Bo McBrayer’s ISCO Championship Picks

• Jackson Koivun (+1450)
• Steven Fisk (+3600)
• Manuel Elvira (+7000)
• Paul Peterson (+11500)

Pat Fitzmaurice’s ISCO Championship Pick

• Stephan Jaeger (+2600)

That does it for this week — Please join us again next week for an in-depth preview of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA Podcast.

Next up on the PGA Tour schedule is a trip to western Illinois, where the Quad Cities region hosts the John Deere Classic.

John Deere Classic Preview

The John Deere Classic has been a fixture on the PGA Tour schedule for years, but it rarely attracts a strong field because it comes shortly before The Open Championship. Many of the top players skip this event to travel overseas early or simply take the week off.

This year, the John Deere Classic is held the week before the Scottish Open, with The Open Championship following two weeks later. There are a few notable players making rare appearances, including Jordan Spieth and Keegan Bradley, but most of the biggest names in the world rankings and on the PGA Tour money list are absent.

By the way, Spieth earned his first PGA Tour victory at this event back in 2013 when he was just 19 years old. It was the first PGA Tour win by a teenager since 1931.

The John Deere Classic will be played at TPC Deere Run, a par-71 course measuring 7,327 yards.

It’s going to be a birdie fest this week — it always is at the John Deere Classic. TPC Deere Run is a relatively short course with wide fairways and large greens, so players are going to hit plenty of fairways and greens in regulation. However, those who miss their targets will have to contend with thick Kentucky bluegrass rough.

TPC Deere Run also features several sharp doglegs that can take the driver out of players’ hands, along with noticeable elevation changes that add another layer of strategy. The greens are bentgrass, and because players will be creating so many birdie opportunities, a hot putter is almost mandatory if you want to contend.

Brian Campbell is the defending champion. He finished at 18-under last year and defeated Emiliano Grillo in a playoff to earn his second career PGA Tour victory.

Davis Thompson won the John Deere Classic in 2024 at 28-under par, while Sepp Straka captured the title in 2023 at 21-under. J.T. Poston also finished at 21-under when he won in 2022.

It’s going to be hot in the Midwest this week — I can attest to that. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 80s to low 90s during the first three rounds, with high humidity throughout the week. Sunday should be slightly cooler, but the humidity also brings the chance of thunderstorms on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Expect moderate breezes on Thursday and Friday, with lighter winds over the weekend.

Bo McBrayer on TPC Deere Run

I always look forward to this stretch of the calendar. A lot of people start going a little more lukewarm on golf as other sports fire up, but this is our opportunity to take some stabs at deeper fields.

This golf course is a birdie fest, but it also seems to be a career springboard for a lot of young players. Even if they don’t win, a strong showing here can be a precursor to the rest of their career, especially if they’re a PGA Tour rookie or amidst their first full season on Tour.

We have quite a few young and inexperienced players in this field, but experience doesn’t seem to matter much here. TPC Deere Run is almost a half-step up from a Korn Ferry Tour layout, so you’re going to find players at deeper odds with legitimate chances because the big guns aren’t here.

That’s going to shape my betting card this week. I’ll be sprinkling lighter wagers across more players rather than concentrating on a handful of favorites. I want to see which of these guys can make enough birdies to keep up, because that’s what it’s going to take to contend.

What I’m really excited about, though, is watching the next wave of young talent. This is the first opportunity for players like Blades Brown and Michael Brennan to show what they can do in a lighter field on a scoreable golf course. Let’s see what they’re made of. Maybe one of them becomes the next Ludvig Åberg, who finished fourth here in his debut. Or maybe they’re the next Jordan Spieth and win the darn thing at 19 years old.

Not every young player is worth betting, though. Some of them are a great value, and some of them are outright traps. That’s what we’ll sort through this week as we break down who to back and who to avoid.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

It’s time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is J.T. Poston at 27-1. He’s coming off strong performances at both the Memorial Tournament and the U.S. Open, and he’s already proven he can win at TPC Deere Run.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s John Deere Classic Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: J.T. Poston (+2700)
• Michael Thorbjornsen (+3300)
• Sudarshan Yellamaraju (+4700)
• Aldrich Potgieter (+5300)
• Emiliano Grillo (+8000)
• Austin Eckroat (+15000)
• Denny McCarthy Top 10 (+465)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet is right in that same range: Jordan Spieth at 28-1. He’s got the game, he’s got the course history, and he’s got the name value. There are going to be a lot of good vibes for Jordan coming back to the tournament where it all started. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Jordan Spieth-Blades Brown final pairing on Sunday. That would make all the storylines worth it — and hopefully we’d be watching our bets cash.

Bo McBrayer’s John Deere Classic Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Jordan Spieth (+2800)
• Michael Brennan (+4600)
• Mac Meissner (+5000)
• Blades Brown (+5500)
• Emiliano Grillo (+8000)
• Zach Bauchou (+9000)
• David Lipsky (+27500)
• David Lipsky Top 20 (+1100)

That’ll do it for this week’s BettingPros PGA Podcast.

Be sure to join us again next week as we preview the Genesis Scottish Open.

Until then, so long, everyone.

Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA podcast.

Today, we have a betting preview of the Travelers Championship.

It’s a signature event and birdies should be easier to come by than they were at Shinnecock Hills last week for the U.S. Open.

Travelers Championship Preview

We now enter the final signature event of the PGA Tour season, the Travelers Championship.

The field will consist of 72 players, and like the other signature events, there will be no cut. Most of the game’s biggest stars will be in attendance, although Rory McIlroy is sitting this one out.

The Travelers Championship will once again be played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, a longtime staple of the PGA Tour schedule.

TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest courses on Tour, a par 70 measuring just 6,844 yards. The Pete Dye design presents a very different challenge than what players faced last week at Shinnecock Hills.

The fairways are tighter than the ones players saw at the U.S. Open, and after a week of links-style golf, players will once again have to contend with trees lining many of the holes.

That said, let’s not make the mistake of assuming TPC River Highlands is tougher than Shinnecock Hills. Conditions should be considerably easier this week, and scoring is expected to reflect that.

There are several holes where longer hitters can take an aggressive bomb-and-gouge approach, while others force players to lay back off the tee and play more strategically.

One of the most entertaining holes on the course is the drivable  Par 4 15th. At just 296 yards, players have a decision to make. The green is reachable, but water guards the left side while a large hill protects the right. It’s exactly the type of risk-reward hole that can create dramatic swings on Sunday afternoon.

Missing greens isn’t always a simple recovery, either. The putting surfaces at TPC River Highlands are relatively small by PGA Tour standards, and getting up and down can be challenging. The greens are a mix of bentgrass and poa annua.

Another part of the course’s charm is its elevation change. Players will encounter several doglegs that require them to shape shots both left-to-right and right-to-left, rewarding creativity and shot-making throughout the week.

The atmosphere is also one of the best on Tour. TPC River Highlands consistently draws large, energetic crowds, with attendance trailing only the WM Phoenix Open annually.

Keegan Bradley enters the week as the defending champion after producing one of the most memorable finishes of last season. Bradley arrived at the 72nd hole trailing Tommy Fleetwood by one shot, then watched a two-shot swing unfold when he birdied the final hole and Fleetwood made bogey. Bradley finished at 15-under to claim the title.

Bradley also won this event in 2023 at 23-under. Scottie Scheffler captured the championship in 2024 at 22-under, defeating Tom Kim in a playoff, while Xander Schauffele won in 2022 at 19-under. Those winning scores provide a good indication of what players are likely facing this week.

Weather should cooperate for most of the tournament. There isn’t much wind in the forecast, and while a few showers are possible on Friday and Sunday, conditions are expected to remain largely favorable. Temperatures should sit in the upper 70s to low 80s throughout the week.

With birdies likely to be much easier to find than they were at the U.S. Open, the Travelers Championship should provide a very different type of test as the PGA Tour wraps up its signature event schedule.

Bo McBrayer on TPC River Highlands

TPC River Highlands is your standard Pete Dye directional, plan-your-way-around, shot-by-shot type of course. You have to be able to hit your spots. You have to be consistent when it comes to ball placement.

At its core, it’s a simple question: Can you hit the ball where you intend to hit it?

It’s not an easy test, although scoring will likely push toward the 20-under range. That’s easier than average by PGA Tour standards, but mainly because of the course’s length. There just isn’t much defense here other than wayward shots.

Even though it’s a Pete Dye design, it’s kind of the easier version of Pete Dye. You get less of the sadism that he’s famous for and more of the creativity.

You’ll still find those classic Dye elements. Maybe you can curve a shot around a tree. Maybe you can challenge a pond guarding a green perched on a narrow piece of land. Those strategic decisions are still part of the equation, but they’re presented in a way that feels more fun than punishing.

That’s one of the reasons I enjoy this tournament so much.

I’m really looking forward to seeing whether some of these favorites can finally show why they’re the favorites. We’ve seen a lot of long shots breaking through lately, and this feels like the type of venue where the elite players should have an opportunity to separate themselves.

With a no-cut field, plenty of birdie chances and a course that rewards precision more than survival, this week sets up differently than what we just watched at the U.S. Open. It’ll be interesting to see whether the stars take advantage of it.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

And now it’s time for the Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Collin Morikawa at 30-1.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Travelers Championship Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Collin Morikawa (+3000)
• Russell Henley (+3300)
• Brian Harman Top 10 (+390)
• Jacob Bridgeman (+7800)
• Akshay Bhatia (+8200)

That’s going to do it for this edition of the BettingPros PGA Podcast.

Be sure to join us again next week when we’ll be back to preview the John Deere Classic and break down the betting board for another week on the PGA Tour.

Until then, so long, everyone.

Welcome in, we’re back with another edition of the BettingPros PGA podcast.

We are about to give you our betting preview of the third major of the year, the U.S. Open. Our national championship of golf is returning to Shinnecock Hills, a classic U.S. Open venue.

We are excited to get into it.

U.S. Open Preview

We turn our attention to the 125th edition of the U.S. Open, which will be played at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York.

Shinnecock Hills is a classic venue that has hosted five previous U.S. Opens, the first way back in 1896. It’s hard not to wonder what kind of equipment they were using back then.

The most recent U.S. Open at Shinnecock was in 2018. It’s a par 70 that will play to 7,440 yards. At first glance, the scorecard might seem deceiving. The opening hole is only 394 yards, but then you get a 252-yard par 3 at No. 2 and a 501-yard par 4 at No. 3. Make no mistake – Shinnecock is going to play long.

Shinnecock Hills is considered the crown jewel of American links golf. There are very few trees on the property that come into play, leaving the course fully exposed to the elements. Situated on Long Island, the layout is heavily influenced by winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean.

The fairways are wide, but they’re firm. Many feature significant slopes and diagonal angles that make them play much narrower than they appear. And if players miss those fairways, they’ll quickly discover why Shinnecock has earned its reputation. There is a modest first cut before giving way to thick, punishing fescue rough.

Tiger Woods played his first U.S. Open here as a 19-year-old amateur in 1995 and was forced to withdraw during the second round after injuring his wrist while attempting to hit out of the rough.

While water only comes into play on one hole, Shinnecock’s 151 bunkers more than make up for it. Many of them are strategically placed and exceptionally penal.

One change since the 2018 U.S. Open is that fairway mowing lines have been moved closer to several fairway bunkers, increasing the likelihood that those hazards come into play off the tee.

The greens are a mix of poa annua and bentgrass. While they’re relatively large on average, many will play much smaller because of their firmness, elevation changes and severe slopes. Holding these greens with approach shots will be one of the week’s biggest challenges.

Around the greens, tightly mown runoffs place a premium on creativity and touch. Slight misses can leave players with delicate chips from tight lies, bunker shots, or lengthy uphill pitches after balls roll well away from the putting surfaces. In many ways, Shinnecock tests short-game skill similarly to Augusta.

The back nine typically plays slightly tougher than the front, even though the front side often faces the prevailing wind. Two holes in particular stand out.

The par-3 11th measures just 157 yards, making it the shortest hole on the course. Yet Lee Trevino famously called it the shortest par 5 in golf. The hole plays 17 feet uphill to the smallest green on the property, protected by four large bunkers cut into the hillside. Any shot that carries too far can roll down a steep embankment, leaving a difficult recovery.

Then there’s the 14th, a 520-yard par 4 that plays downhill and often downwind. Despite those advantages, it was the toughest hole during the 2018 U.S. Open, producing a scoring average of nearly 4.74.

Part of the challenge is the conflicting design. The fairway slopes from right to left while the hole doglegs slightly left to right. A fairway bunker more than 300 yards from the tee catches plenty of drives, and approach shots offer very little room for error on either side of the green.

Looking at the four modern U.S. Opens held at Shinnecock Hills provides a good indication of the test players face:

• Ray Floyd won at 1-under par in 1986, with every other player finishing over par.
• Corey Pavin won at even par in 1995.
• Retief Goosen captured the title at 4-under par in 2004.
• Brooks Koepka won at 1-over par in 2018, edging Tommy Fleetwood by a stroke.

The 2018 championship is also remembered for Phil Mickelson’s controversial decision to strike a moving ball on the putting green after becoming frustrated with the course conditions.

J.J. Spaun enters this week as the defending U.S. Open champion after winning at another demanding venue, Oakmont Country Club, last year.

Weather could play a major role. Forecasts call for dry conditions throughout the tournament, temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s, and sustained winds of 20-30 mph on Thursday. Winds are expected to remain a factor throughout the weekend, creating the firm-and-fast conditions that define great U.S. Opens.

The atmosphere should be every bit as challenging as the golf course. With Long Island hosting one of golf’s premier events, the crowds will be loud, energetic and fully engaged throughout the week.

We’ve been looking forward to Shinnecock’s return to the major championship spotlight for months, and this setup has all the ingredients to produce a classic U.S. Open. What stands out most to you about this week’s test?

Bo McBrayer on Shinnecock Hills

Carnage. Lots of it.

We talked about 2018 earlier when Brooks Koepka won at 1-over par. That was the week the greens were mowed extremely short, the wind was blowing, and there hadn’t been meaningful rainfall for months leading into the championship. Conditions became so severe that officials were watering greens during rounds because players simply couldn’t keep the ball on some of these surfaces.

Even the 157-yard par 3 11th became nearly impossible to hold when the wind picked up.

That’s what makes Shinnecock so fascinating. Even if you play perfectly, the course is still going to take its shots. It’s going to bully you. There are no real bailout areas.

The fairways are generous by U.S. Open standards. Rory McIlroy said during a scouting trip that if you miss these fairways and find the five-inch fescue, you probably deserve to be there because the landing areas are relatively wide. At the same time, he acknowledged that hitting those fairways consistently is far from easy, and any miss becomes incredibly costly.

Once you’re in the rough, holding these firm, elevated greens becomes even more difficult. And even from the fairway, players are often aiming for very small landing zones just to give themselves a reasonable chance at two-putting.

That’s why birdie percentage isn’t the statistic I’m focusing on this week. This tournament is about bogey avoidance. Double-bogey avoidance. Scrambling. Survival.

Can you survive Shinnecock? Nobody conquers Shinnecock Hills.

In my opinion, this is the toughest course in the U.S. Open rotation, and the U.S. Open already features the most demanding collection of championship venues in golf. That’s why this is one of my favorite weeks on the calendar.

You have the toughest course, the best players in the world, and four days of watching even elite golfers get pushed to their limits. By Sunday evening, one player will finally emerge from the chaos and earn the right to lift that massive trophy. I can’t wait.

One of the biggest storylines will be green speeds. Tournament officials are reportedly targeting around 12 on the Stimpmeter. If Thursday’s forecasted winds of 20-30 mph materialize, that may be difficult to maintain. Rory suggested that 11 would be about as fast as he’d want to see the greens under those conditions.

As the winds calm later in the week, though, it’s possible the speeds increase. In a perfect world, we might even see conditions approach what players faced in 2018. For me, that’s part of the entertainment.

Watching the best players in the world face a golf course that refuses to cooperate is compelling because it reminds everyone just how difficult this game really is. These players make golf look easy almost every week. They’re operating at a level most golfers can barely comprehend.

At Shinnecock, even the game’s biggest stars can look vulnerable. And that’s what makes the U.S. Open special.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

It’s time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, brought to you by Hard Rock Bet.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Patrick Reed at 49-1.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s U.S. Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Patrick Reed (+4900)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (+2150)
• Tommy Fleetwood (+2400)
• Tyrrell Hatton (+4700)
• Cameron Smith (+15000)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Hideki Matsuyama at 67-1. I couldn’t believe this price.

Bo McBrayer’s U.S. Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Hideki Matsuyama (+6700)
• Rory McIlroy (+970)
• Tommy Fleetwood (+2400)
• Justin Thomas (+4600)
• Kurt Kitayama (+7200)
• Dustin Johnson (+17500)
• Carlos Ortiz (+29000)

And that’s going to do it for this week’s BettingPros PGA Podcast.

Please join us again next week for our preview of the Travelers Championship, a Signature Event.

Until then, so long, everyone.

Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA podcast.

We are two weeks away from America’s National Championship of Golf, the U.S. Open, but this week it’s Canada’s National Championship of Golf, the RBC Canadian Open.

We’ll get into our betting preview of the Canadian Open down below, followed by our best bets for the week.

RBC Canadian Open Preview

After the small-field signature event in Ohio last week, we get a full-field event with a 36-hole cut. For the second straight year, the Canadian Open will be played at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, the North Course. The tournament typically rotates between courses, but this is the second year of what will be at least a three-year hosting stint for TPC Toronto. It’s a par 70 that will play to 7,389 yards – a fairly long course.

Players will have to reckon with six par 4s that measure 481 yards or longer, and four of those long par 4s are 500 yards or longer. There’s also a 225-yard par 3 and a 237-yard par 3. There are some shorter holes as well: a 158-yard par 3 and a 144-yard par 3. There’s also a 350-yard par 4 and a 375-yard par 4.

The only two par 5s at TPC Toronto bookend the course: the 542-yard opening hole and the 581-yard finishing hole that has a pond fronting the green. It plays a little bit like the 18th at Torrey Pines South. Not a lot of water, and there isn’t a lot of sand either. The greens are a little bigger than average and they’re a blend of poa and bentgrass.

The defending champion is Ryan Fox. He finished 18-under par at TPC Toronto last year and beat Sam Burns in a sudden-death playoff that went four holes – kind of a marathon as sudden deaths go.

The forecast this week calls for wet, breezy conditions. There are showers in the forecast for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The wind is expected to blow around 10-15 miles an hour for most of the tournament.

I have to admit, I’m still not sure which skills we should be emphasizing when handicapping the field this week, even after watching the tournament at TPC Toronto last year. What do you make of this course?

Bo McBrayer on TPC Toronto

It’s going to be pretty fair. I like the disparity between the challenging par 4s and the bookending par 5s, but the getable par 4s are mixed in there. It’s just a really nice, balanced golf course. With rain in the forecast and not a lot of wind, I think we’re going lower scoring this time. There’s some more birdie-or-better percentage involved here. There’s also less scrambling, even though I do think the greenside bunkers are well and strategically placed, so you do want to have some sand saves mixed in there.

Based on last year with Burns and Fox being in the playoff, you would assume that driving distance does hold some sort of advantage. Both of those guys were lashing it out there 340. That’s going to be in the equation, but it’s still essentially a second-shot golf course as most of them are. So a lot of approach weight there – strokes gained on approach, and then proximity at 150-200 yards for most of them, but you do also want to include the 200+ bucket as well. Putting on the mix of bent and poa is also important here.

I think it’s a pretty balanced approach. I didn’t really focus in too heavily on any category specifically. I just kind of moved my weights around on some basic categories within that last 24-rounds window that I usually do.

So there’s really nothing specific about this course that you’re honing in on. You just want to make sure you get the hottest golfers who typically hit it a little longer and are good on approach. That kind of breaks it down pretty well. In a field like this, where there’s a couple big names and the rest are your full-field event guys, I think we might get some surprises.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

Now it’s time for the Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Wyndham Clark at 26-1. I’m riding the hot hand.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s RBC Canadian Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Wyndham Clark (+2600)
• Kristoffer Reitan (+3200)
• Eric Cole (+4700)
• Mac Meissner (+6500)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+9800)
• Andrew Putnam (+10500)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Michael Brennan at 53-1.

I think Brennan’s got so much firepower – I can’t wait to see him put it all together. It might not be this week, but I just have that gut instinct that the talent usually wins out. It’s a long golf course with moisture on the ground. These guys are all going to be taking dead aim. Let’s see what the kid’s got.

Bo McBrayer’s RBC Canadian Open Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Michael Brennan (+5300)
• Sam Burns (+1325)
• Wyndham Clark (+2400)
• Mac Meissner (+6500)
• Rico Hoey (+6900)
• Jackson Suber (+18500) & Top 20

Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA podcast.

We’re about to give you a full betting preview of the 2026 Memorial Tournament. It’s a signature event played on a terrific course. It should be a lot of fun.

 

Memorial Tournament Preview

The 2026 Memorial Tournament is a signature event, so it’s always going to be tier one. It’s going to have a field of 72 players this year and there will be a cut in this one. Top 50 plus ties will play into the weekend, or anyone within 10 shots of the lead after Friday’s round.

As always, the Memorial Tournament will be played at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. It’s ‘Jack’s Place’, designed by Ohio native Jack Nicklaus. Muirfield Village is a great test of golf. It’s a par 72 measuring 7,569 yards. It’s a pretty good tune-up for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills coming up in a few weeks.

The fairways at Muirfield Village are generous – much wider than we’ll see at a U.S. Open. But otherwise, Muirfield Village does play a lot like a U.S. Open venue. It’s long. It has extremely thick Kentucky bluegrass rough. Missing these wide fairways could be very costly. Its bentgrass greens are extremely firm and extremely fast.

The best players in the world are going to have their short games put to the test this week. It’s one of the toughest scrambling courses on the Tour. Driving is going to be critical, too. You have to find fairways because the rough at Muirfield Village is so gnarly and you need to be able to spin the ball to hold these greens.

Distance is also critical because it really helps if you can come in with nice high approach shots. It’s tough to hold these greens with long irons. Seven of the ten par 4s at Muirfield Village are 455 yards or longer. The opening hole is 490 yards. The two closing par fours are 503 yards and 480 yards. That’s not fair.

The Par 3s are pretty long as well. Three of them are 200 yards or longer. The other is 180 yards over water in what’s supposed to be sort of a replica hole of Rae’s Creek No. 12, except Jack made it longer. It’s 180 yards instead of 150-ish.

Yeah, it’s designed after it, but it’s Jack’s hole 12. Jack’s hole 12 looks like Augusta hole 12 if they put the tee boxes way back where they allow the patrons to sit.

And speaking of Jack, the course does favor players who work the ball from left to right. Not surprising since Jack liked to hit the high fade and Jack’s course is often set up best for that ball flight.

The two-time defending Memorial champion is none other than Scottie Scheffler. Scottie finished 10-under last year to win by four shots. Scheffler also won in 2024. He was 8-under par that year, beating Collin Morikawa by one stroke. Viktor Hovland won the Memorial in 2023. He finished 7-under par and beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff. Billy Horschel won in 2022 with a score of 13-under par. Patrick Cantlay was also 13-under par when he won here in 2021, beating Collin Morikawa in a playoff. For Morikawa, he’s always a bridesmaid at the Memorial.

Temperatures are going to be in the low 80s this week in Dublin, with mostly sunny conditions Thursday and Friday. Got some rain possibilities on Saturday and some greater rain possibilities Sunday. Winds are expected to blow under 10 miles per hour every day except Saturday, when conditions could be slightly breezier.

Bo McBrayer on Muirfield Village

It’s the whole bag. I mean, driving is important here, of course, but we have seen 70 to 75% made fairway rate at this golf course. The fairways are ample and you have to be in position to attack approach shots. If you’re missing these wide fairways, you have no chance to hold these greens.

Strokes gained off the tee is really important. Driving distance is helpful. But mainly, second, third, and fourth shots on this golf course are paramount. If you’re in the fairway, you have a chance to hit into some of the most challenging greens on Tour, bar none. They’re sloped, they’re fast, they’re not receptive. Even if you’re coming from the fairway, if we don’t get any precipitation, you’re going to see some frustrated guys not be able to hold their landing spot.

That being said, it’s still a second-shot golf course. Recovery and scrambling when you do inevitably miss some of these greens, and then putting on really fast bentgrass greens. A lot of this is kind of modeled after Augusta, not just the 12th hole, but the way this course is routed favors Jack Nicklaus’s style of play. Left to right, high ball flight. You have to be able to play like Jack to win at Jack’s Place.

And it’s no wonder that he had so much success at Augusta with the same ball flight, the same everything. Everything’s fast, bentgrass, all the short game demands, wide fairways that you still don’t want to miss.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

Now it’s time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the week is Ben Griffin at 40-1. I’m going to keep riding the Ben Griffin Express.

He was hot at around the same time last year, now he’s heating up again.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Memorial Tournament Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Ben Griffin (+4000)
• Ben Griffin Top 5 (+700)
• Ludvig Åberg (+1600)
• Hideki Matsuyama (+4600)
• Nick Taylor (+10500)
• Nick Taylor Top 10 (+520)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Best Bet of the Week is Sam Burns at 46-1. I think he’s just a slightly better overall player than Ben Griffin. Maybe not as hot. But I do like the odds there. 46-1 for a guy who’s going to putt the lights out, hopefully.

If he can get on approach nice and close, this is going to be the kind of event where Burns’ abilities kind of make up for his room-for-improvement areas like approach. I think he’s done so much better on approach this season that we’re starting to see the full game of Sam Burns come around.

Bo McBrayer’s Memorial Tournament Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Sam Burns (+4600)
• Scottie Scheffler Outright + Griffin Top 10 (+1400)
• Ben Griffin (+4000)
• Mav McNealy (+5700)
• Mac Meissner (+11500)
• Michael Kim (+18500)

Welcome back to the BettingPros PGA Podcast. I’m Pat Fitzmaurice, joined as always by Bo McBrayer.

We’ve got a betting preview of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club on tap for today.

Charles Schwab Challenge Preview

The 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge is going to have a full field of 133 players. A lot of the big names are skipping this one. Local boys Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, who played in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson last week, are sitting out this week.

The Charles Schwab Challenge will be played at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, which has been hosting a PGA Tour event every year since 1946.

The players who entered the Byron Nelson last week don’t have very far to go since that event was held in the Dallas suburbs. Colonial is a par 70 measuring 7,289 yards. Distance off the tee definitely takes a backseat to accuracy at Colonial. Players want to give themselves the best possible angle of attack with their approach shots on this course.

Colonial has narrow, tree-lined fairways. Some of the par 4s and par 5s are doglegs, and players are going to be hitting into smaller-than-average bentgrass greens. The greens at Colonial are typically pretty firm. They run fast, so it’s not going to be easy to hit fairways or greens this week. Accuracy off the tee and touch on the greens are going to be very important.

There are only two par 5s on the entire course. One is the 581-yard opening hole. If you want to score at Colonial, you best birdie at least one of the first two holes. The second hole is a short par 4. Then you run into the Horrible Horseshoe: holes 3, 4, and 5 – three of the four toughest holes at Colonial.

The 3rd and 5th holes are long par 4s measuring 475 and 476 yards. The fourth hole is a brutish 248-yard par 3. Yikes. I’d be hitting driver. I’d be hitting at least a two-iron hybrid. Probably a three-wood, though.

Bottom line: Colonial and TPC Craig Ranch are both shorter-than-average Texas courses, but they are nothing alike. Colonial should be a much tougher test than Craig Ranch was.

Ben Griffin won the Charles Schwab Challenge last year. He finished 12-under par and beat Matti Schmid by one stroke. Davis Riley was a runaway winner here in 2024, finishing 14-under par to win by five. Emiliano Grillo won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2023, finishing 8-under par and beating Adam Schenk in a playoff. Sam Burns won this tournament in 2022. He was 9-under par and beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff.

It’s going to be hot in Texas this week. Temperatures are expected to top out in the low 90s for the first two days of the tournament. It’ll be in the 80s on the weekend.

The forecast looks mostly dry, with some thunderstorm possibilities on Sunday. Wind should be light to moderate all four days.

Bo McBrayer on Colonial Country Club

It’s just a basic formula of keeping the ball in the short grass.

If you miss the fairways here, you’re going to be out of position where you won’t be able to hold the greens with enough spin if you’re playing out of the rough. These are the third-most narrow fairways on the PGA Tour at 27 yards average width. That means very concise tee shots are going to be required so that you can attack these pins, which are going to be tucked on small greens that run fast.

It’s just a simple test of ball striking. And if you can solve that formula of finding the fairway and then attacking those pin placements from the fairway, you can make birdies here. There’s not going to be that many of them, but you can score well.

But the guys who can’t find the fairways, and then also can’t get the ball close to the hole, they’re going to be trying to avoid bogeys and double bogeys. Those stats come into play this week because the challenge is there. It’s going to test every bit of ball striking that each one of these players has.

I’m going to be looking for the guys who, A, can get off the tee in good position, and then B, can hit the ball close from between 125 and 200 yards because 82% of the approach shots will be sub-200 yards. That’s going to be a big thing – just how accurate are you on approach, and can you put yourself in position to execute that?

Five-under par through two rounds at the Byron Nelson did not get you into the weekend. Five-under through two rounds here, you’re the leader.

You’re in the hunt, definitely. That’s two very good rounds of golf here.

Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week

Now it’s time for our Hard Rock Best Bets of the Week, presented by Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook. Here are our favorite bets.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Best Bet

My Hard Rock Bet of the Week is Pierceson Coody at 39-1. He’s a Texas native, born and bred in Plano, and has fared well at Colonial in recent years. Coody’s strokes gained metrics are pretty good on this course, especially in the putting category.

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Charles Schwab Challenge Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Pierceson Coody (+3900)
• Ben Griffin (+2500)
• Sungjae Im (+4400)
• Emiliano Grillo (+11000)
• Davis Riley (+43000)

Bo McBrayer’s Best Bet

I’m gonna go with Tony Finau, 67-1. It’s a surprise pick even for me, but I have a feeling that Tony is going to show up this week.

67-1 for a guy that’s that good from tee to green, I will take it and hope that he can find that groove that he’s capable of.

Bo McBrayer’s Charles Schwab Challenge Picks

• Hard Rock Best Bet: Tony Finau (+6700)
• Justin Thomas (+2600)
• Keegan Bradley (+3200)
• Emiliano Grillo (+11000)
• Karl Vilips (+14000)
• Paul Peterson (+52500)