The fall season is almost ending as the PGA Tour heads to Texas for the 2026 Austin Championship
. It's the inaugural playing of this tournament, which is being held at Fazio Canyons Course at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. It's the first time the Fazio Canyons Course is hosting a PGA Tour event, and the world will get a good look at it when the event begins on Thursday morning.Below, we search for the best value prop bets for the Austin Championship and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Jackson Koivun is in search of his second PGA Tour win and he enters the week as the tournament favorite at +1400. Doug Ghim (+1600) is a close second, followed by last week's champion, Blades Brown, at +2000. There are 500 FedExCup
points up for grabs, which are crucial for players looking to earn full status for next season.
The Fazio Canyons Course is playing at 7,451 yards. It's a par 72 with plenty of water hazards and holes that are outlined by trees, so it's essential that players are accurate off the tee in order to find the proper side of the fairway in order to attack these greens.
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Austin Championship – Top-5 picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 12:13 p.m. ET.
Doug Ghim (+320)
Ghim has been one of the best players without a win this fall, so it's a good time to bet on him again before the season runs out. He's already come in second and sixth, finishing in the top 17 in all 4 of his starts. At a course where no one has any professional experience, his field-leading 1.56 SG: tee-to-green in the last 20 rounds is reason to ride him.
Jordan Smith (+550)
Smith is coming off a T-8 at the World Wide Technology Championship last week, which was his second top-10 finish in his last 4 starts. It's an even weaker field this week, so he could really contend come Sunday.
Austin Championship: Best outright winners
Austin Championship – Top-10 picks
Ben Kohles (+375)
Kohles has come in the top 25 in 5 straight starts, so while he would be a good bet for a top-20, we'll show even more confidence in him by taking him for a top-10 finish. Only 6 players in the field this week have gained more strokes on approach than he has in the last 20 rounds.
Jackson Suber (+450)
Suber is striking his irons great, ranking third in SG: approach in his last 20 rounds. The problem is, he's making absolutely nothing on the greens, ranking 111th in SG: putting over his last 20 rounds.
Austin Championship – Top-20 picks
Alvaro Ortiz (+250)
Ortiz has come in 34th and sixth in his last 2 starts, both of which were in Mexico. His short game is excellent, ranking first in SG: around the greens over his last 20 rounds, so if the ball striking fails, he'll find ways to make up-and-down to save par.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+275)
Neergaard-Petersen doesn't have a top-20 in 3 starts this fall, with his best finish being T-23, but he's a great approach player. He's gained the 12th-most strokes of any player in the field in his last 20 rounds on approach shots, which is a key metric at a second-shot course like this one.
Austin Championship – Matchups
Suggested play is golfer in bold.
Jordan Smith (+105) vs. Blades Brown (-135)
Brown is coming off a win, yes, but Smith's odds are much longer than they should be for a guy playing as well as he has been.
Austin Championship – Top Dane
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (-118)
Rasmus Hojgaard is the only other Dane in the field, with his odds being -105 in this market. Neergaard-Petersen's approach play makes him a better pick in this matchup, especially after Hojgaard missed the cut in 2 of his last 3 starts.
Austin Championship – First-round leader
Ben Kohles (+5000)
Kohles leads the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average (67.63) and comes into the week in great form with 5 straight top-25 finishes.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Follow Cameron DaSilva on X at @camdasilva. Follow SportsbookWire on X at SportsBookWire and on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: 2026 Austin Championship prop bet picks and PGA Tour predictions
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