The FedExCup Fall slate is winding down as the PGA Tour heads to Texas for the inaugural 2026 Austin Championship. It's being held at the Fazio Canyons Course at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa for the first time, with the tournament beginning on Thursday morning in Austin, Texas. Below, we look at Austin Championship odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Doug Ghim is the co-favorite to win this week, coming in with outright odds of +1600. That's tied with Jackson Koivun, slightly ahead of last week's champion in Mexico, Blades Brown (+2000). Because this is the first time this tournament is being played, there is no defending champion, and no one has any course history.
The Fazio Canyons Course (par 72) is 7,451 yards long and
features water hazards that protect greens and make tee shots more difficult. Trees line the course, as well, forcing players to properly position themselves off the tee in order to have good looks into the greens.
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Austin Championship – Expert picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 4:18 p.m. ET.
Doug Ghim (+1600)
Ghim has been so close to winning a fall event this year, finishing second once and sixth in another start, with nothing worse than T-17 in 4 starts. He leads all players in the field in SG: tee-to-green over the last 20 rounds, gaining 1.56 shots on his competitors.
Jordan Smith (+3000)
Smith has 2 top-10s in his last 4 starts on the PGA Tour, including a T-8 last week at the World Wide Technology Championship. He's fifth among players in the field in SG: tee-to-green in his last 20 rounds, which is evidence of how well he's been striking the ball.
Austin Championship picks – Contenders
Ben Kohles (+4500)
Kohles can't get the putter going, losing strokes on the greens in his last 20 rounds, but he's been great with his irons. He's seventh in SG: approach in his last 20 rounds and has 5 straight top-25 finishes.
Jackson Suber (+6000)
Among 113 players, Suber ranks 111th in SG: putting in his last 20 rounds. That's quite bad. But he's third in SG: approach over that same stretch and sixth in SG: tee-to-green, so ball-striking isn't the least bit a concern.
Alvaro Ortiz (+6000)
Ortiz has played well in his last 2 PGA Tour starts, highlighted by his T-6 last week in Mexico. No one in the field is gaining more strokes around the greens than Ortiz, so he'll find ways to make par after missing greens.
Austin Championship picks – Long shots
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+8000)
Neergaard-Petersen is 12th in SG: approach in his last 20 rounds and though he's finished progressively lower on the leaderboard in his last 3 starts, this is a second-shot course and his approach prowess will make him a quality contender.
Golfweek:
- 2026 Austin Championship: How much does each golfer get in Texas?
- How to watch the 2026 Austin Championship: TV, streaming, dates, how to watch
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 odds, picks and PGA Tour predictions
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