Expert Picks: Ride with recent FedExCup Fall winners at Austin Championship

The PGA Tour Fantasy Game concluded for the season at the Tour Championship and is set to return for the start of 2027. For the eight FedExCup Fall events, fans of PGA Tour betting can now see tips and picks for different markets from Golfbet contributors. Each week, our experts will make picks for an outright tournament winner as well as other matchups they like the look of.

Aside from the expert insight below, Golfbet's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at the inaugural Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions in this week's edition of the Power Rankings.

Best bets

WILL GRAY (Senior manager, Tour and Golfbet editorial, distribution)

Winner

• Blades Brown (+2150, DraftKings): If Austin Smotherman can do it, why not Brown? A breakthrough winner last week in Mexico, the 19-year-old will have nothing to lose in Austin. It’s a dangerous mindset for the other combatants in the field, given the form he flashed on Sunday.

Props

• Austin Smotherman, Top 10 (+325, DraftKings): Ride the hot hand. Not sure he’ll become the first to win three straight starts since 2017, but he’ll come close.
• Pierceson Coody (-112, DraftKings) over Kristoffer Ventura: Back the Longhorn over the Cowboy (Oklahoma State) in Austin. Coody has made four of five cuts this fall, finished T6 just two weeks ago and will enjoy a boost from the burnt orange crowds this week.

ROB BOLTON (Fantasy Insider)

Winner

• Austin Smotherman (+3800, DraftKings): I was all set to gush over the No. 1 in my Power Rankings, Blades Brown (+2150), but then I spotted the No. 2 outside the top 10 in the outright market, so he gets the nod on value, but he’s also gone win-win in his last two starts. Cue Rodney Dangerfield...

Props

• Blades Brown, Doug Ghim and Jackson Koivun, Top 20 parlay (+560, DraftKings): They’re the three shortest to win, but they’re also inside the top 10 of my Power Rankings, so when we’re considering floors, this leaves room for the margin of error. Looping in Ghim also introduces the University of Texas connection, an intangible force that I didn’t want to ignore.
• Seamus Power, Top 10 (+350, DraftKings): For a guy who’s proven to be streaky throughout his career, he’s entirely on brand right now. The No. 5 in my Power Rankings delivered a top 10 in his last two starts and in three of his last four. He also scored under par in all 15 of his rounds in the FedExCup Fall, 13 of which were sub-70.

MIKE GLASSCOTT (Golfbet contributor)

Winner

• Chris Kirk (+3000, DraftKings): I'm going to saddle up on a veteran ball-striker on the Fazio Canyons Course. Kirk has produced T21 or better in all four FedExCup Fall starts. A "new" layout should favor those who excel from tee to green. Let's ride!

Props

• Doug Ghim, Top 5 including ties (+340, DraftKings): I know some of my cohorts will have winning tickets on the former Longhorn, but I am comfortable here. Getting it over the line for the first time is never easy. His form has been excellent for months. It should continue this week after a solo second and a T6 in two of his last three events.
• Karl Vilips, First Round Leader (+6600, DraftKings): He set the pace at VidantaWorld with 62 and followed with 66 last week at El Cardonal. He sits 27th this season in Round 1 Scoring and has peeled off six straight opening rounds in the 60s.

JAKE LAZARUS (Digital content associate)

Winner

• Doug Ghim (+1900, DraftKings): This is a home game for Ghim, a Texas alum, and the Fazio Canyons Course suits his strengths. He has excelled off the tee and on approach, particularly this fall, with top-20 finishes in all four of his starts, including a runner-up in Utah. Now is the perfect time for a breakthrough win.

Props

• Ben Kohles, Top 20 (+154, DraftKings): Kohles has cashed this bet in four of his five starts this fall. The lone miss came last week at El Cardonal, mostly because of one bad Moving Day round. I’m still on the Kohles train because of his elite ball-striking, and I may sprinkle a little on him to win (+4200) this week.
• Neal Shipley (-112, FanDuel) over Max Homa, 72-hole matchup: Homa is exempt through 2028 as a tournament winner, while Shipley is playing for his job this fall. Homa has teed it up just three times this fall, and his best result, a T13, came in Japan against a limited field. Shipley is coming off a tough week at World Wide Technology, but if he can hone in on his approach play, his elite driving (No. 1 on Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee) could be a massive factor.