Power Rankings: Biltmore Championship Asheville

Eight more chances.

Three weeks after Scottie Scheffler captured the 20th FedExCup title – and his second – the FedExCup Fall responds with an octet of opportunities across the next 10 weeks. While PGA Tour members who qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs are eligible to tee it up throughout the series, the season-ending push presents the time and space for those who haven’t yet secured Tour membership in 2027.

Of course, each stop first serves as another chance to win. As membership resets for the final stretch, it’s fitting that it opens on a neutral field and with an inaugural event.

This week’s Biltmore Championship Asheville hosts 132 golfers at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove at elevation in WNC. That’s Western North Carolina if you needed the assist. Details of the idyllic backdrop in the Pisgah National Forest, the secondary objective in play and more are laid out beneath those projected to contend.

With annual visits to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte and Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, and with occasional drop-in at none other than Pinehurst No. 2, North Carolina delivers in professional golf, but it’s been 84 years since Asheville has been the stage for the PGA Tour. In what was known at the time as the Asheville “Land of the Sky” Open, Ben Hogan in 1942 prevailed in the last of six tournaments contested in the area (dating back to 1922). In fact, Hogan won the last three in consecutive years.

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove was designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus. It opened in 2005. It’s a par 71 with five par 3s, three of which are on the outward par 35. It also has the full boat of four par 5s, the last two of which line up as Nos. 15 and 17 along the 7,249-yard stroll.

Bentgrass blankets the fairways and greens (with a blend of Poa annua). The rough consists of bluegrass. More on it in a moment.

Situated about 10 miles south-southeast of downtown Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the track sits at about 2,200 feet above sea level, so modest calculations for balls in the air will be necessary. There’s a nice balance of narrow and wide fairways. Nicklaus loves to test the best, but one of his signatures is to make it harder nearer the hole, so the field is, uh, treated to both. Also, and customarily, the largest of the greens are on the par 3s where putting will be at a premium. Meanwhile, as they often do on unfamiliar properties (to PGA Tour membership, at least), the other 13 holes will reward ball-striking until the guys find the pulse of the greens.

The mystery of a new challenge will reward caddies best at advance scouting, but it won’t require expertise to advise steering clear of the lushest of the rough. It’s been prepped to reach half a foot. With the smaller targets on approach on the par 4s and par 5s, it’ll behoove all participants to keep the ball entirely visible. Some hitters will leverage long drives into short irons at times, but there’s considerable strategy in taking what The Cliffs gives.

There also will be temptation to go hard to take care of business sooner rather than later. The pressure of finishing inside the top 100 of the FedExCup to snag a 2027 PGA Tour card won’t be felt in earnest until maybe November. And with only 11 guys who qualified for the Playoffs committed, there will be more space to perform well relative to others. At least that’s the natural perspective.

The standard distribution of FedExCup points applies. So, 500 are rewarded for the winner, 300 for solo second and so on. The cut remains low 65 and ties at the conclusion of two rounds. The champion will earn $900,000 of the total prize fund of $5 million. He’ll also secure exemptions into the 2027 editions of THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA Championship, as well as a membership exemption as a winner through at least 2028.

The first leg of the FedExCup Fall actually is the last PGA Tour event of the astronomical summer. This isn’t lost on Mother Nature, who will dish out another potent dose of warm and humid air in these climes. Daytime temperatures will creep into the upper 80s. Light winds are expected all week despite threats of inclement weather on Friday and Sunday.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATour.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. Refer to the timing of his contributions below. He’s also active as @RobBoltonGolf on X, where you can connect with him.

• MONDAY: Power Rankings
• TUESDAY: Sleepers*
• SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Qualifiers

* – Sign up now for content found exclusively in “The Early Card” newsletter, arriving to your inbox each Tuesday.