Power Rankings: Can anyone dethrone Austin Smotherman at Austin Championship?

Process. Process. Process.

Every sports psychologist will hammer that message home to any touring professional who needs the reminder to focus on it instead of the destination, especially as the conclusion of the PGA Tour season approaches. But c’mon, even the mental skills coaches can’t disagree that the destinations where their clients find themselves make it difficult not to stare. Literally.

After a week in Bermuda and a fortnight along western coastlines of Mexico, all veritable paradises, the circuit returns to the rugged splendor of the Hill Country in Texas for the inaugural Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions. It’s the penultimate stop on the 2026 FedExCup Fall schedule.

What the field of 120 can expect from the Fazio Canyons Course at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, how Mother Nature could play a role in determining the outcome this week and more details are laid out beneath the ranking of those projected to contend.

The Tour returns to Austin, Texas, for the first time since Sam Burns prevailed in the last edition of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in March 2023. Surprisingly, particularly to Burns, he hasn’t captured another victory anywhere since. And he won’t again this week as he’s not among the commits, but he’ll remain the most recent winner at Austin Country Club regardless of this week’s outcome.

Fazio Canyons is new to the PGA Tour. It opened in 1999, and it’s one of four courses contributing to the lineup at Barton Creek, two of which were designed by Tom Fazio. (Fazio Foothills is the other.) The stock par 72 that serves as the stage for the Austin Championship underwent a renovation in 2022 that lasted seven months. What was originally intended to be an update to the bunkers evolved into a wide-ranging project that yielded new tees, greens and irrigation on the course. Amenities outside the ropes also were improved for members and visitors alike.

The outcome of Fazio’s recent work allows Canyons to stretch to 7,451 yards. Not that the PGA Tour entirely touches the tips of any course it utilizes, but it’d defeat the purpose of Fazio’s philosophy, anyway. He balances nicely in elevating accuracy while still rewarding exceptional accuracy with distance off the tee, as any proper test should. Similarly, sizable greens appear welcoming, all the while undulations that reduce the targets into subsets of their visuals await in judgment of descending approaches. It’s not about not having the opportunity to score; it’s about being precise while employing strategy that best suits the toolbox unique to the talent. In other words, it’s fair and it’s consistent.

Bermudagrass blankets the property. The lushest of the rough stands a little over two inches high, while the greens are ready to roll to 12.5 feet as measured by the Stimpmeter.

Of course, this is Texas, where wind rules. But all things considered, locals likely would cite that it won’t be too breezy. Golfers will gauge it for themselves. In fact, natives of the Lone Star State wouldn’t mind if it kicked up a bit. That’s what they know best and it could be a timely edge. Still, threats are limited to occasional northerly gusts on Thursday and a slightly stronger sustained push out of the south on the weekend as the possibility of rain enters the chat. The latter is the prevailing direction, or at least it’s closer to it. After seasonable highs in the 70s across the first three days, Sunday’s finale is unlikely to escape the mid-60s.

Scant course history in the ranks will largely be limited to products of the University of Texas. The Longhorns occasionally prep at Fazio Canyons, which also doubles as a handy asset for recruiting. However, given the unfamiliarity with the greens, ball-strikers – those comfy in the wind and otherwise – convene on the inside lane until all have logged valuable feels with their putters.

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: Expert Picks; Sleepers*; Top 100 Watch

SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Qualifiers

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