With a new season comes a new evolution for Expert Picks. Below are picks and analysis for both betting and fantasy, as fans have new updates to the PGA TOUR Fantasy Game, including in-tournament rostering features, in 2026. Each week our panel of experts will offer picks and analysis for the fantasy game, including insight on who will captain their roster for extra points. Users can submit their rosters via PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf.

Our Golfbet experts will also share betting picks that have caught their eye.

How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters, including a captain, and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four segments.

Aside from the expert insight below, Golfbet's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field in this week's edition of the Power Rankings.

Best bets

WILL GRAY (Senior Manager, TOUR & Golfbet Editorial & Distribution)

• Nico Echavarria - Top 10 (+475): The playoff runner-up last year is back in Hawaii hot on the heels of a fall stretch that included three top-15 finishes in his last four starts.
• Johnny Keefer - Top 20 (+280): The top player from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 should start the new year in a big way at Waialae.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior Content Manager, Golfbet)

• Corey Conners - Top 10 (+320): A consistent driver of the golf ball who holds his weight in all other categories. He had two good finishes here in 2022 and 2023.
• 72-hole matchup - MacIntyre (-110) over Morikawa: Bobby Mac starts out a good season with a good finish.

JIMMY REINMAN (Digital Content Manager)

• Johnny Keefer - Top 10 (+500): After barnstorming his way through the TOUR pathways, Keefer takes his talents to the big time this season. Coming off a T7 at The RSM Classic in his last start, where he would have finished T4 if he hadn't bogeyed the final hole. Look to get on him early before he goes mainstream.
• Matt McCarty - Top 20 (+190): Akin to my thinking with Matsuyama, McCarty is a volatile pick who thrives in that 150-200 yard approach range. He also struggles with par 5s, of which there are only two, and makes his hay on par 3s.

THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below.

Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the "LEAGUES" tab. Then click on "JOIN A LEAGUE," and then search the "PGA TOUR Experts league."

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