Updated September 15, 2026
The PGA Tour begins its 2026 FedExCup Fall schedule with a brand-new stop as the Biltmore Championship Asheville runs from September 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in North Carolina. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course has never hosted a PGA Tour event, removing the course-history advantage bettors normally have at this point in the season. With Justin Thomas withdrawing before tournament week and many of the Tour’s biggest names sitting this event out, the outright market is wide open.
Jackson Koivun Is the Favorite
The latest DraftKings outright board lists Koivun at +1325 and Jacob Bridgeman at +1850, with James at +2450 alongside a deeper group of contenders. There is plenty to like about Koivun as a player, especially after his breakthrough victory at the 3M Open. The problem is the price. His next three PGA Tour starts produced finishes of T31, T29, and T24. He remains one of the highest-upside golfers in this field, but +1325 demands considerably more certainty than his recent results provide.
Ben James Is Our Pick
James sits in a much better part of the board. His professional sample remains relatively small, yet his results since June have established that he can contend against PGA Tour competition. James finished T23 at the U.S. Open, T15 at the ISCO Championship, T4 at the Corales Puntacana Championship, and 3rd at the Wyndham Championship. That Wyndham performance was especially notable, as he opened with a 62 and closed with a 61 to finish at 18-under.
Recommended Prediction:
Ben James to Win
Current Market Price:
+2450
Model Win Probability:
8.00%
Market-Implied Probability:
3.92%
Model Edge:
4.08%
Buy Up To:
+1800
Model Trade Confidence:
74/100
Why Our Model Sees Value:
“The market still appears to be pricing James partly on his limited PGA Tour résumé rather than the quality of his recent golf. His latest start produced a 3rd-place finish at the Wyndham Championship, and he has already posted four top-25 finishes in eight PGA Tour starts this season. His positive strokes-gained numbers across every major category make him less dependent on one part of his game than several golfers priced ahead of him. At +2450, James is being priced as a secondary contender even though his recent performance and statistics put him much closer to the top tier of this field.”
The inaugural Biltmore Championship has a 132-player field, with the low 65 players and ties advancing after 36 holes. The purse is $5 million, including $900,000 for the winner, and the event opens the FedExCup Fall portion of the schedule.
Thomas was originally expected to give the tournament another established star, but his withdrawal leaves Koivun and Bridgeman at the head of the market, and leaves the market wide open for those making golf betting predictions. Koivun earned his first PGA Tour victory at the 3M Open in July and remains one of the most naturally talented golfers in the field. Bridgeman has an even stronger full-season résumé, including his Genesis Invitational victory and a spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup roster.
Bridgeman's biggest weapon has been his putter. He ranks first in Strokes Gained: Putting for the 2026 season, helping him convert plenty of average approach opportunities into birdies. There is a possible concern for this specific course, though. His approach numbers are much less impressive than his putting numbers, particularly from beyond 200 yards. That distinction could matter significantly at Walnut Cove.
Davis Thompson is another golfer worth respecting near the top of the board. Thompson ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Approach and seventh in greens in regulation, giving him one of the strongest iron profiles in the field. His putting, however, has cost him strokes this season. Corey Conners remains a high-level ball-striker as well, although his short game and putting numbers have been far less convincing in 2026.
James lands between those extremes. He does not have Bridgeman's elite putting numbers or Koivun's PGA Tour victory, but there is no obvious statistical weakness that has to disappear for him to contend.
His ability to score is also important in an event that could produce plenty of birdies. Several of Walnut Cove's par 5s are reachable for much of this field, and James has already shown he can keep pace in low-scoring events. His T4 at Corales came at 18-under, while his 3rd-place Wyndham finish also came at 18-under.
James does not need to be the most likely winner for +2450 to be valuable. He simply needs to win more often than the market's 3.92% break-even point. My projection clears that number by more than 4%, making him the best outright price on my board entering tournament week.
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove will play as a par 71 measuring 7,249 yards. Opened in 2005, the Jack Nicklaus Signature design presents an unusual scorecard featuring four par 5s, five par 3s, and only nine par 4s. That layout changes the statistical priorities.
Three of the four par 5s measure 541 yards or shorter, while the 17th stretches to 568 yards. Asheville's elevation should make those holes play somewhat shorter than their listed numbers, increasing the importance of par-5 scoring and the ability to generate birdie opportunities with longer clubs.
The par 3s could be more demanding. Four of the five measure at least 199 yards, including the 246-yard second hole and 225-yard 14th. Long-iron performance should therefore carry considerably more weight than it does at a typical PGA Tour venue.
For this setup, I am weighting approach play, long-iron performance, par-5 scoring, greens in regulation, and recent scoring form more heavily than raw driving distance. James checks enough of those boxes to warrant serious consideration, particularly at a price much longer than Koivun and Bridgeman.
The lack of course history also creates more uncertainty than usual, which is another reason I would rather take +2450 on James than pay +1325 for Koivun. The favorite deserves respect, but his number leaves little room for error. James offers almost twice the payout while arriving with a 3rd-place finish in his latest start and a statistical background that makes sense for Walnut Cove.
