Thank you to the PGA Tour for giving us time to breathe after the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup picks being finalized before jumping back into the normal(ish) swing of things.
The Tour returns this week with the Procore Championship, the start of the FedEx Cup Fall series of events. Before jumping into this week's rankings, two quick thoughts on the last few weeks in men's professional golf. One, I was absolutely right about the Tommy Fleetwood win in Atlanta, and two, Keegan Bradley made the right call not picking himself for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Now, let's focus on the Procore. While these fall events don't typically boast the strongest fields, this year strays from the trend, as 10 of the 12 members of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team that are eligible to play this week are teeing it up at Silverado Resort in Napa.
The only ones not playing are Xander Schauffele, who's opting to rest, and Bryson DeChambeau, who obviously can't play due to his status with LIV Golf.
Scottie Scheffler, perhaps most notably, is playing at Silverado Resort for the first time in his career, meaning many more eyeballs than usual will be watching this week.
Silverado is not the biggest ballpark in the world, clocking in at just over 7,100 yards as a par-72. While the North Course has some of the tightest fairways found on Tour, the rough is not overly penal. Low numbers are out there, as the worst winning score since the tourney moved to Napa in 2014 was 14-under in 2018 from Kevin Tway. Patton Kizzire won here a year ago at 20-under.
Strong putting performance and above-average driving distance are going to be the biggest factors for success this week, so let's see if we can kick off the FedEx Fall with one of our picks here.
Honorable Mentions: Matt McCarty, William Mouw, Michael Thorbjornsen, Sami Valimaki, Kris Ventura
9. Akshay Bhatia
Coming off his best career FedEx Cup finish, Akshay Bhatia is coming into the Procore Championship with a lot of confidence. The lefty closed out his season strong with a T6 at the FedEx St. Jude and a T13 at the Tour Championship. His irons have always been the strength of his play, but if Bhatia can find a strong week with the putter, he should be right in the mix come Sunday.
8. Cameron Champ
This week feels like the clearest "Cam Champ goes low in Round 1, then flattens out the rest of the tournament, and turns in a pedestrian T13 as his final result" I have ever seen. The driving and putting mix that Champ possesses fits perfectly for Silverado this week. While there are a lot of big names that Champ is going to have to contend with, his T9 at the Canadian Open a few months back feels like the perfect script for him to follow this week.
7. Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay almost being named FedEx Cup champion for a season in which he only had five top-10 finishes, zero wins, and missed three out of four cuts at the majors is everything I hate about the rule changes the Tour made.
That being said, a strong Cantlay performance this week wouldn't surprise me in the least. He started to find his form again after the U.S. Open, and the playoffs marked the best stretch of play Cantlay had in 2025 outside of his TGL performance. Pat the Hat doesn't excite me, but his talent is undeniable.
6. Justin Thomas
A T7 finish at the Tour Championship helped salvage a somewhat disappointing summer for Thomas, where he only found one other top-10 finish. We know JT is going to be ready for the raucous crowds at Bethpage at the end of the month, but he needs to find some form this week to be a major player at the Ryder Cup.
Silverado is the best spot for Thomas this week, where he has finished in the top 10 in four straight appearances. JT likes the course, the course likes him, and this week could be the confidence boost he needs for the Ryder Cup.
5. Jackson Koivun
Jackson Koivun is going to be a player to watch over the next year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him work his way onto the 2026 Presidents Cup team at all.
Coming off a strong performance at the Walker Cup for Team USA, Koivun has shown that he can perform against Tour-level talent, with a T6 at the ISCO and a T5 at the Wyndham in his last starts on Tour in 2025. He has all the skill in the world and could be the face of the next generation of American golf.
4. Ben Griffin
You could argue that Ben Griffin is the player to watch this week at the Procore. Coming off a life-changing season where he won twice, how will Griffin be able to follow up ahead of his first Ryder Cup? Outside of two missed cuts, Griffin's worst finish since May was a T14. The floor for his game has risen to heights I'm guessing Griffin himself never thought he could reach, and I expect him to pick up where he left off.
3. Sam Burns
Most likely the guy that kept Keegan Bradley from picking himself for the Ryder Cup squad, Sam Burns' elite putting is going to be the reason he plays well this week. He closed out the playoffs strong with a T4 at the BMW and a T7 at East Lake, and after finally finding his driver again, the 29-year-old should be feeling good after getting the call from Captain Bradley. Don't let the Texan surprise you this week.
2. Cameron Young
Cameron Young was definitely the hot hand when it came time to make the picks for the Ryder Cup, and his putter has been the catalyst for his return to form. In the last six months, Young has been the fifth-best putter in the world among all qualified golfers by strokes gained, the best his putter has performed in his entire career. As long as the break between the Tour Championship and this week didn't ruin his flow, Young should threaten for the title in Napa.
1. Scottie Scheffler
This could be a repeat of his performance at the Byron Nelson. If you recall, Scottie won by eight that week, and honestly, it didn't even feel that close. Is it possible that never seeing the course before could temper expectations for Scheffler this week? Possibly, but this is still generational talent Scottie Scheffler we're talking about. Just roll with him, and you'll be fine.