After a brief hiatus, the PGA Tour is back for the FedEx Cup Fall. The race for the top 100 to maintain cards is on, and we are getting this year's slate started at an all-new event. The Biltmore Championship Asheville is a new addition to the Tour calendar, bringing another event to North Carolina. The tournament is slated to take place at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Nicklaus-designed course that had PGA Tour ambitions from the moment the design process started.
Because we have a brand-new course to us this week, the data available around this course is very limited. Pair that with a lot of the field coming off of a lengthy break from competitive play, and a lot of these picks feel kind of like shots in the dark. My thinking is to look at other Nicklaus courses on Tour, and use those as jumping off points for our picks this week.
Scottie Scheffler came through for us at the Tour Championship a few weeks ago, which only furthered my belief that, if he hadn't gotten hand, foot, and mouth disease, he would have won all three playoff events this year. This week has a few key players looking to hone their games for the Presidents Cup next week, so maybe we'll have a big winner come through for us.
Honorable Mentions: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Corey Conners, Emiliano Grillo, Ryo Hisatsune, Kevin Yu
9. Zach Bauchou
Currently inside the FedEx Cup top 100, Zach Bauchou is looking to close the door on what has been a relatively successful rookie season on Tour. The 30-year-old found nine top-25s this season, including one at the American Express on PGA West, another Nicklaus design.
These picks will be a mix of big names and guys that are around the bubble, and Bauchou has shown that he can put together good enough results to keep his Tour card, so now let's see if he can raise his ceiling a bit this weekend.
8. Ben James
I don't want Ben James to be treated as the other young American golfer who's breaking out on Tour, and I think this fall will be a good runway for him. We haven't seen him since the Wyndham, where he finished solo third and also finished second in strokes gained on approach that week.
While he hasn't matched Jackson Koivun in the win department yet, I've seen clear progression and a growth in James's confidence on Tour that I think he's going to break through soon, possibly as soon as this week.
7. Jacob Bridgeman
It's kind of amazing that Jacob Bridgeman, who had a stretch from The Masters to the FedEx-St. Jude where he only had one top-25 finish, almost won the FedEx Cup and made the Presidents Cup team (I would've rather seen Ryan Gerard over him, but it is what it is).
He caught fire at just the right time to remind captain Brandt Snedeker of his skill, and now every U.S. captain seems afraid of making the Billy Horschel 2014 mistake, so he had to get picked. This is a pick purely based on the fact that we've seen Bridgeman hit the heights of winning on Tour, and in a weaker field, he's well-positioned to do it again.
6. Mac Meissner
I want Mac Meissner to be more consistent with his play, because when he's on, he has a ton of talent and can put up strong finishes, like his T3 at the Charles Schwab. I'm using Meissner as a potential upside play this week, hopefully The Cliffs at Walnut Cove matches his eye and he can get going strong in the fall.
He came up just short of the playoffs earlier this year and is going to want to prove himself as a solid young talent on Tour this fall. He's a breakout I want to happen, so I might just keep picking him to the potential detriment of the rankings. Sue me.
5. Doug Ghim
The playoffs came at a terrible time for Doug Ghim, as he had picked up four top-25 finishes in his last six starts of the season. Ghim is no stranger to battling through the fall events to keep his card, as that has been his case the last few seasons.
Since he's been able to maintain his Tour status up until now, he clearly knows how to make sure his game is solid in September and October. I'm willing to take the potential of Ghim's putter being ice cold once again, with the potential of him keeping his solid play up and having a solid weekend in Asheville.
4. J.T. Poston
It would be malpractice on my part if I didn't include the winner of this year's Memorial in the rankings for a Nicklaus course. While J.T. Poston wasn't fully able to keep up his winning form through the rest of the summer, he did manage to find a couple top-25 finishes in both playoff events he played in.
When he's on, Poston's irons are a true weapon, which is how he beat the best in the world back in June in Ohio. I'll always default to solid iron play when I have questions about the course, so why not see if the Postman delivers this Sunday?
3. Nick Taylor
We haven't gotten the random Nick Taylor win yet in 2026, and it's a matter of time before we do. Taylor is going to be looking to find some form before Medinah next week here, considering he hasn't had a top-25 finish since the Travelers in June.
I like Taylor this week because The Cliffs doesn't seem like it's going to be playing super long this week. It measures at just over 7,200 yards and plays at elevation, so we don't need a ton of distance off the tee since the ball will be flying. Taylor's irons and putting should complete his skill profile very well this week, and I wouldn't be surprised by a Canadian champion this week.
2. Blades Brown
Someone who has been staying warm in competition since his season on Tour ended, Blades Brown is looking to jump back into the swing of things this fall. Remember, this kid is only 19, and he has shown some elite skill this season, picking up six top-25s in 10 starts on Tour this year. Brown scores extremely well, with his average scoring being below par on par 3s, 4s, and 5s. We've seen him go low, we've seen him steal headlines, so why can't the teenager win a PGA Tour event?
1. Jackson Koivun
Jackson Koivun being selected to the Presidents Cup team is the right sort of future-minded approach that American captains haven't shown since Jordan Spieth was picked for the 2013 Presidents Cup team.
If they're building everything to try to steal the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, then getting Koivun some reps in a professional team competition is a great call. He's 21 years old, he's listed as the betting favorite for this week, and he's come out and shown that he has earned every bit of praise he got coming out of Auburn. He could be the next big star in golf, and it's best to get in on the ground floor.
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