Out of the Rough: Biltmore Championship Asheville (2026)

After a three-week hiatus following the conclusion of the 2026 PGA Tour season and the TOUR Championship, all attention now turns to the FedEx Cup Fall series.

The FedEx Cup Fall series kicks off this week with a brand new event, the Biltmore Championship Asheville.

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, North Carolina will play host to this new event. This will be the very first professional event that The Cliffs at Walnut Cove has hosted.

In 2025, there were seven FedEx Cup Fall events for those fighting for their PGA Tour cards. This season there will be eight, including this week’s Biltmore Championship Asheville.

FedEx Cup Fall

As this week kicks off the start of the FedEx Cup Fall, we best explain how this works.

Following the conclusion of the TOUR Championship, the top 50 within the FedEx Cup Standings have received full exemption for the 2027 season as well as inclusion in each of the Signature Events.

Now, those that finish between 51st to 70th at the conclusion of the FedEx Cup Fall series will secure their placement in the Signature Events.

Golfers will also compete for a placement in the Aon Next 10 at the conclusion of the fall series. The top ten, of those who do not already have exemption into the Signature Events will qualify.

From there, those who finish within the top 100 of the FedEx Cup Standings at the end of the fall will receive full exemption for the 2027 PGA Tour season.

Those who rank 101st-125th will receive conditional status. Basically, they’ll have a full PGA Tour card but won’t be able to pick-and-choose the events they play.

The Field

With the Presidents’ Cup taking place next week at Medinah Country Club, a few members from both the U.S. Team and International team will be teeing it up in North Carolina.

For the U.S. Team, Jacob Bridgeman, who is also the highest ranked golfer within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) to be playing this week at 28th, will be joined by Jackson Koivun. 

The International Team will be much more heavily represented as a total of five golfers from its team will be playing this week. That list is led by Corey Conners who is currently ranked 54th in the OWGR.

Joining Conners representing the International Team this week are Nico Echavarria, Nick Taylor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Ryo Hisatsune.

J.T. Poston (37th) is the only other golfer outside of Bridgeman to be ranked within the top-50 of the OWGR to be playing this week. 

Other notable golfers playing this week include Marco Penge, Michael Kim, Pierceson Coody, Johnny Keefer, Rasmus Hogjaard, Eric Cole and Andrew Novak.

The Course

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is a Jack Nicklaus design nestled in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the nearby Pisgah National Forest.

It plays as a par-71 at 7,240 yards.

The course, opened in 2005, sits over 2,000 feet above sea level as the front nine plays through open former farmland as the back-nine is tracked through dense forest.

It is laid out amongst the surrounding mountain ridges which creates natural amphitheaters throughout this venue.

Off-the-tee, on the front nine, golfers will face wider playing corridors as the back nine becomes much more claustrophobic. The back nine is framed by native woodlands, streams and undulating mountain terrain ready to penalize any errant shot.

The rough has also been grown out in preparation for this week’s event.

Strategically placed fairway bunkers are also in play for the professionals off-the-tee as well. Bunkers are more prominent along the fairways than they are greenside. 

Many of these greens require precise landing areas to hold.

The greens are Bentgrass and roll smooth and true with subtle breaks and interior contouring. Many greens also feature ridges that will require a golfer to land on the proper tier.

Although not overly featured, bunkers do guard the putting surfaces ready to punish any mishit. Tightly mown collection areas and swales too play defense to these greens.

A handful of greens sit right next to water or steep slopes. This is not notable on the par-four seventh where the green curls around the property’s largest pond.

The par-five 12th features a mountain creek that crosses the fairway. It’ll force golfers to carry water on their second shot. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday is currently calling for a 50-percent chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Friday is calling for a 25-percent chance of precipitation as Saturday calls for a 45-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms. Sunday is calling for a 35-percent chance of evening showers. Temperatures will be the highest on Thursday and Friday at 86-degrees before dipping to 76-degrees on Saturday and 76-degrees on Sunday. Winds look to be a non-factor this week, ranging from five miles-per-hour to six miles-per-hour across all four days.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee

• Driving Accuracy Percentage

• Proximity to the hole from 125-to-175 yards

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Scrambling / Scrambling from less than 30-yards

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Bogey Avoidance

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Par-Four Average Scoring

Betting Card

Davis Thompson (+2500)

I was a bit reluctant to bet Thompson at the same price of someone like Jacob Bridgeman (who I’m a known fan of) but my stats-based model told me to go with Thompson. Thompson is currently fifth on Tour in proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, sixth in SG: APP, 11th in bogey avoidance, 12th in ball striking, 13th in par-four average scoring, 24th in sand saves percentage, 40th in SG: OTT, 45th in scrambling, 47th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 60th in driving accuracy percentage, 78th in SG: ATG, 80th in birdie-or-better percentage and 91st in scrambling from less than 30-yards. Thompson last played the Wyndham Championship where he placed 14th. Prior to that he placed eighth at the Rocket Classic and seventh at the 3M Open. 

Kevin Yu (+3500)

Speaking of players I’m a known fan of, we have Kevin Yu up next. Like Thompson, he last played the Wyndham Championship where he placed fourth. Prior to that he placed 31st at the Rocket Classic, 16th at the 3M Open and 24th at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He is currently fifth on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage, 29th in SG: OTT, 35th in both par-four average scoring and ball striking, 57th in SG: ATG, 59th in sand saves percentage, 61st in proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, 78th in SG: APP, 79th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 81st in driving accuracy percentage, 83rd in scrambling from less than 30-yards, 88th in bogey avoidance and 113th in scrambling. 

Jackson Suber (+4500)

Suber is a guy I’ve bet a bunch across the 2026 season and went right back to him to kickoff the FedEx Cup Fall. He’s currently 16th on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage, 23rd in SG: APP, 27th in proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, 43rd in ball striking, 48th in scrambling from less than 30-yards, 50th in SG: ATG, 61st in par-four average scoring, 64th in bogey avoidance, 72nd in SG: OTT, 80th in sand saves percentage, 81st in scrambling, 84th in driving accuracy percentage and 103rd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. Across his last five starts, Suber placed 22nd at the Wyndham Championship, 50th at the Rocket Classic, missed the cut at the 3M Open, placed 28th at The Open Championship and sixth at the John Deere Classic. 

Kristoffer Ventura (+9000)

I couldn’t believe the price we got Ventura at in this field and with that, he was my first click this week. Ventura placed 54th in his latest outing at the Wyndham Championship. Prior to that he placed fifth at the Rocket Classic, 51st at the 3M Open, 15th at the Corales Puntacana Championship and fifth at the ISCO Championship across his last five starts. He is also currently third on Tour in ball striking, sixth in SG: OTT, ninth in par-four average scoring, 14th in bogey avoidance, 30th in proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, 37th in driving accuracy percentage, 50th in sand saves percentage, 57th in scrambling, 78th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 95th in scrambling from less than 30-yards, 97th in birdie-or-better percentage, 119th in SG: APP and 125th in SG: ATG. 

Davis Chatfield (+15000)

My longest-shot this week is Chatfield, who was a guy I watched rather closely this past season, especially at the beginning. Across his last five starts on the PGA Tour, Chatfield placed 25th at the Wyndham Championship, missed the cut at the Rocket Classic, placed 16th at the 3M Open, 34th at the Corales Puntacana Championship and fifth at the ISCO Championship. Chatfield is currently third on Tour in driving accuracy percentage, 14th in proximity to the hole from 125-175 yards, 23rd in bogey avoidance, 24th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 27th in scrambling, 48th in par-four average scoring, 54th in scrambling from less than 30-yards, 57th in SG: APP, 63rd in SG: ATG, 70th in ball striking, 82nd in sand saves percentage, 112th in birdie-or-better percentage and 132nd in SG: OTT.