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Preview & Picks: 2026 Truist Championship
For the second week in a row, the PGA TOUR is hosting a Signature Event.
Hopefully, that is the last time I ever have to write that sentence.
The TOUR’s limited-field, no-cut, guaranteed-money events were basically a LIV-response experiment – a way to financially compensate top players enough to keep them from jumping ship.
And they kinda stink.
In terms of retaining talent, maybe it worked and maybe it didn’t. But I can tell you this: the average golf fan does not care about the purse size.
We watch sports for community, unscripted drama, and meaningful storytelling.
When you remove the cut-line and guarantee the money, it limits the amount of meaningful stories and drama that can play out.
Beyond that, if you’re the type of sicko who watches golf every week, it gets a little stale seeing the same 70 guys over and over again.
Bring back the cuts. Long live the cuts.
With that tangent out of the way, we get back to the actual golf tournament being hosted at Quail Hollow this week.
Like last week, it’s a brutish course.
Both Doral and Quail Hollow play ~7600 yds, and both have a demanding set of closing holes.
The last three at Quail Hollow are referred to as The Green Mile, but by now, you’re probably pretty familiar with the course. It hosted the PGA Championship last year and the Presidents Cup in 2022, and has been a regular stop on TOUR for some time.
Rory McIlroy has won here four times; he is the odds leader this week, with Scottie Scheffler taking the week off.
The course suits McIlroy’s game perfectly – it requires distance and accuracy off the tee as well as emphasis on ball-striking.
Okay, I could write that about most courses, most weeks, but you get the point.
If you want to win at Quail Hollow, you’ve got to bring your complete game with you.




We’ve partnered with Keith Stewart at Read The Line to share his weekly golf betting picks with the Caddyshanks crew. If you’re the type who enjoys breaking down matchups, spotting trends, and hunting for value, you’ll feel right at home in the RTL community.
Rory McIlroy (+600 FanDuel)
Twelve starts at Quail Hollow, four wins, and nine top 10s. Needless to say, Rory McIlroy will be there on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy the sweat.
Akshay Bhatia (+6600 DraftKings)
Pundits will push the driver narrative this week, and they are right. What will give you an edge is picking players who move the ball right to left. For righties, that’s a draw, but for Akshay Bhatia, that is his patented fade. Complementing his edge off the tee is an approach game that has gained strokes in eight of his last nine starts. One last point, Bhatia is ranked third on the TOUR for strokes gained putting. For the North Carolina kid, this venue is a great fit.
Xander Schauffele (+1125 Draftkings)
Xander has as good a course history at Quail Hollow as you can have without winning, and he’s quietly been gaining strokes T2G and OTT in his last few starts. He hasn’t truly been in contention on a Sunday yet this year, but it’s coming soon.
Si Woo Kim (+2400 Draftkings)
Si Woo has been playing really well to start this season, and he has contended, but he hasn’t won yet. He played his way into the final group last week at a similarly demanding golf course, and I like him to do it again this week.
Sepp Straka (+4500 Draftkings)
Sepp won last year, albeit at the Philly Cricket Club and not QH, but that doesn’t matter. What matters most is that he quietly grabbed a back-door Top 10 last week, and he could be a sneaky pick to repeat at champ.