Show me a man who doesn’t love The Open Championship, and I’ll show you a man who doesn’t love golf.

For golf fans, this is one of the best weeks of the year.

But this year feels a little different.

At least if you’re English.

It has the potential to be one of the greatest sporting weekends the country has ever had.

Now, full disclaimer: this entire theory could be dead by the time you read this. I’m also extending a rare moment of grace to our old adversaries across the pond.

Will It Come Home?

 

The English love golf.

They really love football.

The problem is, they haven’t won a World Cup in 60 years.

They also haven’t celebrated an English winner at Royal Birkdale. In fact, the last Englishman to win The Open anywhere was Sir Nick Faldo back in 1992.

This afternoon, England faces Argentina in the World Cup semifinal. Win that, and they’ll meet Spain in Sunday’s final.

Which sets up a pretty incredible possibility.

On Sunday, England could end two of its longest sporting droughts on the very same day.

The Scheduling Problem

 

There’s just one issue.

The World Cup Final kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The Open is expected to finish around 6:40 p.m. ET.

That doesn’t leave much time for tens of thousands of anxious fans to pour out of Royal Birkdale and find the nearest pub.

The R&A has already said it’s discussing moving Sunday’s tee times earlier to make it work.

And with that, here’s my completely irresponsible prediction:

England beats Argentina.

England beats Spain.

An Englishman wins The Open.

The people who live on that island go crazy.

One final note for the stat nerds: there is no ShotLink data available from the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, so we’ll be flying a little more blind than usual this week.

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

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Streaming coverage will be on Peacock.

Weekly Bets: 154th Open Championship

If you were apart of the RTL community, you’d have been tipped off to Tom Kim winning at +8600 last week.

Use code CADDYSHANKS2026 for 20% OFF.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

 

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2150 DraftKings)

I bet Tom Kim at the John Deere and the Scottish Open, and my persistence paid off. Matt Fitzpatrick finished T3 at the Scottish Open and showed us he’s ready for The Open. I’m almost excited he didn’t win in Scotland, because carrying the weight of winning it back-to-back is rough. The PGA TOUR’s leader on approach and scrambling, what better complement of skills for Royal Birkdale?  Following a T4 at Royal Portrush last year with three top 4 finishes in his last four starts, the planets are aligned for a major Sunday in England.

Justin Rose (+4300 DraftKings)

It all started in 1998 at Royal Birkdale. Justin Rose made his debut on golf’s global stage and finished T4 in The Open. Fast forward 28 years, and Rose is still a factor in major championships. Third place at The Masters, 10th at the PGA Championship, and 11th at the US Open, Justin has not finished outside the top 20 in his last four major starts! Ranked in the top 10 for approach, around the green, and T2G overall, the timing is perfect. A very firm Carnoustie in 2018 where Justin finished runner-up is a great comp. With all the attention on the other two English favorites, watch Rosey bloom at Birkdale.

Caddyshanks Picks

 

Scottie Scheffler (+750 Fanduel)

This season, the ironplay simply hasn’t been at the level we are accustomed to seeing from Scottie, but we stick with the strategy no matter what, and he’s the only American on our official card this week. However, I will have Jordan Spieth on my personal card this week, because I simply cannot help myself.

Tyrell Hatton (+3800 Draftkings)

Like I said above, I believe an Englishman will win this week, and Keith covered two great picks above, so we will hop on the Hatton rollercoaster. He’s finished in the Top 7 in 2 out of 3 majors this year.

Jordan Smith (+19000 Draftkings)

Jordan Smith is a name a lot of casual golf fans won’t know, because he’s a DP World Tour player, but he led at the Scottish Open last week, and he was putting the lights out. Oh, he’s also English.

I’ll admit, I was starting to question whether or not Tom Kim was worthy of the hype he’s received.

Afterall, sports fans and sports media tend to get enraptured with people like Tom Kim – he’s immensely talented, has a wonderful and outgoing personality, and he’s incredibly young – just 24 years old.

He turned pro at 15, racked up 3 professional wins before most of the kids his age had a college diploma, and then he went the last three straight years without a win.

It was fair to wonder if the lavish praise and hearty approbation was unearned.

Then, this weekend, he put all those talents on display, and reminded everyone that his ceiling is just as high as any other young player on TOUR.

The final round started with a bit of a logjam – Matt Fitzpatrick and Michael Thorbjornsen briefly held a share of the lead, but five birdies in the first 12 holes gave Kim some cushion.

Min Woo Lee briefly got the lead to within one stroke, until TK hit that 4i in the video above and made birdie on the 16th. Lee ultimately finished in solo 2nd place.

Kim made only a single bogey in his final 51 holes of the tournament, that’s almost three straight rounds without a bogey, for the mathematicians out there.

He now has 4 wins before the age of 25, the only non-Americans on that list are Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Hideki Matsuyama. Good company.

This Guy Won More Than Tom Kim

What kind of psychopath bets $48,000 on at 84/1 bet? People are insane.

What’s Next?

The 154th Open Championship.

154th Open Championship Odds:

  • Scottie Scheffler (+620)

  • Rory McIlroy (+770)

  • Jon Rahm (+1700)

  • Matt Fitzpatrick (+1950)

  • Tommy Fleetwood (+2050)

  • Xander Schauffele (+2400)

  • Chris Gotterup (+2800)

  • Cameron Young (+2900)

  • Ludvig Åberg (+3100)

  • Collin Morikawa (+3100)

We’ve got a fog delay in Scotland on Saturday morning.

The first few players off got a few holes in, and then they called it. Here’s how the PGA Tour describes the weather on their site:

A cold front moving down from northwest Scotland overnight brought rain and fog as play began Saturday morning at The Renaissance Club. Rain was expected to become heavy briefly at 11 a.m. and taper around 1 p.m. The fog was expected to remain, but weaken throughout the day. When play was suspended, only 17 players were on the golf course.

The conditions are known as haar, a cold, wet sea fog or mist that frequently rolls in from the North Sea onto the eastern coast of Scotland and northern England.

Now we all know the word “haar”.

When the fog lifts, those who made the cut will be chasing a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard, held by Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, and Jordan Smith at nine-under.

In all, there are 12 players within two shots of the lead – and 37 within five.

Several big names missed the cut this week; Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele among them.

Who’s Chasing?

-8 M Fitzpatrick, MW Lee; –7 C Gotterup, R MacIntyre; –6 N Hojgaard, W Clark; -5 P Reed; -4 J. Thomas

Full Leaderboard & Tee Times Here

How To Watch The Action This Weekend

  • Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-noon (Golf Channel); noon-3 p.m. (CBS)

Man, golf season goes by in a flash.

Just like that, we are ¾ of the way through major season, and The Travelers is the final Signature Event of the year.

Add that to the pile of reasons the PGA Championship should move back to August.

You just can’t have all the marquee events end by mid-July – the fans need more action!

However, based on the schedule announcements made yesterday, it seems that the PGA Championship will remain in May.

The best we can hope for is that by introducing matchplay and new courses, they can find a way to make golf more interesting in late July and August, until the NFL takes it’s rightful place as king of all sports every fall.

Who’s in the Field?

Pretty much all of the biggest names on TOUR, because it’s a signature event, with the exception of Rory McIlroy, who’s taking some time off after the U.S. Open.

Full Field & Tee Times Here

Here are the key stats for The Travelers:

  • Do not just bet the bombers. TPC River Highlands is short at 6,813 yards, and driving distance has barely mattered here historically. Distance only shows a 0.082 correlation with SG Total, while accuracy is much more relevant at 0.314. Think controlled drivers, fairway-finders, and guys who can keep themselves out of weird angles.

  • Prioritize approach play, especially wedges and short irons. The strongest ball-striking signal is SG Approach at 0.580, and the course funnels a ton of shots into the 125–175 yard range. Bettors should look hard at players gaining with wedges/short irons, especially from 125–150 and 150–175.

  • Putting can absolutely decide the week. SG Putting has the highest correlation on the sheet at 0.642, which makes sense for a low-scoring course where everyone is getting birdie looks. This is not the week to talk yourself into a guy who “just needs the putter to show up.” You probably need it to already be warm.

The Details

 

 

Previous Winners

 

How To Watch

 

Featured Groups:

All Tee Times & Featured Groups Here

Weekly Bets: U.S Open

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.

Use code CADDYSHANKS2026 for 20% OFF.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

 

Collin Morikawa (+3500 DraftKings)

An injury followed by paternity leave, and everyone is overlooking Collin Morikawa. Fairway accuracy followed by iron acumen, Morikawa has made a Hall of Fame career out of those two skills. Collin is always in the 20s or lower on the odds board. Currently sitting in the mid-30s, not only do we have an incredible course fit, but we have some significant value as well. A T17 in the US Open, Collin can definitely cash in at the season’s final Signature Series event.

Brian Harman (+6800 DraftKings)

Five straight top 10 results at the Travelers, and seven in the last eight starts! Brian Harman has an incredible record at TPC River Highlands. Some are going to look at his iron game and pass on Harman. Losing strokes at the US Open and Muirfield Village does not surprise me for Brian. Neither does gaining strokes on approach for eight straight prior to the Memorial. The driver is on an accuracy run, and the putter gained 4.5 strokes at Shinnecock Hills. Harman’s game is built for this course, and it is time he broke through.

Caddyshanks Picks

 

Scottie Scheffler (+390 Fanduel)

I won’t rehash the “bet Scottie every week strategy”, but my kids aren’t going to be able to go to college anymore because of it. I am still committed.

Patrick Cantlay (+3300 Fanduel)

Hear me out: how you played at the U.S. Open has no real impact on how you’ll play at The Travelers. So, I’m not concerned about Pat missing the cut last week. In 8 appearance at The Travelers, he’s never finished worse than 15th.

Aaron Rai (+5000 Fanduel)

It’s hard for me to ignore a major champion, who’s in great form, at this kind of price. Rai just finished T11 at Shinnecock, and won at Aronimink in May. TPC River Highlands should be no problem for him.

Last week, we had a birdie-fest.

This week, we should have something more challenging (depending on the weather).

The host venue this week, Colonial, has a rich history. Ben Hogan won five times here, and it’s the longest running tournament held at the same venue on TOUR.

They’ve been playing here for 80 years, yet since Hogan’s time, no one has ever won back-to-back. He did it twice, by the way.

Secondly, Colonial is narrow, with small greens – it’s not a bombers course.

Now, I am no golf course architecture expert, but I’ve noticed a theme.

At courses like Riviera, Harbour Town, and Colonial, all of the sudden how far the pros hit the ball doesn’t matter as much, and the golf seems to be way more enjoyable to watch.

What do those courses have in common?

They were all built before 1950, they are all old-school, strategic “shot-maker” courses that reward precision over power. They emphasize placing tee shots in the right spots, controlling approach angles, and hitting accurate irons into smaller or well-protected greens.

Here are the key stats for Colonial:

  • Prioritize elite iron players and putters. The two strongest within-event correlations with SG Total are SG Putting at 0.648 and SG Approach at 0.610, well ahead of off-the-tee and around-the-green. For betting, that points toward players gaining consistently on approach who also have a credible putting spike in their profile.
  • Build around the 125–175 yard approach window. The biggest approach buckets are 125–150 yards: 20.1% and 150–175 yards: 20.9%, so roughly 41% of approaches come from those two ranges alone. Proximity and scoring from short-to-mid irons should matter more here than generic long-iron or wedge-only splits.
  • Don’t overrate driving accuracy by itself. Colonial is narrow, with 29.9-yard fairways and only 54.7% driving accuracy, but the correlation of accuracy to SG Total is just 0.169, while distance is 0.289 and total SG Off the Tee is 0.444. The betting takeaway: look for controlled drivers who can gain off the tee without being reckless, but don’t automatically downgrade longer players just because they miss fairways.

 

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

Featured Groups:

All Featured Groups Here

Weekly Bets: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

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.

Use code CADDYSHANKS2026 for 20% OFF.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

Rickie Fowler (+2400 DraftKings)

Rickie Fowler has three top 10s in his last four starts. Rickie finished T60 at Aronimink because of his putter. Those greens are the toughest these guys will see all year on TOUR. All other aspects of Fowler’s game have been firing for the better part of 2026. He tied sixth and T16 in two of his last three starts at Colonial. It’s time for Fowler to finish one off. Gaining almost six strokes on average against the field at Hogan’s home over his last three trips to Fort Worth, Rickie won’t be the only Oklahoma guy winning in Texas this week.

Taylor Moore (+9400 DraftKings)

Innisbrook’s Copperhead course is a great comp venue for Colonial Country Club. Taylor Moore won the Valspar Championship (2023) and is coming off four straight top-40 finishes. Each result has improved by the week: T39-T20-T17-T14. Moore is a great close-range scorer who can drive the golf ball. When his iron game gets going, that’s when Taylor can win. Gaining seven strokes on the field in his last two starts and trending up for two months, I expect a little more from Taylor this week.

Caddyshanks Picks

Justin Thomas (+1800 Fanduel)

The last time we saw JT he was playing lights out on Sunday at Aronimink. Week by week, he’s been returning to major championship form. We like him to not only compete this week, but also at the two remaining majors this year.

Sungjae Im (+3500 Fanduel)

I am going with Sungjae in back-to-back weeks. He’s got 3 top 10’s this season, he’s finished Top 15 at Colonial three different times. It’s also worth noting that he was one of a handful of guys to go super-low last week, with a 61 in the 2nd round.

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.

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

Featured Groups:

Weekly Bets: The Truist Championship

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.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

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.

 

Caddyshanks Picks

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.

Team golf has its place, but if LIV Golf has taught me anything, it’s that team golf is best when it’s the exception, not the rule.

One of those exceptions is this week at the Zurich Classic, and even that barely qualifies.

This event just doesn’t have much juice, mostly because a lot of the top players skip it. The PGA TOUR should probably try to fix that, or just leave team golf to the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, but I’m just a lowly golf newsletter writer. No one at the PGA TOUR has asked for my vision of the future just yet.

Anyway, the first and third rounds are better ball. The second and fourth rounds are alternate shot.

This is also a tricky event to make picks for, especially since first-time teammates have won here before, so you can’t lean too hard on course history.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were one such team back in 2024.

This year, Rory is skipping it, so Lowry found a new partner in Brooks Koepka.

A win would go a long way for Brooks – it would secure a two-year exemption and get him into all the Signature Events.

Another reason this event is tough to handicap is that Data Golf doesn’t have betting tools or live coverage for it, so we’re flying blind.

Ready, fire, aim.

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

Featured Groups:

ESPN+ has announced featured groups for Thursday & Friday.

See them all here.

Weekly Bets: The RBC Heritage

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.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

 

Aaron Rai – Sahith Theegala (+2150 DraftKings)

Looking for a breakout team? Pair a scorer with an extremely consistent ball striker. Aaron Rai works for the highway commission. The man paints straight lines with his golf shots. Precise, consistent, and calm. Sahith Theegala is a pure scorer. Together, they have eight appearances in the Zurich Classic and six top 25 finishes. I love Rai to keep Theegala out of trouble, and Sahith to help Aaron convert on the greens.

Chad Ramey – Justin Lower (+7200 DraftKings)

In his last three Zurich starts, Chad Ramey has finished ninth, second, and eighth. Justin Lower has two more top 10s in his last four starts in New Orleans. Neither guy is an elite player on the PGA TOUR, but when it comes to this team competition, they get it done. Ramey’s consistent ball striking and Lower’s ability to go low pair perfectly. With the reduced strength of the field, maybe two guys can break through as Griffin and Novak did one year ago.

Caddyshanks Picks

 

Brooks Koepka & Shane Lowry (+1450 Draftkings)

They’ve got the shortest odds in the field behind the Fitzpatrick brothers, so this is a storyline pick. With a win, Brooks secures his spot on the PGA TOUR for years to come.

Billy Horschel & Tom Hoge (+7000 Draftkings)

Horschel has won here as a solo and as part of a duo, and that’s about all you can hang your hat on with this team, but it’s a week to throw darts so here we are.

Blades Brown & Luke Clanton (+7000 Draftkings)

They’ve got to be the youngest team in the field, and I am pretty sure their combined age is still younger than Matt Kuchar, who’s also in the field. It would be a lot of fun to see two young guns in contention on Sunday.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this the last two years, but the RBC Heritage really is a great comedown from The Masters.

Especially since the PGA TOUR awarded it Signature Event status, which means it draws a strong field.

This year, that field includes all qualified players with the exception of Rory McIlroy, who’s probably still celebrating his second green jacket, and Hideki Matsuyama.

Beyond the field, the course at Harbour Town Golf Links is narrow, with some of the smallest greens on TOUR.

This is not a bombers course, but one that demands accuracy off the tee and on approach. It’s a different setup than a lot of the courses we see on TOUR these days.

And hey, if you didn’t win the green jacket last week…

There’s always the plaid one.

Field Notes

 

  • Tighter scoring = fewer blowups, more clustering
    Last year, the field stayed bunched – it was harder for longshots to separate, easier for steady players to hang around. Lean toward consistent ball-strikers over volatile scorers.

  • Approach play decided everything
    SG: APP drove the largest share of scoring variance (~38%). That’s your edge – prioritize elite iron players over hot putters or OTT merchants this week.

  • Accuracy > distance (by a lot)
    Harbour Town strongly favored accurate drivers, and 2025 leaned even more that way. Downgrade bombers, upgrade fairway finders who keep it in play and give themselves clean looks into greens.

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

Featured Groups:

ESPN+ has announced featured groups for Thursday & Friday.

See them all here.

Weekly Bets: The RBC Heritage

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. Join Here.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

Cameron Young (+1800 DraftKings)

In his last three starts, Cameron Young has finished seventh, third, won THE PLAYERS, and third at The Masters. The first time Young saw Harbour Town, Cameron finished third in 2022. Young is top 10 in the field for approach, par 4 scoring, and BoB%. His driver is an absolute weapon on this golf course. The disappointment from Sunday at The Masters fuels his second win in a month.

Sahith Theegala (+8800 DraftKings)

I love Sahith Theegala on Pete Dye designs. The talented Theegala has proven he understands Pete’s tricks. Eighth at The American Express (Dye) in January and tenth in his last start at Houston, Sahith has two top 5s in four starts at Harbour Town. The trending Theegala has a ton of value at nearly 90-1!

Caddyshanks Picks

Tommy Fleetwood (+1800 Draftkings)

I wish the number was a little bit longer for Tommy Lad here, but his game fits the course well, and I think his 2nd PGA TOUR win will come a lot sooner than the first.

Jason Day (+4800 Draftkings)

Small greens usually mean missed greens. Jason Day has gained strokes around the green in his last five events. Betting guys with good short game is the play this week.

Scottie Scheffler (+380 Draftkings)

The iron play showed some signs of life at Augusta, if that was more than just an illusion, Scottie could start heating up at just the right time – I still think he completes the career Grand Slam this year.

Preview & Picks: The Masters

The 90th Masters is here, and it’s going to be a special one.

To start, it’s the first Masters since 1994 that features neither Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, as you may have heard.

Next, the weather looks to be immaculate. It’s been relatively dry in Augusta the last few weeks, the temps will be in the high 70’s and low 80’s for the tournament, and there’s no rain to speak of on the weekend forecast.

We are going to get a firm and fast Augusta National.

That’s a pretty rare thing – according to the Weather Channel, the last time there was 4 straight rain-free days was back in 2011, when Charl Schwartzel won. We will try to not read into that fact too much.

There are 91 players in one of the best fields in golf, which includes past champions, seasoned veterans, and 22 first-timers.

A first timer hasn’t won since Fuzzy Zoeller did it way back in 1979.

You can find the full list of tee times here.

Field Notes

 

  • Approach play is everything – SG: Approach has the highest correlation to scoring (0.641), by a wide margin. If you’re picking outrights or DFS plays, prioritize elite iron players over bombers.

  • Short game + putting still matter late – SG: Putting (0.578) and Around the Green (0.466) both show strong correlation. Augusta turns into a scrambling + putting contest on the weekend.

  • Distance helps, but accuracy isn’t critical – Driving distance has a mild edge (0.121), while accuracy is slightly more relevant (0.203), but neither is close to approach. You don’t need straight drivers—you need guys who can recover and attack greens.

 

The Details

Previous Winners

How To Watch

Featured Groups:

The Masters has announced featured groups for Thursday. See them all here.

Weekly Bets: The Masters

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. Join Here. 

Keith Stewart’s Picks

 

Xander Schauffele (+1800 DraftKings)

Xander Schauffele has five top 10 finishes at The Masters in eight starts. That’s a 63% conversion rate for getting involved on Sunday afternoon. Add in three top 7s in his last four starts in 2026, and the form matches the course history. Let’s not overthink it. One of the best players in the world, who is playing exceptionally well, will win. Schauffele sure does check all of the most important boxes!

Hideki Matsuyama (+4000 FanDuel)

The best time to bet Hideki Matsuyama is when all of the attention is on other Masters contenders. The bread crumbs are there… Matsuyama is gaining strokes with his driver in three of his last four starts. The iron game has been impeccable all year, and the flatstick has been strong in five of his last six events. Hideki lost strokes ARG in San Antonio to help his odds climb. A true value play who has proven he can win at Augusta National, I love everything about this 2026 lead-in.

Caddyshanks Picks

 

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2300 Draftkings)

There’s a few guys; Matt Fitzpatrick, Cam Young, Chris Gotterup, and Ludvig Aberg, who you could slot in for this pick. They have all played well in the lead up to the Masters, all of them except for Aberg have won at least once. Of them, only Gotterup is making his debut, which I count against him. Of the others, only Fitzpatrick has proven he can win a major (although I have no doubt the others will eventually) and for that reason, he gets the nod.

Jordan Spieth (+4200 Draftkings)

Has he proven that he can consistently keep the ball in between the wickets? No, but his play has been solid this year (two top 11’s and a 12th place finish) and he’s a previous Masters champion, which always seems to help. Okay, I can’t really justify this pick statistically, this is more of a spiritual thing.

Patrick Reed (+4200 Draftkings)

C’mon, don’t pretend it’s not fun to cheer for the villain every now and then. Not to mention, he’s won twice this year, and has also won the Masters before. Plus, that short game will come in handy when things are firm and fast.

Scottie Scheffler (+510 Draftkings)

It’s true – Scottie hasn’t played in a month. When he last played, his iron play wasn’t at it’s typical level. Don’t care. Auto-bet.

Preview & Picks: The Houston Open

The Texas Swing, if you could call it that, really sits in an unfortunate position on the TOUR schedule.

It fits right in between the Florida Swing and The Masters, and as a result, the fields just aren’t that compelling. The Houston Open is usually bolstered by Scottie Scheffler, who likes to compete in his home state, but not this year.

Yesterday, he made a surprise WD, because he and his wife are expecting their second child.

Good news for the Schefflers, and good news for everyone else in the field too. With Scheffler out, the favorites are last years champ, Min Woo Lee, along with Chris Gotterup, Jake Knapp, and Brooks Koepka.

Memorial Park, which Brooks Koepka helped redesign a few years ago, is a bombers course. Notice how all of those betting favorites have that in common?

Field Notes

  • Putting has been the biggest separator – SG: Putting shows the highest correlation (~0.65), which is notable. On a course where scoring gets low (around -1.1 avg), players who can convert birdie looks and avoid mistakes on the greens tend to separate.

  • Approach play still matters a lot – SG: Approach is right behind (~0.58 correlation). With a large share of shots coming from 125–200+ yards, strong iron players continue to have a clear edge.

  • Distance > accuracy off the tee – Driving distance (~0.20) outpaces accuracy (~0.15), suggesting Memorial Park rewards length more than precision. It’s relatively forgiving, so players can lean on power without being overly punished.

The Details

Previous Winners

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Weekly Bets: Houston Open

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. Join Here.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

Nicolai Højgaard (+2800 BetMGM)

Here we go again. Nicolai Højgaard ranks eighth in approach, thirty-sixth around the greens, and seventeenth with the putter. He has plenty of ball speed and also sits inside the top 18 for par 3 and par 4 scoring among players in Houston. We’re looking for a bomber who can scramble, chip, and putt. Let’s not go beyond one of the Wonder Twins. I’m keeping Nicolai on my card for another week because I believe he can win.

Ryan Fox (+6700 DraftKings)

Ryan Fox is gaining in all aspects of his game over his last six starts. 2026 has been good to the Kiwi, with four top 25s in four PGA TOUR starts this season. Fox is primed to close out another tournament when we find the right fit. Memorial Park’s mid-iron requirement, short game successes, and positive putting skill set match Fox’s player CV. Ryan finished T15 last year in Houston with one bad round. Be sly and grab Foxy further down the odds board.

Caddyshanks Picks

Chris Gotterup (+2050 Draftkings)

With Scheffler out, we’re going back to the well once more with Gotterup. Between him and Cam Young, you’re looking at the two best breakout candidates of the year.

Brooks Koepka (+2500 Draftkings)

The major concern with Brooks right now is his putter, but the rest of his game has been really solid. If he can get the magic wand working, he should be in contention come Sunday.

Aldrich Potgieter (+8000 Draftkings)

The young man is an absolute bomber, and this field feels like it could be one that gives way to a longshot winner. Why not take a flyer?