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.

 

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Weekly Bets: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

A mix of courtroom golf drama, rollback panic that may or may not matter, Anthony Kim doing Anthony Kim things, and Jim Furyk trying to rebuild the U.S. Ryder Cup machine before Ireland.

→ Tiger’s Prescription Records Are Staying Behind Closed Doors
Tiger Woods will have to turn over prescription records as part of the investigation into his March traffic crash, but the public won’t get to see them. A Florida judge ruled the records can be shared with a limited group tied to the case, not dumped into the public-records circus. So yes, the legal drama continues — just with fewer documents for everyone to screenshot. (defector.com)

→ Cameron Young Is Playing the Future Ball and Still Nuking It
Cameron Young is using a ball that would likely conform to the coming rollback rules, and the big punchline is that it has basically made zero difference. It was built to help him control spin, not necessarily to prepare for the rollback, and he’s still averaging the same 302.7 yards off the tee. If the plan was to scare bombers into submission, this probably isn’t the example the USGA wanted. (Golf Channel)

→ Anthony Kim Is Back in the Top 200 and Still Doesn’t Care What You Think
Anthony Kim shot a final-round 62 at LIV Golf Virginia, finished T6, helped win a team playoff, and climbed back into the OWGR top 200 for the first time in 14 years. Then he reminded everyone he is not exactly losing sleep over public opinion. The comeback is getting real — and AK is still very much AK. (Golf)

→ Jim Furyk Wants to Fix Team USA Before Team USA Breaks Again
Jim Furyk is already looking at how the U.S. Ryder Cup team gets built for 2027, and he sounds ready to mess with the formula. With money now warping basically everything in pro golf, Furyk doesn’t think earnings are the clean measuring stick they used to be. Expect simulations, tweaks, and probably the same six captain’s picks — because Team USA needs more than vibes if it wants to win in Ireland. (golfdigest.com)

A major championship, a historic venue, and perfect weather on deck.

Does it get any better?

Nope.

Especially if Aronimink puts up a good fight, and we can avoid a birdie-fest.

Will Aronimink put up a good fight, though?

According to Scottie Scheffler, that will largely depend on whether the course is firm and fast, or softened by rain.

We’ve had a lack of humidity up here, and the temperatures over the weekend will reach the mid-80s, so we are hoping for firm and fast.

For the record, Ben Griffin said he expects things to get quick, and predicted a winning score of 12-under, which would be wonderful.

 

“Bomb and gouge works best”

“The reward for hitting the fairway is not that great”.

Scottie’s thoughts on the PGA setup are honest but not exciting to hear.

Deep rough lined fairways promote distance, not accuracy. This is counter intuitive to most.
pic.twitter.com/DhCQNV02xh

— Rick Golfs (@Top100Rick) May 13, 2026

Just hearing the World No. 1 say the words “bomb and gouge” makes me shudder, but what can you do?

These guys hit it a mile.

Speaking of Scottie Scheffler, he headlines the field and, as per usual, is the shortest price on the odds board, just ahead of Rory McIlroy, who, by the way, has been dealing with a sore toe and cut his practice round short yesterday.

Meanwhile, everyone else gets to play the game of “Who can beat Scottie and Rory this week?”

On at least six occasions this year, the answer to that question has been: Chris Gotterup, Cameron Young, or Matt Fitzpatrick.

They are all also in the field this week, and you could bet any one of them to win and not feel bad about it.

The field is loaded with every big-name player you can think of, along with PGA Professionals like Michael Block, and past champions like Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Walker, and Shawn Micheel.

Thankfully, there is a cut line this week. They still keep those for the majors.

The Details

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Weekly Bets: 2026 PGA 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

 

Cameron Young (+1650 DraftKings)

 

In his last seven starts, Cameron Young has two wins — The PLAYERS and Cadillac — and four additional top 10s.

Young’s flatstick consistency is the engine behind his current success. Pair that with his ball-striking, and you have a championship-caliber player.

Need a good comp? How about a T3 at the 2022 PGA at Southern Hills. Gil Hanse did both restorations, and the skill set needed to score on both is eerily similar.

 

Sam Burns (+7000 bet365)

 

Sam Burns has finished top 13 or better in three of the last four major-like events, including 13th at The PLAYERS, 7th at The Masters, and 7th at the 2025 U.S. Open.

Aronimink gives you an edge if you can bomb it off the tee, wedge it close, and convert on the green.

That’s Burns’ bread and butter.

If Sam survives the par 3s this week, the rest of the scorecard is one big birdie chance.

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Caddyshanks Picks

 

Scottie Scheffler (+385 DraftKings)

 

Scottie Scheffler struggled with his iron play to start the season, but he’s quietly returned to form in that regard, and that could spell bad news for everyone.

Last year, he won this major by five strokes.

 

Tommy Fleetwood (+2800 DraftKings)

 

A European has not won the PGA Championship in its last 10 iterations.

That’s a trend we are fading this week.

Tommy Fleetwood has the accuracy required to win if things get crispy in Philly this week.

 

Justin Rose (+4600 DraftKings)

 

It’s been 13 years since Justin Rose won a major championship.

He’s played a lot of great golf the last few years, and he’s had plenty of close calls at majors.

Now, he’s back in Philadelphia, and no one is giving him a shot because he switched to McLaren irons — and because he’s older.

But I love to bet a good storyline.

Brandt Snedeker Reminds Us Why This Stuff Still Rules

According to Josh Schrock of GOLF.com, Brandt Snedeker’s win at Myrtle Beach was not just another opposite-field PGA TOUR title. It was his first victory in 2,821 days, came after years of injuries, doubt, conditional status, and experimental surgery, and ended with Snedeker breaking down in his caddie’s arms after Mark Hubbard missed a putt that would have forced a playoff. This is the kind of stuff golf still does better than almost any sport: a 45-year-old grinding for one more shot, getting it, and immediately turning into a puddle. Real stakes. Real emotion. Real golf. (Golf)

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D.C. Public Golf Is Now a Political Football

In The Hill piece you linked, the Trump administration’s deal on D.C.’s public golf courses sounds like good news on the surface: Langston and Rock Creek are set to stay with National Links Trust under a new long-term lease, while East Potomac remains open on an interim basis. But East Potomac is still the big question mark. The National Park Service is eyeing what it calls a “historic restoration,” and critics are worried that one of the most accessible public golf spots in the capital could become something shinier, more expensive, and a lot less public. Public golf is booming, but this is the reminder that the best munis are always one bad decision away from becoming someone’s vanity project. (Reuters)

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Boo Weekley Gets His Moment

According to Christopher Powers of Golf Digest, Boo Weekley finally got his first PGA Tour Champions win at the Insperity Invitational, and yeah, it got emotional. Weekley won in his 64th Champions start, went bogey-free for the week, and picked up his first victory of any kind since 2013. For a guy who has always felt like one of golf’s true characters, this was a pretty perfect Champions Tour moment: a familiar name, a long wait, and a win that clearly meant a hell of a lot more than just another trophy. (GolfDigest.com)

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Jeeno Thitikul Is Not Waiting Around

According to the Associated Press via ESPN, Jeeno Thitikul won the Mizuho Americas Open by four shots over Ruoning Yin, giving her a second LPGA title this season. The turning point came late, when Thitikul birdied 16 while Yin made bogey, turning a tight finish into a comfortable one. The bigger takeaway: the LPGA is not short on star power or depth. Nelly Korda still looms over everything, but Thitikul is stacking wins, and the competition at the top of the women’s game keeps getting better. (ESPN)

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The PGA Championship Hype Machine Is Officially Running

According to Keith Stewart of Golf Digest, Rory McIlroy sits atop the PGA Championship power rankings heading to Aronimink, ahead of Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, and Matt Fitzpatrick. The setup is pretty perfect: Rory is chasing another major after winning the Masters, Scottie is the defending PGA champ, Bryson and Rahm are still lurking with LIV baggage attached, and Aronimink gives us a proper old-school major venue. After weeks of tour politics, Signature Event grumbling, and LIV chaos, it is nice to get back to the simple stuff: a stacked major field, a classic course, and a leaderboard that should actually matter. (GolfDigest.com)

The Truist Championship was wide open on Sunday.

Plenty of names were within striking distance. Alex Fitzpatrick had the overnight lead. Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young, Nicolai Højgaard, Tommy Fleetwood, and a handful of others were all close enough to make things interesting.

But it was Kristoffer Reitan, the 28-year-old from Norway, who stepped up, closed the deal, and walked away with the trophy and the signature-event check.

Not bad for a guy still getting settled on the PGA TOUR.

Reitan’s Breakthrough Came Fast

Reitan’s road here has not exactly been smooth.

He had a brief stop at Texas before choosing the professional route, then went through the grind of trying to establish himself in Europe. He has spoken openly about the ups and downs, but eventually found his footing again.

Last year, he finished inside the top 10 on the Race to Dubai, earned his PGA TOUR card, yet hadn’t finished in the Top 10 in a single event this year.

Then came Quail Hollow.

Reitan began Sunday one shot behind Alex Fitzpatrick, but stayed steady while the leaderboard around him got chaotic. He closed with a 2-under 69, finished at 15-under, and beat Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard by two shots.

That is a life-changing week – good for him.

Alex Fitzpatrick Was Right There

Alex Fitzpatrick started the day with a one-shot lead and had a real chance to win his first solo PGA TOUR event.

Instead, Sunday got away from him.

He shot 2-over on the day and finished solo fourth, which is still a great result, but it will probably sting considering where he stood entering the final round.

Still, Fitzpatrick has been playing well since getting his PGA TOUR card, and this feels more like a sign of things to come than a collapse to worry about.

Meanwhile, his brother Matt cooled off with a T52 finish after his own ridiculous run of three wins in three starts.

Rickie And Nicolai Made Their Sunday Push

Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both finished T2, two shots behind Reitan.

For Fowler, it was another reminder that he still has plenty left when the putter cooperates and the ball-striking shows up.

For Højgaard, it was another strong week from a player who keeps looking more and more comfortable on big stages.

Neither one got the trophy, but both made Reitan earn it.

Cam Young Gave Us All A Putting Reminder

Cameron Young has been one of the hottest players on the planet lately.

And yet, on Sunday, he missed multiple putts inside four feet.

You know, just in case you think you should make every four-footer.

Young still finished T10, but the round was a good reminder that even the best players in the world can look human at times.

Other Notable Finishes

• Tommy Fleetwood: T5
• Ludvig Åberg: T8
• Cameron Young: T10
• Rory McIlroy: T19
• Matt Fitzpatrick: T52

What’s Next?

The PGA Championship at Aronimink.

Odds For The 2026 PGA Championship

Odds are subject to change and may vary by sportsbook.

Player	Odds
Scottie Scheffler	+450
Rory McIlroy	+850
Cameron Young	+1200
Jon Rahm	+1600
Bryson DeChambeau	+1800
Xander Schauffele	+1800
Ludvig Åberg	+2000
Matt Fitzpatrick	+2200
Tommy Fleetwood	+2200
Brooks Koepka	+4000
Collin Morikawa	+4000
Justin Thomas	+4000

We’ll see you Wednesday with our PGA Championship picks.

A mix of comeback math, golf-boom growing pains, a long-overdue first at St Andrews, a public course getting dragged into White House demolition drama, and YouTube golf continuing its march into the mainstream.

→ Bryson’s PGA Tour Comeback Might Not Be That Complicated
Bryson DeChambeau says a potential return to the PGA Tour might come down less to executives and more to whether the players actually want him back. He also raised questions about how much freedom he’d have to keep creating content around tournaments, which is kind of the whole Bryson machine now. The funny part? The Tour says players can already post during practice rounds and pro-am days, so the biggest hurdle might not be the rules. It might just be the room. (Skratch Golf)

→ Golf Got Too Popular and Now Kids Can’t Get Tee Times
The golf boom has been great for courses, brands, and anyone selling $12 beers at the turn. But there’s a problem nobody loves talking about: junior golfers are getting squeezed. Tee sheets are packed, access is tighter, and the kids who are supposed to be the future of the game are sometimes stuck indoors hitting into simulators instead of actually playing. Great problem for the industry. Not so great if you’re 13 and just want to get on the course. (GolfDigest.com)

→ It Only Took The R&A 272 Years
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews named Claire Dowling as the first woman captain in its 272-year history. That’s a big deal, even if the timeline makes you do a double take. The club only opened membership to women in 2014, and now Dowling will take over as captain in September. Progress is progress — even when it shows up a few centuries late. (The Guardian)

→ White House Rubble Got Dumped On A Golf Course. Now There’s Toxic Metal Drama
Debris from the White House East Wing demolition was dumped at East Potomac Golf Links, the same public D.C. course already caught up in renovation controversy. According to Fortune, a National Park Service report found the soil tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals, while the Department of the Interior says the project passed legal safety standards. Either way, “public golf course becomes dumping ground for White House rubble” is not exactly the feel-good muni story of the year. (Fortune)

→ YouTube Golf Just Got Called Up To The Big Leagues
Grant Horvat and the Bryan Bros are joining Wasserman’s newly rebranded agency, The Team, after it acquired Provisions Golf. Translation: YouTube golf is not some side corner of the sport anymore. These guys are getting folded into the same kind of machine that represents major athletes, runs events, and knows how to turn attention into money. The line between “golf influencer” and “golf business” is basically gone. (frontofficesports.com)

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.

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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.

Cameron Young just made it boring in Miami, a feat that’s not easy to do.

He went wire-to-wire, and nobody – not the Miami humidity, not even Scottie Scheffler – really made him sweat.

Young ultimately went on to win by six strokes, securing the third victory of his career.

More importantly, it was his second win in the last seven weeks, both coming at tough tracks. First, he won The Players at TPC Sawgrass. Now, he’s added the Cadillac Championship at the Blue Monster.

Add in his performance at The Masters, where he went toe-to-toe with Rory for the Green Jacket before his putter failed him, and you’d be forgiven for claiming that Cam Young plays his best golf on the hardest courses.

Because that’s exactly what he does.

In addition to his game, which he has shown the world plenty of over the last two months, Young also demonstrated what golf is really all about.

On the second hole, as he was taking his backswing, the golf ball moved forward almost imperceptibly.

Young immediately called in a rules official and explained that he wasn’t sure whether he had caused the ball to move. His club was moving backward while the ball rolled forward, but because he couldn’t be 100% certain that he hadn’t inadvertently caused it to move, he called a one-stroke penalty on himself.

When you hear people say that “golf is a gentleman’s game,” I believe Cam Young’s actions showed exactly what that means.

Cameron Young called a one-stroke penalty on himself on No. 2 Sunday @Cadillac_Champ after causing his ball to move at address.

He still saved par and maintains a five-shot lead.

📺 PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/WcmHdr7MNF

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 3, 2026

Another solid victory in what has turned into a breakout season for Cameron Young. He is the first player to win at TPC Sawgrass and Doral in the same season since some guy named Tiger Woods did it.

What about everybody else?

Scottie Scheffler birdied three of the last four holes en route to a solo second-place finish. That’s his third runner-up finish in his last three starts, for those keeping track at home.

Ben Griffin, who had a stellar season last year, finished in solo third place.

Si Woo Kim, Sepp Straka, and Adam Scott finished T4 at 11-under.

We’ll see you on Wednesday with our weekly picks for the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow.

Odds for the 2026 Truist Championship

Golfer	Odds
Rory McIlroy	+620
Cameron Young	+890
Xander Schauffele	+1225
Matt Fitzpatrick	+1650
Ludvig Aberg	+1800
Si Woo Kim	+2350
Tommy Fleetwood	+2450
Collin Morikawa	+2700
Patrick Cantlay	+2800
Robert MacIntyre	+2900