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The Biltmore Championship Asheville brings us to The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in North Carolina as the first leg of the PGA Tour’s 2026 Fall Series. The field of 132 players is headlined by Jackson Koivun, Jacob Bridgeman, and Davis Thompson. Find longer golf odds at the best sports betting sites to increase your potential Biltmore Championship Asheville payouts.
Two weeks without PGA Tour golf was long enough. The 2026 FedEx Fall Series is now here, as many of the PGA Tour’s best get ready to play some highly consequential golf over the next three months to determine their 2027 playing status. All players who did not qualify for the 50-man BMW Championship will have some work left to do in the FedEx Fall.
We kick things off this fall at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, which is set to host its inaugural PGA Tour event at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. It marks the third event contested in North Carolina this season after the Wyndham Championship and Truist Championship.
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove has never hosted a professional event before, and a majority of this field has not teed it up competitively since before the FedEx Cup Playoffs began in early August. That casts plenty of uncertainty from a handicapping standpoint, but in this article, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, and what profile of player we should expect to rise in these playing conditions.
Ahead, we’ll go through everything you need to know about The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in preparation for the 2026 Biltmore Asheville Championship.
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BILTMORE CHAMPIONSHIP ASHEVILLE ODDS: THE FAVORITES
Here are the favorites with odds shorter than 20-1 this week. Click on the odds and navigate to the sportsbook for longshots.
THE FIELD AT A GLANCE
In this kickoff to the 2026 Fall Series, we’ll see the first “full” field on the PGA Tour since the Wyndham Championship, which was contested just under a 3-hour’s drive east of Asheville. 135 players will tee it up this week, with the top-65 and ties advancing through the cut.
I’m a huge fan of the Fall Series format, as it motivates players of all tiers with something money can’t buy: status. The top-60 (or 10 best at the end of the Fall Series who were not already exempt in the top-50 of the final 2026 FedEx Cup Standings) will earn qualification into the first two Signature Events of the 2027 season. Players who finish inside the top-125 will earn conditional status for the following season.
The Fall Series is not limited to second-tier players outside the top-50, however. Those eager to compete for prize money and OWGR points can still compete as well, and we’ll see several big names this week in Asheville.
Jackson Koivun headlines, taking a page out of the U.S. Team’s playbook last year to once again stay fresh leading up to the Presidents Cup in the following week. He’ll be joined by his Presidents Cup teammate, Jacob Bridgeman, as the presumptive favorites this week. Five International Team captain’s picks will head to Asheville as well, as Ryo Hisatsune, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Nico Echavarria will also look to stay sharp before Medinah.
A total of 10 OWGR top-70 players will round out this field, with JT Poston, Marco Penge, Michael Kim, Johnny Keefer, and Blades Brown rounding out the secondary favorites to watch out for this week.
INTRODUCTION TO THE CLIFFS AT WALNUT COVE
It has been over 80 years since the PGA Tour last came to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. It will be up to the task of hosting the best golfers in the world now, however, with the new, Jack Nicklaus-designed Cliffs at Walnut Cove taking center stage.
Nicklaus designed this course in 2005, setting out to bring a championship-caliber course to the Asheville region and leaning into the scenic natural topography. Built in a valley beside the Pisgah National Forest, the course features a natural mix of farmland and native mountain woodlands.
Sitting just over 2,100 feet above sea level, this is a true mountain golf setup that will give a slight uptick in distance when played at elevation. The mountain scenery also sets the stage for natural amphitheater viewing and creates interesting approaches into raised greens complexes.
How It Breaks Down
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is a short venue by PGA Tour standards, standing at 7,249 yards as a par-71. Unique to this par-71 setup, however, is the unusual mix of five par-3s and four par-5s to go along with nine par-4s. Distance is far from a necessity on this layout, which features four reachable par-5s and no par-4s beyond 460 yards. Distance is especially mitigated when considering this course is played at elevation and is played positionally with its tight treelines neighboring the fairways.
The par-3s are likely to tell the story this week, with all five measuring beyond 187 yards. Contenders will do well to tread water on these holes, and if they can get through the week at even par on them, there are plenty of opportunities to score on the short par-5s and par-4s.
It remains to be seen just how difficult this course will play in our first time seeing it against PGA Tour competition, but on paper, this is a venue that is going to surrender plenty of birdie opportunities. Driving Accuracy, consistent approach play from 150 yards and beyond, and Bentgrass Putting will be the most important skill sets to bring to Asheville this week.
THE CLIFFS AT WALNUT COVE COURSE SPECS
- Yards: 7,249
- Par: 71 (5x 3s / 9x 4s / 4x 5s)
- Greens, Fairways, & Rough: Bentgrass
- Architect: Jack Nicklaus
- Comp Courses: Caves Valley, Wilmington Country Club, TPC Toronto, Innisbrook Resort, Sedgefield Country, The Dunes Beach & Golf Club, TPC Deere Run
- Hole-by-hole Breakdown:
COURSE COMPS
With this marking the inaugural event in Asheville, there is no event history to glean from. With that being the case,I will be putting a much heavier emphasis on comp courses this week that embody many of the same characteristics as The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. Those defining characteristics include short Bentgrass par-70s, that feature dramatic elevation changes, are heavily tree-lined, and place a heightened emphasis on par-3 scoring.
There is no perfect comp course on the regular PGA Tour rotation; however, I would define The Cliffs at Walnut Cove as a mix between TPC Deere Run, Caves Valley (2025 version), and Wilmington Country Club. All three share in common moderate scoring conditions, bentgrass agronomy, and a premium on long-iron approach play. TPC Deere Run appears to compare most similarly to The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, as both courses are not overbearingly long, feature the same Bentgrass agronomy, severe elevation changes, and a penalty for inaccurate driving due to its tight treelines. It remains to be seen how scoring will shake out in Asheville, but I would not be surprised to see a similar scoring average to the John Deere Classic.
On a secondary basis, TPC Toronto, Innisbrook Resort, and The Dunes Beach & Golf Club have offered a similar distribution of approach shots from beyond 150 yards, feature moderate scoring conditions, and feature a distinct premium on par-3 scoring.
Combine performance across this list, and the top-10 players in Comp Course History here are Davis Thompson, Kevin Yu, Billy Horschel, Emiliano Grillo, Webb Simpson, JT Poston, Justin Thomas, Mac Meissner, Jacob Bridgeman, and Corey Conners.
KEY STATS TO CONSIDER WITH BMW CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
- Recent Form (SG: TOT L16)
- SG: T2G
- SG: APP / Prox: 200+
- Driving Accuracy
- Scrambling Gained / SG: ARG
- Birdies or Better Gained
- Par-3 Scoring, Par-5 Scoring
- SG: P (Bent) / SG: P (Firm & Fast greens)
- Comp Course History
When in doubt, start modeling with SG: T2G to prioritize the top-trending players leading into the week. I’ll be doing just that in a week like this with such limited prior course history data. The top-10 players in SG: T2G are Jackson Koivun, Doug Ghim, Davis Thompson, Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, Justin Thomas, Chris Kirk, Ben James, Kevin Yu, and Andrew Novak.
Approach play is pivotal on any given week. Even though we’ve yet to see this venue stand up against the PGA Tour’s best, we should expect the most precise players with their irons to be able to attack here. The top-10 players in SG: APP entering this week are Davis Thompson, Jackson Koivun, Ben Kohles, William Mouw, Tom Hoge, Chris Kirk, Zac Blair, Joel Dahmen, Jackson Suber, and Davis Chatfield.
Par-3 Scoring is rarely a premium stat category to focus on, but the par-3s at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove may prove to be its greatest defense. With five par-3s on the property, each 187 yards or longer, the players who can tread water on these holes will be positioned well to attack the rest of the course. The top-10 players in terms of par-3 scoring are Beau Hossler, Ben Kohles, Blades Brown, Jackson Koivun, Jackson Suber, John Parry, Lee Hodges, Eric Cole, Taylor Pendrith, and Ben James.
Proximity 200+ is a stat that closely coincides with par-3 scoring this week, but it will be especially predictive in identifying the players who are best equipped to create scoring opportunities on the four par-5s. The top-10 in terms of Prox: 200+ are Jackson Suber, Zac Blair, Joel Dahmen, Ben Kohles, Jackson Koivun, Lucas Glover, Ryo Hisatsune, Johnny Keefer, Rico Hoey, and Will Gordon.
The ideal player for this week should be above average in Comp Course History, SG: T2G, SG: APP, Birdies or Better Gained, SG: P (Bentgrass), and Par 3 Scoring. Only nine players meet each of those criteria: Mac Meissner, Ben James, JT Poston, Stephan Jaeger, Patrick Fishburn, Emiliano Grillo, Lee Hodges, Keita Nakajima, and Davis Chatfield.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: BLADES BROWN
This kid from Nashville should feel close to home in Asheville, just a 5-hour drive away. Brown is very much still a kid at the age of 19, but has played well beyond his years since turning pro. He’ll have a little less to prove than most other participants in the Fall Series, as his 2027 PGA Tour membership will be secured via his top-10 standing on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Brown has made the most of his sporadic opportunities on the PGA Tour thus far, finishing top-20 in six of his 10 starts. Brown has planted the seeds for a long playing career, as he ranks above-tour-average in terms of Driving Distance, Driving Accuracy, SG: APP, and SG: Putting.
The easier the scoring conditions, the better for Brown, whose best results on the PGA Tour this season have come at the Puerto Rico Open (3rd), the Myrtle Beach Classic (T9), the John Deere Classic (T12), and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson (T14).
Finally playing with the freedom of a secured Tour card, I believe Blades will play with a bit more freedom this week, and he’ll enter with high expectations coming off of three consecutive top-10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour.
2026 BILTMORE CHAMPIONSHIP ASHEVILLE ODDS: DFS PLAYER POOL
With all the course-fit profiles in mind, I’m leaning early toward the below player pool. Naturally, I’m looking their way in the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville odds as well. I’ve broken the list down by projected pricing/odds tier for DraftKings.
BILTMORE CHAMPIONSHIP ASHEVILLE ODDS: MODEL RESULTS & BREAKDOWN
2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville Model Breakdown
In my model, I’m emphasizing SG: T2G, SG: APP, Comp Course History, Prox: 200+, Weighted Putting (L36, Bent), followed by a more balanced mix of Driving Accuracy, Birdies or Better Gained, Par 3 Scoring, and Par 5 Scoring.
Model Favorites
Something we may get used to seeing a lot more for the foreseeable future is Jackson Koivun’s name atop the weekly model. Koivun has announced himself on the PGA Tour with haste, winning the 3M Open in his third career start as a pro. He’ll be amongst the betting favorites this week, and will look to build some positive momentum ahead of his first career Presidents Cup start in the following week.
After Koivun, the rest of my model’s top 10 features Jackson Suber, Ben James, Kevin Yu, Mac Meissner, Ben Kohles, Blades Brown, Davis Thompson, Emiliano Grillo, and Doug Ghim.
When the odds open on Monday, I’ll look to center my card around Blades Brown, Davis Thompson, and Doug Ghim depending on where the odds ultimately fall.
Check back in later this week for more updates, and best of luck navigating the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville odds!
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