Share 
The 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville is officially underway, with The Cliffs at Walnut Cove producing the birdie fest we anticipated we might see on a sub-7,300-yard par-71 with four very scoreable par-5s.
There is a logjam of names atop the leaderboard, with Max Greyserman and Eric Cole sharing the lead and each holding a share of the course record with an opening round of 7-under-par. A total of 13 players remain within two strokes of the lead after round 1, including Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, Mackenzie Hughes, Chris Kirk, and Jacob Bridgeman.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 2 gets underway on Friday. Conditions were largely calm on Thursday, and the course will continue to play soft throughout the week, with preferred lies already in effect for the duration of the tournament. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 2 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
New DraftKings Customers Play Free for Your Share of Millions in Prizes. Min $5 Deposit Req.
T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
New DraftKings Customers Play Free for Your Share of Millions in Prizes. Min $5 Deposit Req.
T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
Round 2 Biltmore Championship Asheville Showdown Pillar Plays
As expected, ball-striking form and Bentgrass putting skill have prevailed through the opening round at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. In true positional course fashion, this is a venue that can be attacked from the fairway by trending wedge players. Furthermore, the presence of five long par-3s and four reachable par-5s has laid out a path for the best long-iron players to separate here. That places a heightened importance on driving accuracy and Proximity: 200+, as the leaders have displayed in the opening round. Looking ahead, it is going to take a combination of driving accuracy, elite long-iron play, and a streaky putter to go low at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 2 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Ben James ($10,100)
The 23-year-old continues to impress early on in his PGA Tour career, jumping out to a solid 4-under-par start in Asheville. Picking up two top-5 finishes within his first eight career pro starts, it’s still a bit premature to profile James’ game. What we do know so far, however, is he’s a highly skilled ball-striker with the ability to catch fire with his irons. James ranked 3rd in SG: APP, 2nd in SG: Ball Striking, and top-30 in both Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy in his opening round.
That only tells half the story for James’ Fall Series debut, however, as an ice cold putter (120th SG: Putting) halted him from a much more special start. Considering he has gained strokes putting in each of his last six starts, I expect things to turn around soon for James on the greens. He’s proven he can hang around with the PGA Tour’s best on easier scoring setups, and will be a dangerous player to watch throughout the Fall Series if that momentum continues.
Ben Kohles ($8,300)
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove looks to be an ideal fit for Kohles’ game, trading the importance of distance for accuracy on this short, positional venue. Approach play is crucial this week, and few have proven to be better than Kohles in that category, ranking 3rd in SG: APP over the last 36 rounds leading in. Through the first 18 holes in Asheville, Kohles has continued to look like his elite self with an iron in hand, as he ranks 3rd in SG: APP and 1st in SG: T2G.
Kohles will enter his second round at 6-under-par, just one stroke off the lead. He could be much higher up the leaderboard too, had it not been for a cold putter, as he ranked 77th in SG: Putting in his opening round. With three top-15s over his last eight starts, Kohles has done everything but win on the PGA Tour this summer. While I still have my reservations about his ability to close on Sunday, that is not a concern for now as we head into round 2.
Chris Kirk ($7,400)
I was cautiously optimistic about Chris Kirk leading into this week, under the assumption that six weeks on the shelf would serve as a nice reset to fix his putting woes. If round 1 is any indication, he’s certainly made a concerted effort to improve in that area. Kirk ranked 7th in SG: T2G and 44th in SG: Putting en route to an opening round of 6-under-par. Currently T3 for the tournament, Kirk is just one stroke off the lead, and looks to be in complete control of his game.
A six-time PGA Tour winner who is just two starts removed from a T8 finish at the Rocket Classic, Kirk’s combination of form, fit, and experience are hard to pass up at this price. Never the longest hitter on Tour, Kirk has always managed to separate on shorter courses that place a premium on accuracy ball striking. If his improvements with the putter are here to stay, there’s no question his tee-to-green form is good enough to contend on this positional course set up.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 2
Tournament Matchup: Jackson Koivun over Jacob Bridgeman
Best Available odds: +130
Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman entered this week as the two betting favorites, with Koivun in a clear tier of his own. After the opening round, Bridgeman holds a two-stroke lead over Koivun, causing the betting odds to tip in his favor. With three rounds to play, there’s plenty of time to erase a two-stroke deficit, and I haven’t seen any cause for concern in Koivun’s game for me to doubt that he is still the deserving favorite to win in Asheville. As such, I’m drawn to the value of Bridgeman in any matchup at plus-odds at this early stage of the tournament.
Bridgeman and Koivun are two of the most skilled putters in this field, and interestingly enough, neither was able to get much going on the greens on Thursday. Koivun was the worst of the the two in that regard, ranking 79th in SG: Putting in his opening round. Though fresh on the PGA Tour scene, Koivun has already done enough to establish himself as the better ball-striker in this matchup, and I expect this to be a venue that rewards superior ball-striking skill over time.
Leader After Round 2: Ben Kohles
Best Available odds: +1150
On paper, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is an ideal course fit for Kohles, who continues to thrive on venues that emphasize the importance of accuracy over distance. All the more encouraging has been his success in spite of the putter thus far, as a poor performance on the greens assuredly left a few extra strokes out there on Friday. Kohles has significantly improved his putting performance in 2026, so I expect to see a nice bounce back from him on Friday. Currently just one stroke off the lead, he’s fully capable of making a charge in his second round.
Best of luck with your Biltmore Championship Asheville DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: REUTERS
