2026 Austin Championship Picks, Bets, Course Preview

Austin Championship Picks

David Ford — No player has been better off the tee in the fall swing than Ford. And it really hasn’t mattered about the venue. He crushed at airport hangar sized fairways in Utah and Mexico just as much as the club-down fest in Bermuda. The irons and putting have been surging as well. Really, the thing that’s let him down is the short game. He’s never been Seve from greenside, but he’s now dropped strokes in seven straight starts ATG. The solution: Simply hit more greens and not worry about it. If Ford needs to rely on his around the green prowess, chances are, he’s not making enough birdies to contend for a win in Austin.

Pierceson Coody — Whatever had been plaguing him for six months, like other things, seemed to have gotten flushed from his system in Mexico. It’s always dicey trusting open fairway, resort course stats and translating them back to mainland track, but it’s hard to overlook how well he has been striking it. Despite a T33 last week, Coody was fourth T2G, dropping an ungodly seven shots to the field with the putter. Here’s to hoping a Texas guy can figure out how to putt in Texas.

Zach Bauchou — Bauchou was seemingly trending towards a breakthrough all fall until he hit those velcro greens in Mexico. While his stellar driving and approach play persisted, he dropped over 7.5 strokes on the greens in his six round across El país azteca. Strike it the same and flip that putter and Bauchou is as live as anyone in Austin.

Seamus Power — Since there are only two events remaining in the season, I may as well just keep donating to the Power fund. The form is clearly there. Power’s posted three Top 10s (including a playoff loss) in his four Fall Swing starts, with his worst finish a T21 at the Bank of Utah, where he rebounded after dropping almost five strokes on approach in round 1.

Kevin Yu — Whatever demons caused primo ball striker Kevin Yu to lose his ability to hit an iron that were thought to have been exorcised after the West Coast Swing earlier this year have seemingly returned. Maybe he’s not cut out for resort course life? Regardless, Yu’s long-term form shows he’s one of the better ball strikers in the field, at a course which should reward his aggressive nature.