Austin Championship 2026

The PGA Tour heads to Texas this week for the inaugural Austin Championship, played at the Fazio Canyons Course at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. Measuring 7,451 yards, this Tom Fazio-designed par 72 is set among the rolling hills and limestone terrain of the Texas Hill Country. The course underwent an extensive renovation in 2022 and makes its PGA Tour debut this week, meaning there is no previous tournament history to draw upon.

Fazio Canyons looks set to provide an interesting test, with strategically positioned bunkers, water hazards and significant elevation changes placing an emphasis on quality ball-striking. With four par 5s offering scoring opportunities and several lengthy par 3s demanding strong long-iron play, approach performance could prove particularly important. As the penultimate event of the FedExCup Fall, there is also plenty at stake for players fighting to secure their playing privileges for 2027. With no established scoring trends at the venue, I'll be placing particular emphasis on current form and the statistical profiles best suited to this layout.

Andrew Novak 2.5pts ew 20/1 (10 places Powers)

Austin Smotherman arrives on the back of back-to-back victories, so why can't Andrew Novak produce something similar? Novak heads to Texas fresh from an impressive five-shot victory at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open, where he finished an incredible 25-under-par. He produced rounds of 67, 61, 62 and 69, with his outstanding second and third rounds effectively putting the tournament beyond reach. It was a thoroughly deserved victory and another reminder of the quality Novak possesses when his game clicks. He had also finished seventh at the Wyndham Championship in August and 17th at the Biltmore Championship in September, so there is more to his recent form than just one excellent week in Mexico.

The statistics offer plenty of encouragement, particularly with the irons. Novak ranks 53rd on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach this season at +0.274 per round, rising to an impressive +0.855 over his last five starts. His long-term driving numbers are more modest, ranking 82nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, but he has averaged a positive figure over his recent appearances. He also ranks 35th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, giving him another useful strength when he inevitably misses greens. His putting has been a weakness across the season, sitting 156th in Strokes Gained: Putting, although that department was a different story in Mexico, where he gained more than eight strokes on the field with the putter.

The course-design angle is worth considering too. Novak finished seventh at the 2025 RSM Classic at Sea Island's Seaside Course, which has undergone a Tom Fazio redesign. He also has a third-place finish at Torrey Pines in 2025 and a third at the Valero Texas Open in 2025, demonstrating that he can contend on a variety of layouts. There isn't a particularly strong record of repeated success on Fazio designs, but that Sea Island result is an encouraging reference point. With confidence sky-high after Mexico and his approach numbers trending in the right direction, I'm happy to give Novak another chance to deliver. 

Jackson Suber 1pt ew 40/1 (10 places bet365)

Jackson Suber is another player who catches my eye this week, particularly given the quality of his approach play. The 27-year-old ranks 15th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining an impressive 0.539 strokes per round, while that figure improves to 0.666 over his last five starts. He also ranks 12th in Greens in Regulation at 71.38%, suggesting the quality of his iron play is translating into plenty of opportunities. His driving is reasonably solid too, ranking 67th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee at +0.138, with a positive figure of +0.350 over his last five outings. On a course where finding greens and controlling approaches should be important, there is plenty to like about that statistical profile.

His recent form has been reasonably consistent, although he arrives following a missed cut at the World Wide Technology Championship. Prior to that, he finished 34th at the Mexico Open, 41st at the Baycurrent Classic and 40th at the Bank of Utah Championship, having previously recorded a very respectable 15th-place finish at the Biltmore Championship. His best results this season include a fourth place at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, fourth at the RBC Canadian Open and sixth at the John Deere Classic. The latter was particularly encouraging, as he finished 17-under-par, while he also produced a strong showing at the Open Championship with a tie for 28th at Royal Birkdale.

The main concern is undoubtedly the putter. Suber ranks 148th in Strokes Gained: Putting this season, losing 0.337 strokes per round, and his recent putting numbers haven't offered much improvement. However, his approach play is good enough to give himself plenty of chances, and a slightly warmer week with the putter could make a significant difference. There is no meaningful previous PGA Tour course history to lean on at Fazio Canyons, but I like the combination of his iron play, respectable driving numbers and ability to compete against stronger fields. If he can get something going on the greens, Suber has the ball-striking to put together a very competitive week.

Kevin Yu 1pt ew 55/1 (10 places bet365)

Kevin Yu is another player I'm happy to keep onside this week, particularly given his ability to generate plenty of scoring opportunities. The Taiwanese golfer ranks 51st on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, gaining 0.224 strokes per round, while averaging just shy of 310 yards off the tee. His approach numbers haven't been quite as impressive, but there are some other statistics worth highlighting. Yu ranks sixth in Birdie Average, averaging 4.42 per round, and fifth in Par Breakers, converting 25.40% of his holes into birdies or better. He also ranks eighth in birdie-or-better percentage on par 4s and 28th on par 5s. With four par 5s on the card at Fazio Canyons, his ability to take advantage of scoring opportunities could prove valuable.

His recent results have been a little inconsistent, but there are some encouraging performances if we look back a little further. A fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship in August was the highlight, where he finished 16-under-par, while he also recorded a 16th at the 3M Open and 24th at the Biltmore Championship. More recently, he finished 32nd at the Bank of Utah Championship and 65th in Mexico, but the underlying scoring numbers suggest he hasn't lost his ability to make birdies. He also finished 31st at the Rocket Classic, another respectable result in a season where he has shown he can compete.

I particularly like Yu's ability to combine distance with scoring potential, and his numbers suggest he is capable of making plenty of birdies when he gets things going. He ranks 22nd in Greens in Regulation at 70.10%, which is another encouraging statistic and suggests his game is producing enough opportunities despite the less impressive Strokes Gained: Approach figure. The putter has been a little inconsistent, but he ranks 19th in putting average at 1.724 putts per green in regulation. If he can get the irons firing and take advantage of the par 5s, I wouldn't be surprised to see Yu put together a strong week.

Isaiah Salinda 1pt ew 80/1 (10 places Boyles)

Isaiah Salinda is perhaps a slightly more speculative addition to the shortlist, but there are a couple of encouraging signs worth highlighting. He has shown some decent power off the tee this season, averaging 315 yards and gaining 0.460 strokes per round in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. His approach play has also shown signs of improvement, gaining 0.458 strokes per round over his last five starts compared with 0.125 for the season overall.

His recent form offers a little more encouragement, particularly with an 11th-place finish at the Bermuda Championship before finishing 18th last week at the World Wide Technology Championship. He shot 16-under-par in Mexico, although that was only enough for 18th, and the two recent results suggest his game is beginning to show some consistency. The putter remains a concern, but if he can get anything going on the greens, Salinda has enough distance and improving approach numbers to make this an interesting week.

Cameron Davis 1pt ew 150/1 (10 places Boyles)

Cam Davis is potentially my favourite value play on the shortlist this week. The Australian is a two-time PGA Tour winner who, on his day, would have been among the betting favourites for an event of this calibre. He's endured a difficult 2026, but there are signs that his game is beginning to turn around, and at a massive price I think he could be getting overlooked. A tie for 11th at the Bermuda Championship was particularly encouraging, followed by a 40th in Mexico and 42nd at last week's World Wide Technology Championship. Those results might not immediately jump off the page, but his underlying numbers suggest there is more to come.

The biggest positive is his approach play. Davis has gained strokes on approach in each of his last six starts and ranks 25th on Tour for Strokes Gained: Approach over that period. He has gained an average of 0.502 strokes per round with his irons over his last five tournaments, a considerable improvement on his season-long figure. He also ranks 65th in driving distance, averaging 308.5 yards, so he certainly has enough power to take advantage of the scoring opportunities at Fazio Canyons. His driving has been a little erratic, but the relatively generous fairways could help take some of that pressure away.

I'm quite keen on Davis at the prices this week. The recent results are beginning to improve, the iron play is showing genuine signs of life and we know there is a very capable player in there somewhere. He has two PGA Tour victories to his name and considerably more upside than his recent results might suggest. I think he's one who could easily outrun his odds if the improvement with the irons continues, and I'm happy to take a chance that he's rounding into form at just the right time.