The penultimate event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Fall Series takes place at Fazio Canyons Golf Course this week, with a packed field battling it out in the inaugural Austin Championship.
With just one more tournament - the RSM Classic - to come after this event in Texas, time is running out for those players outside the top 100 places in the FedEx rankings to secure their PGA Tour cards for the 2027 season.
For those higher up the standings, finishing from 51st to 60th will earn entry into two of the Signature Events next year - the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
Blades Brown will be looking to follow up his maiden PGA Tour win at the World Wide Technology Championship on Sunday with success in Texas and he can be backed at 25/1.
Austin Smotherman has won on his last two starts and he is available at 35/1 to make it a hat-trick, which would help cement his current position of 51st in the FedEx list.
Austin Championship Tips Summary
Best Bet - Austin Smotherman to win and each-way @ 35/1
Alternative Bet - Doug Ghim to win and each-way @ 14/1
Alternative Bet - Jordan Smith to win and each-way @ 30/1
Austin Championship Prediction
Best Bet: Austin Smotherman to win and each-way @ 35/1
Elevation changes are a constant theme at Fazio Canyons Golf Course, which puts an emphasis on distance control, and one player who has been dialled in on approach this season is Austin Smotherman.
The American is fifth in both greens in regulation and strokes gained approach and his sharp irons have helped him to wins on his last two starts, at the Bank of Utah Championship and the Bermuda Championship.
Smotherman is playing with huge confidence and his claims are enhanced by the fact he has performed well at other Tom Fazio-designed courses on the PGA Tour over the years.
The PGA National has hosted the Cognizant Classic since 2007 and Smotherman was tied for second in that event this year, finishing two strokes behind Nico Echavarria.
With the two-time PGA Tour winner ranked 20th in driving accuracy, there is plenty to like about his tee-to-green play and a third win in a row could be in the offing.
Alternative Bet: Doug Ghim to win and each-way @ 14/1
Turning professional in 2018, Doug Ghim is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title, but his form heading into this Texas event suggests that first win is not far away.
The American has made four appearances in the FedEx Cup Fall Series, beginning with a tied-17th finish at the Biltmore Asheville Championship before ending up second to Smotherman at the Bank of Utah Championship.
Another tied-17th effort came at the Baycurrent Classic before the 30-year-old registered a top-six finish at the Mexico Open on his last start.
Ghim is playing with consistency, and there is a lot to like about his numbers heading into this new challenge at Fazio Canyons, as he ranks seventh in strokes gained off the tee, sixth in tee-to-green, and fourth in greens in regulation.
Alternative Bet: Jordan Smith to win and each-way @ 30/1
Jordan Smith built a reputation on the DP World Tour for being an accurate player, consistently finding fairways and greens, and he has shown this on the PGA Tour this season.
The Englishman is first in total driving and 20th in driving accuracy, while he is ninth in greens in regulation, which is evidence of how solid a player he is from tee to green.
Smith's limiting club has always been the putter, but he has improved with it over the last three starts, with form figures of T4-T16-T8.
That top five came at the Baycurrent Classic, where Smith was third in putts per greens in regulation, while he was 20th in strokes gained putting when posting a top 10 last week.
If Smith enjoys a solid time on the greens in Texas, then he will be a danger.
Key Tournament Stats
This is the inaugural edition of the Austin Championship and the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup Fall Series
Fazio Canyons Golf Course at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, hosts the tournament
A par 72 measuring 7,451 yards, there are 10 par-fours, four par-fives and four par-threes
Austin Smotherman, a two-time winner during the Fall Series, will be teeing it up
Last week's World Wide Technology Championship winner, Blades Brown, is in the field
Andrew Novak, who won the Mexico Open on his last start, is another notable name taking part
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
