Now let’s talk about the actual changes to the golf course. TPC Craig Ranch now features entirely different agronomy. The greens are now 777 Bent-grass, a grass that generally is going to allow the greens to play faster, and there is now Stadium Zoysia throughout the fairways.

The rough is now TifTurf Bermuda, which may increase the missed fairway penalty depending on how thick they want to grow it. It’s now the same type of rough that you see at Colonial every year and features a fairly strong missed fairway penalty. Bermuda is generally a lot trickier than the previous Rye-grass, even if it is cut to a shorter length.

The green on the par four third hole got shifted closer to Rowlett Creek, along with an added waste bunker. That hole can now play up to 225 yards and was already one of the harder holes on the course. The par five fifth hole has now been extended by 40 yards to play 624 yards. It also now features “Hell’s Full Acre,” a nod to Pine Valley, a massive waste bunker dividing the landing zones from the greens. This will now play much closer to a true three-shot par five now. Wadkins also re-shaped many of the greens and expanded pin position locations.

The renovation also added a new entire irrigation system to better move water off the course, which should really improve drainage. If it rains next week, and it certainly looks like we are going to get some on Tuesday, the golf course should in theory drain faster, doing a better job of protecting the firmness of the golf course to adverse rain conditions. Wadkins and PGA Tour completed all of this in seven months as well, and like we saw at Colonial, new greens certainly play firmer, and I expect that to be the case this week as well.

To read the rest of Andy’s preview, click here.

The Soudal Open is back at Rinkven Golf Club in Belgium for the fifth year in a row. Rinkven is a very short 6,940-yard par 71 weaving through thick forest with some ponds and creeks occasionally coming into play. Despite its lack of length, it hasn’t been a complete pushover with narrow playing corridors and bentgrass greens. The last four years have seen a winning score and scoring averages of -13 and -0.04, -18 and -1.22, -17 and -0.65 and -13 and +0.28.

Last year had a dramatic 3-way playoff after Kristoffer Reitan came from 9 back with a 62 to match Darius Van Driel’s three closing birdies and Ewen Ferguson’s final bogey after a brutal lipout, before winning in the playoff to kickstart his charge to becoming a PGA Tour winner. Rinkven also hosted the Belgium Knockout, an event with match play over the weekend, in 2018 and 2019.

With only three par 3’s and two par 5’s, there are three more par 4’s at Rinkven than a typical par 72. Six of these par 4’s are under 400 yards and four of those are under 350 yards. The 344-yard 16th allows drives to get close to the front edge, and is sometimes pushed to a forward tee to really encourage going for it. But the 326-yard 8th has a creek in front of the green and is usually a layup off the tee.

The four par 4’s over 450 yards play as the hardest four holes on the course, with the 484-yard 10th consistently the hardest as a converted par 5 with one of the narrowest fairways through the forest and a green protected by water on the right. The 456-yard 13th also poses a strong challenge with water along the right and the forest and out of bounds up the left.

To read the rest of Bexico’s preview, click here.

I have been playing One and Done since 2022 and I believe picking Bryson DeChambeau last week at the PGA Championship was my worst pick ever. There’s really not much to say. I took the chance on an out of form Bryson and it did not work.

We move onto the CJ Cup Byron Nelson that is a non signature event that is headlined by Scottie Scheffler, who is +160 to win this golf tournament.

This week in OAD, I am selecting Taylor Pendrith.

Pendrith is a former winner of this event back in 2024. He is coming into this event with some decent form, finishing T44 at the PGA Championship, where he gained four strokes off-the-tee and nearly four strokes putting. This is a week where we are trying to find elite drivers of the golf ball on a long TPC Craig Ranch golf course and Pendrith ranks 11th in recent strokes gained off-the-tee numbers. He also one of the longest players off-the-tee.

He approach numbers have been improving this year and he might have turned the corner with his putter. The course fit is there for Pendrith and I believe he will contend this weekend.

I thought about taking Brooks Koepka here but I want to save him for a non signature event that Scottie Scheffler isn’t in the field as the overwhelming favorite. I don’t mind taking a shot on Jordan Spieth here either, I just don’t have him available. Other low owned guys I considered were Thor and Michael Brennan.

2026 OAD Total: $10 milllion

The 2026 PGA Championship produced a ton of great storylines on and off the golf course. From the grounds Tuesday-Thursday and from watching on TV, here are some of my main takeaways from the PGA Championship.

The Mink Delivered, Despite the Uproar from Fans

One aspect of why I love the PGA Championship, US Open, and Open Championship is that they rotate what courses host their event. I know that these organizations usually rotate the same courses every 8 years or so, but even when that happens, there’s still so much excitement and buzz to see a new course we haven’t seen in some time. 

In the lead up to the first round, media members asked the players what they thought of the golf course and what they anticipate the winning score to be. With many players outwardly saying the course would get torn apart, Kerry Haigh decided to set the golf course up with brutal pin placements, even with high wind conditions all weekend. 

This caused an uproar from notable players like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy saying that these pins weren’t fair. Specifically, Rory expressed his frustration with the early round setups stating, "I think a bunched leaderboard like this, I think it's a sign of not a great setup... because it hasn't really enabled anyone to separate themselves. Um, it's like a, you know, it's easy to make a ton of pars... I've always felt like really good setups, it starts to spread the field a bit, and not-great setups sort of bring everyone together."

Were some of the pin placements unfair and borderline diabolical? I would say so. The pin on Thursday on 8 was tucked behind the bunker on the right side and the tee box was 240 yards out with the wind hurting you. You didn’t have a chance to stick it close. 

There were a number of instances of impossible pins throughout the weekend, and for a couple weeks out of the year we get a different test of golf, where par is a good score and birdies are not readily available. It was helpful that we got windy conditions last week, which made Aronmink even harder. We don’t see these types of giant undulating greens that were designed by the great Donald Ross too often on the PGA Tour. 

The course did not put a premium on driving which is something that is new for these guys. Technology has taken over the game with the obsession ball speed numbers and gigantic driver heads. 

More guys are able to win an event where elite driving isn’t a necessity. If the PGA Championship was played at Bethpage Black, which is a long difficult golf course with thick rough, and driving distance is a requirement to contend, only a handful of guys have a realistic shot to win. At Aronimink this wasn’t the case, and it was refreshing to feel that more guys had a chance to cross the finish line Sunday. 

The 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink will be remembered for the scoring conditions and the challenging pins, however, it should be celebrated for providing fans a different style of golf. I would totally be on board for the PGA Championship to come back to Aronmink.

It’s OK We Got a Surprise Major Champion

Many people online were upset and disappointed that Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship. It has nothing to do with Aaron Rai’s character or him as a person at all, people just weren’t happy that a big name in the golf space didn’t raise the Wanamaker trophy Sunday night. 

Many golf fans would rather see a popular player or a young ascending star win a major championship because it's “more exciting” or “better for the game”. I do agree somewhat with those statements, however, it's completely ok and good for golf to have a surprise major champion. 

Having an underdog champion is what makes golf such an incredible and special sport. It only takes one heroic weekend, a couple memorable shots down the stretch, and a putt to change your career and legacy. Golf is the one sport where these types of stories can come to fruition.

Aaron Rai’s Underdog Story

It’s only fitting for a player like Aaron Rai, with a unique background and underdog story, to win in a city of underdogs like Philadelphia. Aaron Rai is known and made fun for having iron covers, aka iron condoms, and wearing two black gloves when he plays. 

He grew up playing with plastic clubs and his dad quit his job to coach him when he was a child. When he got a real set of golf clubs, he was scared to damage them because his family couldn’t afford new ones. He still keeps covers on his irons because those are his roots. He wants to remind himself of his upbringing and where he came from. 

Aaron Rai is not outspoken by any means. He is not the most popular player on the PGA Tour and is sometimes forgotten despite being a very consistent professional for years now, however you will never find a player say a bad word about him. He has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys on the Tour.

As stated above, what makes golf great is for these surprise winners to cross the finish line and for their story to get the national attention it deserves. Even though I said on Twitter that I am not ready for Aaron Rai to talk about winning at Aronmink, he very much deserves to win a major championship in a town like Philadelphia. 

He already said that he loves the fans and their passion. Soon enough he will be sitting next to Mike Trout at Eagles games in the fall. 

Free Concessions Was A Game Changer

The most annoying part of attending sporting events is paying a ridiculous amount for food and beer. The second most is waiting in line for these overpriced concessions, which in turn forces you to miss some of the action. 

Over the last couple of years, plenty of professional golf tournaments like the Players, Arnold Palmer Invitational, BMW Championship, Truist Championship, Tour Championship were great experiences. However, the PGA Championship offering complimentary concessions was truly a game changer. 

At Aronimink, they had a couple of huge concession tents where you could walk up and take whatever you like. Over the three days I was on the grounds, I had to wait in line for at most 10 minutes to be able to grab a burger, hot dog, water, and some snacks for the road. I had to wait because it was the lunch rush and the volunteers wanted to make sure it wasn’t chaotic in the tent being overcrowded.  You didn’t have to wait or strategize the perfect time to go to the concession stands.  

It was expensive to go to the first round of the PGA Championship, however, they built in the cost of concessions. I know there is no such thing as a free lunch, but the time you save, the convenience, and mentally making you happy that it was so easy to get food and drinks made the experience on the grounds even better. 

Rishi Loungani

Roland Garros Preview

The French Open, held annually in Paris, is one of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments and the sport’s biggest clay-court event. Known for its grueling rallies and physically demanding matches, it often turns even the world’s best players into exhausted, clay-covered marathon runners. Roland-Garros combines elite tennis with rich tradition.

The draw comes out Thursday (5/21) so we are speculating a bit... 

Fils 22/1

Let's be real, Jannik Sinner is probably going to win the French Open following six consecutive Masters 1000 tournament wins. With no Alcaraz in the field, it's Sinner's tournament to lose (-275). But if looking beyond Sinner, keep an eye on Arthur Fils, the young French star whose power and athleticism make him one of the most dangerous breakout candidates in the draw. If the Paris crowd gets behind him, things could get very interesting very quickly. Fils also recently added Goran Ivanišević as his coach, the former Wimbledon champion best known recently for coaching Novak Djokovic to multiple slams. 

Rybakina 8/1

Conversely to the men's side, the women's side could not be more wide open. Swiatek is one of the best female clay court players of all time and is trending back to her baseline but is still showing vulnerability, Sabalenka continues to look dominant but has not often been able to close in a grand slam, and Coco is the defending champ and is coming off a very tight Rome final loss.

I'm likely to look at taking a shot at Rybakina once the draw comes out on Thursday.

You could make a good argument that Rybakina has been #1 in the world this year after winning the Australian Open and continuing to play dominant tennis. 

Despite that, she is consistently being offered at third or fourth highest futures. 

I think Rybakina could take this opportunity to separate herself as the new best player in the world in Paris ahead of going into her best surface, grass. 

Hardly any people had Aaron Rai winning the PGA Championship, however, one of our subscribers did. Shoutout to LyonCubs in our discord for hitting Aaron Rai 290/1. Such a crazy outright win.