The 2026 PGA Tour season has arrived, which means it’s time to make a fresh batch of irresponsible predictions using incomplete information and reckless confidence.
What follows is betting “analysis” built on the three pillars of Club Pro Guy gambling: hunch, personal bias, and unresolved grudges. We’ll take a look at some notable rookies, then forecast the majors.
The Rookies — Let The Missed Cuts Begin…
Christo Lamprecht — South Africa (2025 KFT Graduate)
- Six-foot-eight with a truly wonky swing that involves dipping his massive frame at impact.
- Won the 2023 British Amateur and led the 2025 KFT in driving distance at 331 yards.
David Chatfield — USA (2025 KFT graduate)
- At five-foot-five, he’ll be the shortest player on tour.
- Can’t wait to see him next to Uncle Christo!
Zach Bauchou — USA (2025 KFT Graduate)
- Played at Oklahoma State alongside Viktor Hovland, Austin Eckroat, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and Matthew “WTF” Wolff.
- Withdrew from a KFT qualifying event in 2023 to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, significantly slowing his career.
- Very #wholesome.
Chandler Blanchet — USA (2025 KFT Graduate)
- It’s pronounced blon-SHAY, you philistines.
- As a collegiate player, Blon-shay was repeatedly getting kicked off the intramural fields at the University of West Florida for hitting golf balls—do they not have a range?
Dan Brown — England (DP World Tour Graduate)
- 23 years after The Da Vinci Code… oh wait.
- This Dan Brown finished 11th in the 2025 DP World Tour standings—one spot shy of a PGA Tour card—which he received only after Laurie Canter opted to return to LIV, proving that God is on his side, despite the heretical books written by the other Dan Brown.
David Ford — USA (PGA Tour University)
- Reached No. 1 in the WAGR in 2023—no weaknesses, #elite temperament, coaches love him.
- He’s a triplet, meaning there will always be two people looking to sabotage him.
Keita Nakajima — Japan (DP World Tour Graduate)
- NAKAJIMA!
- On strength of name alone, pencil him in for a U.S. Open top-20.
The Majors…
I want it on record now: Scottie Scheffler will not win a major in 2026, despite being the betting favorite in all four. He’s just too nice. And in my experience, that means something dark is brewing underneath.
THE MASTERS
Rory: + 650
- Is he motivated after closing out the career Grand Slam?
- In recent appearances, he looks like a man who’s already won everything and is now serving a life sentence as the PGA Tour’s spokesperson.
Ludvig Aberg: + 1400
- Great game. Calm to the point of concern. Obsessed with Chipotle.
- A top-5 feels inevitable.
Bryson DeChambeau: + 1600
- His Masters history reads like a lab experiment beginning to stabilize. After missing the cut in 2022 and 2023, he logged back-to-back top-10s. Is Augusta finally bending to his will?
- I recently made one of my more aggressive futures plays. At 10,000-to-1, I put $100 on Bryson someday marrying Kai Trump. If Jared Kushner is included in the dowry—to be Bryson’s errand boy— I’ll hit on a massive prop bet.
Jon Rahm: + 1600
- I’ve been burned by this joker so many times I refuse to bet him again—which means I absolutely will.
Xander Schauffele: + 1600
- Based on the facial bloating he’s displayed in recent appearances, he seems to have spent the offseason guzzling red wine. My instincts say avoid. Then again, I’ve played some of my best golf with a three-alarm hangover.
Tommy Fleetwood: + 1750
- If this were a competition for the guy I’d most like to have a beer with, I’d bet Fleetwood in all four majors. Watching him finish as a runner-up six times last year made his breakthrough at the Tour Championship ever more heart warming. Plus, his wife is 23 years older than him, and frankly, I’m a big fan of that.
Long Shots Worth Considering
Robert MacIntyre: + 4400
- Nobody embodies the CPG spirit more than Bob, who’s a big-moment player and a certified lunatic, snapping a putter mid-round at last week’s Sony Open.
- Bob, we’re eagerly awaiting your partnership.
Sungajae Im: + 6000
- By winning gold at the 2023 Asian Games, Sungjae avoided the full 21 months of South Korean military service. Instead, he did three months of basic training, which he completed in November. If that isn’t winning under pressure, what the hell is?
- Oorah, Sungae.
THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
- Aronimink Golf Club, Newton Square, PA (outside Philly)
- Keegan Bradley won the 2018 BMW Championship here. You can find him at +10,000, which is generous pricing for a man who looks like he hasn’t exhaled since he was announced as the Ryder Cup captain. Worth a couple bucks if you enjoy losing.
- Despite the visible exhaustion, I’m taking Rory. Philly crowds are feral, the rough will be punitive, and Rory’s great in ugly conditions.
- If not Rory, how about J.T. at + 1750. He’s far enough into marriage/fatherhood that we can expect some red-ass and renewed focus in his game.
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
- Royal Birkdale, Southport, England
- A course that demands precise driving, #elite irons, and patience.
- Spieth won here in 2017, and you can get him at +5000. Is that a good bet? Almost certainly not. But watching Spieth contend in a major is one of TV watching’s great endurance tests. His game resembles every 8-handicap I know—scrambly, greasy, and hanging by a thread.
- I’m taking Fleetwood at + 2000 and Chris Gotterup at + 5000
- Look for Gotterup to continue his international dominance.
- If neither of those guys tickle your fancy, Tyrell Hatton (+ 2500) looks good.
The U.S. Open
- Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, NY
- This belongs to Bryson (+900) or Ludvig (+2000).
- No further questions.
Golfer I Will Not, Under Any Circumstances, Be Backing This Year:
- Collin Morikawa.
- Just don’t do it. The guy has a goldendoodle that he forces to wear dog booties.
Others worth keeping an eye on…
- Ben Griffin: despite looking like he accidentally wandered onto the PGA Tour, he won three times in 2025. Relentlessly competent. Looks like he genuinely enjoys free continental breakfast.
- Marco Penge: look for him to come on strong down the stretch. He’s still shaking off a viral infection from last season, and life away from the course appears busy.
- Michael Thorbjornsen: America’s most-eligible bachelor. He’s long off the tee and Stanford educated—but without the hankering for Perkins. Looks like he was genetically engineered in a fairway-finding lab.
- Garrick Higgo: When he’s on, he looks like a future major champion. When he’s off, he looks like he found out about the tee time in the parking lot. Golf’s ultimate this could be the week guy.
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen: Another efficient Scandinavian player. No wasted movement. Big fan of Ikea—most likely?
COMING SOON!
Be on the lookout for plenty of CPG content in 2026. Last year was a doozy, capped by the discovery of my mid-thirties biological son, who wandered out of the 23andMe woodwork with way too many questions.
Head over to the CPG Pro Shop for the Christmas gifts your family assumed you’d buy yourself.
