Golf Picks

Kevin Roy is on a mini heater with a T18 at the Canadian Open, a T8 at the Rocket Classic, and a T3 at the John Deere, with the long-time journeyman finally putting it all together on the brightest stage. Roy has gained true strokes across the board during the three-event run, including pacing this field in tee-to-green play, ranking fifth on approach, and eighth in the off-the-tee metric.

A star in the making, Michael Thorbjornsen ranks second in this field in true strokes gained tee-to-green across his past five events and just finished eighth in the metric during his T21 at the John Deere. Even more encouraging, he fired a final-round 63 while pacing the field in both tee-to-green and approach play. It’s a matter of when and not if PGA Tour win No. 1 is coming.

Harris English is turning in a solid stretch of golf with 10 consecutive cuts made while gaining true strokes across the board, including ranking 18th in this field in tee-to-green play and 16th in putting. This will be his third trip to the Renaissance Club, and he finished a respectable T34 while also gaining true strokes in all five metrics last year. English ranks 26th on the PGA Tour in adjusted scoring average, which reinforces the fact he plays difficult courses well. His solid form also includes a win at the Farmers in January, and he’s carded a T2 in the PGA Championship and a T4 last time out at the Travelers.

This will be the seventh consecutive year Thomas Detry heads to the Renaissance Club, and he has a T2 in 2021 and a T10 in 2022 on his resume. The 32-year-old Belgian picked up his first PGA Tour win earlier this season, and he’s also gained true strokes on approach in each of his prior six trips here. Detry’s statistical profile doesn’t jump off the page, but when his well-rounded game shows up, he’s flashed. Add the long odds to the proven course fit, and Detry is a worthy addition to your betting card.

The Englishman is turning in a sneaky good run of late with a pair of Top 10s and two more Top 25s across his past six tournaments. Matt Fitzpatrick has gained true strokes across the board during the stretch, including ranking 18th in this field in tee-to-green play and 29th in putting. Fitzpatrick has also fared well at the Renaissance Club with a T2 here in 2021 and a T6 in 2022. The 10-time worldwide winner's last victory was all the way back in October 2023 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, too.

This is a long number for an elite player in excellent form. Viktor Hovland ranks second in this field in true strokes gained tee-to-green and on approach across eight events dating back to his win at the Valspar, and he carded a solo third at the U.S. Open during the run. Of course, Hovland is also a seven-time PGA Tour winner and has a pair of DP World Tour wins on his resume.

A mini break ahead of the two-week stretch across the pond could be just what the 2022 Genesis and 2024 Open Championship winner needs to put it all together following a respectable eight-tourney run. Xander Schauffele has carded six Top 25s while gaining true strokes across the board, including ranking fifth in this field in tee-to-green play and sixth on approach. Schauffele's played the weekend in all four trips to the Renaissance Club, with a T10 in 2021 and a T15 last year bookending his victory.