4 choices our expert likes

Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com expert prognosticator Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a host and regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network dedicated to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at @LasVegasGolferand you can read his picks below for the 2026 Cadillac Championship, which begins Thursday in Miami.

It’s really great to be back The Blue Monster at Trump Doral. For the first time in 10 years, the PGA Tour has returned to South Florida in what was once a mainstay on the circuit, dating back to 1962 and what was then known as the Doral Open, the Ford Championship and most recently, the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Trump National Doral was originally designed by Dick Wilson, but received the Gil Hanse makeover in 2014 and is now truly a “monster” again at nearly 7,800 yards and playing par 72. The fairways are on the wider side, the greens are massive, over half of the 18 holes 1, there is almost 0 sand. The terrain is typical of Florida golf, wall-to-wall Bermudagrass.

The truth is though, it’s not all a bed of roses, in my opinion. It was earlier this month that we just completed the first major championship of the season. We then immediately went to Harbor Town for a Signature Event and then to New Orleans last week for the Zurich Classic. Good, good. No problem. But now we have another Signature Event in Doral, followed by another at Quail Hollow (Truist Championship), and then heads to Aronimink for the second major of the season, the PGA Championship.

It’s no wonder Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and others are spending this week on Tour, and it’s likely many will spend next week preparing for another major championship. These will be the fourth, fifth and sixth signature events of the season and two majors all combined in a six-week stretch on the PGA Tour calendar. I love the fact that the guys are back in Doral, but something needs to be fixed here to avoid this jam of high profile events happening within such a small window.

We go on – and try to cash in some tickets, because that’s what we’re here for.

Not having been to Doral in 10 years, the handicap may be a little gray, but we know that Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and the approach will look big. Driving distance isn’t a prerequisite, but it certainly doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to tackle 7,700+ yards. The long iron game will be crucial as many of the approach shots, including the 3, will be 200 yards or more. Finally, let’s not forget Scrambling. The greens are big, but hitting them in regulation will be a challenge, and therefore getting up and down to save the par will be a split. Total Driving, Ball Hitting and Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) are also good skill sets to include in the handicap.

Let’s also be clear that this is a limited field of only 72 players and there is no 36-hole cut (which, aside from some scheduling adjustments, not having a cut is another problem I have with most Signature Events).

It is interesting to note that the last four winners here were also Masters champions, Adam Scott in 2016, Dustin Johnson in 2015, Patrick Reed in 2014 and Tiger Woods in 2013. Tiger has won here seven times in total. Two-time Masters runner-up Justin Rose won at Doral in 2012. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson has been a two-time runner-up at Doral.

In addition to Augusta National, I also considered Quail Hollow (Truist Championship), Torrey Pines (Farmers Insurance Open), and Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer Invitational) as linked courses. I’ve also used some big boy venues that we’ve seen host major championships of late, Royal Portrush, Oakmont, Valhalla and Los Angeles Country Club. Note that Gil Hanse also performed major renovations at LACC and Oakmont.

Scottie Scheffler (+325)

This is my first trip to Scheffler in 2026, but I am realizing that this is the time. Without Rory, Xander, etc., Scheffler is clearly the best player on this course and this golf course should suit his game very well – in terms of total drive, long iron approach play and Scrambling. And while Scheffler’s play may have been off for a brief period earlier this season, he has finished runner-up in his last two starts. He has won at Bay Hill twice, Portrush once, Quail Hollow once and Augusta twice. It may be hard to swallow such a short price, but this seems like the right time to do so.

Sam Burns (30-1)

Burns has been on a roll lately and has also shown up recently with a top-10 finish at the Masters and a top-10 finish at last year’s US Open at Oakmont. His last four Tour starts have resulted in finishes of 13-21-7-16 and in each of them, he has won shots on the approach and putter. He has the game off the tee to handle the monster. If the approach game remains positive, the timing may be right.

Viktor Hovland (35-1)

Hovland was third at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, third at the US Open at Oakmont, and has been third at Quail Hollow and second at Torrey Pines and Bay Hill. I’ll follow that up with Total Driving and the Long Iron Game, a few areas in which he is one of the best. His short game has improved, and he ranks 51st on Tour in Scrambling and 83rd on Tour in SG: Putting. Hovland finished in a flurry Sunday at the Masters and then stayed hot for two rounds at the RBC Heritage. He has what it takes here if he can find that groove for all four days.

Harris English (45-1)

The best year of his career was last year when he won at Torrey Pines and finished runner-up at Royal Portrush and Quail Hollow. English has also finished runner-up at Bay Hill in the past and was eighth in the LACC at the 2023 US Open. He hasn’t been up to those standards yet this season, but his last three starts have resulted in 21-30-4 finishes, with a fourth-place finish coming three weeks ago at Harbor Town. He ranks 35th on Tour in SG: Off the Tee, is eighth in SG: Putting and 17th in Scrambling. He also has long iron chops, ranking 33rd in Tour in Hole Proximity from 200-225 yards and 14th from 150-175 yards. English is ranked 27th in the tournament in total driving.