This week the PGA Tour heads to Kentucky for the ISCO Championship, and I’m here to explore the winner odds and share my best bets!
For the second year running, the tournament will be played at Hurstbourne Country Club. Measuring just 7,056 yards and playing to a par 70, this is one of the shorter layouts on the PGA Tour schedule, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it is a straightforward birdie fest. The move from Keene Trace to Hurstbourne has completely changed the complexion of this event.
I explain why and share my top ISCO Championship picks after that.
ISCO Championship Course Analysis
Last year was the first edition to be played at Hurstbourne and it immediately showed what sort of test this golf course provides. Harry Hall won the final renewal at Keene Trace with a score of 22 under par before edging a playoff.
When the tournament moved here, William Mouw only reached 10 under to lift the trophy. That dramatic difference in winning scores tells you everything you need to know. Hurstbourne is a much more strategic golf course where patience, precision and quality ball striking are rewarded far more than simply making birdie after birdie. That for me, makes the event so much better from a punting perspective, and from a viewing perspective too.
It’s an interesting field this week as well. We have multiple DP World Tour players making the trip over to America, while Patrick Rodgers arrives as the highest ranked player in the field at world number 85.
With many of the PGA Tour’s biggest names over in Scotland this week, it presents a huge opportunity for somebody to claim an extremely valuable PGA Tour victory, and I don’t think this is a tournament where reputation counts for much either. Finding the right course fit is far more important.
When I look at Hurstbourne, I immediately want to build my shortlist around precision rather than power. This isn’t a golf course where the bombers have a significant advantage. Instead, it rewards players who consistently put the ball in play, attack flags with their irons and remain patient over four rounds.
The number one statistic to follow this week would be strokes gained in approach. The greens here are some of the smallest on the PGA Tour schedule. If you are constantly missing greens around Hurstbourne, you are going to leave yourself with far too much work to do.
Elite iron players should create significantly more birdie chances than the rest of the field, making approach play the biggest factor for the stat lovers.
Closely behind that comes Greens in Regulation. Again, because the greens are so small, players who consistently find the putting surfaces will have a huge advantage. Those relying on scrambling all week are likely to struggle to keep pace, even if they possess a good short game.
Driving isn’t a statistic I’m putting a huge emphasis on either, but I certainly want players who can find plenty of fairways. Length is far less important than accuracy here, and positioning off the tee allows players to attack these small greens with confidence.
Scrambling is another statistic worth considering. Everyone is going to miss greens at some stage this week on the small greens, so saving pars when out of position could prove to be a key difference over 72 holes.
Last year’s winning score of just 10 under suggests limiting mistakes is every bit as important as making birdies, and players who keep big numbers off the card should naturally work their way towards the top of the leaderboard.
Overall, this isn’t a week where I’m looking for the biggest hitters or the flashiest players. Instead, I want reliable ball strikers who keep the ball in play, hit plenty of greens and give themselves repeated birdie chances with quality approach play.
Hurstbourne is a course that rewards consistency more than explosiveness, and I think identifying those accurate, patient golfers will be the key to finding this week’s winner. Remember, it’s important not to solely focus on stats, but they can be a guide towards the type of player you need to have on side.
From a betting perspective, this is the sort of tournament where you could easily make a case for plenty of players and feel like you’ve got a chance heading into the event. That said, with the Scottish Open also taking place this week, I’ve decided to keep my ISCO squad down to just two selections, with my bigger squad reserved for the feature event of the week, the Scottish Open.
1. Lucas Glover (+5000)
My first selection this week is 46-year-old Lucas Glover. He is somewhat of a legend of the game, and when his golf clicks into place, it is still more than good enough to compete at this level. He comes into this event in excellent form too, having finished tied third at last week’s John Deere Classic on 18 under par, just two shots behind the winner.
What’s particularly interesting about Glover is that, despite being a six-time PGA Tour winner, his career has followed a very noticeable pattern. He has always been a player who goes in and out of form, but when he finds it, it rarely lasts for just one week.
More often than not, he strings together a run of strong performances before eventually cooling off again, and it seems to happen almost every season.
Take 2023 for example. He rediscovered his game with a tied fourth finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, then followed it up with finishes of sixth and fifth before winning back-to-back tournaments. Once that run ended, so did his form.
The same thing happened in 2024. Out of nowhere he finished tied 13th at the Procore Championship, then followed that with tied third finishes at both the Sanderson Farms Championship and the Black Desert Championship before his form disappeared again.
Last season was no different. He popped up with a tied third in The Players Championship, backed it up with a tied eighth at the Valspar, then went quiet once more. Then found his game again with a top 10 at the Travelers Championship before following it up with that tied-third finish at the John Deere before going on to finish inside the top 25 in the Open Championship.
The trend is hard to ignore. When Lucas Glover finds his best golf, it generally sticks around for a few weeks rather than just one tournament. He arrived at last week’s John Deere in extremely poor form before suddenly shooting 18 under par, and to me that suggests his game may have clicked into gear once again.
This course should suit him too. When Glover is playing well, his iron play is absolutely top class, and that’s exactly the attribute I want around Hurstbourne. He’s also a much better putter than he often gets credit for, and in what is a diluted field lacking many of the PGA Tour’s biggest names, I think he has a genuine opportunity to significantly outplay his odds.
If this latest resurgence is anything like the others we’ve seen throughout his career, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him heavily involved once again. He has a real chance of landing a seventh PGA Tour title this week.
2. Davis Bryant (+8000)
My second and final selection this week is American Davis Bryant. He is a player I’ve followed closely ever since he earned his DP World Tour card through Qualifying School last season, and if you’ve been reading my previews throughout the year, you’ll know I’ve put him up on several occasions already.
I’ve always felt he had the game to win at a high level, and I’d be absolutely fuming if he landed his breakthrough title this week without me being on. That’s why he gets the call up again on a suitable course for his attributes.
Bryant has enjoyed an excellent first ‘full’ season on the DP World Tour, finishing runner up at both the Magical Kenya Open and the Austrian Open. Those performances weren’t a coincidence either. He has consistently put himself in contention through the strength of his long game, and he has quickly established himself as one of the better tee-to-green players on the DP World Tour this year.
The biggest reason I’ve sided with him again this week is his iron play. It’s something I’ve spoken about plenty in previous previews because, in my opinion, it’s the strongest part of his game.
Hurstbourne is a golf course that rewards precision far more than power. With its small greens and emphasis on quality approach play, it should suit Bryant enough to get competitive, if he plays well, of course. He isn’t one of the longest hitters, but he keeps the ball in play, gives himself plenty of birdie chances, and if the putter behaves, he is more than capable of contending.
There’s also an angle I quite like this week. Although Bryant is an American, he has spent most of the season competing on the DP World Tour after earning his card through Q School. Returning home to play on the PGA Tour should be a big occasion for him.
With many of the game’s biggest names absent this week, this feels like a genuine opportunity to make a statement on home soil, and pick up a PGA Tour event. He won’t get many better opportunities than this week in a while over in America, and I think he can handle it.
On his best form, Bryant’s outstanding value. His runner up finishes have shown he isn’t far away from getting over the line, and this looks like exactly the type of golf course where his strengths can shine.
Everything about Hurstbourne points towards quality iron players, and Davis Bryant certainly falls into that category very well. I genuinely believe he has every chance this week, and there was no way I was leaving him out of my squad. Hopefully this is a big week for him returning to America.
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