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Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling-tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator, Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a host and regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network devoted to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at@LasVegasGolfer, and you can read his picks below for the 2025 Hero World Challenge, which gets underway Thursday in the Bahamas. Along with Kannon’s recommended plays, you’ll also see data fromChirp Golf, a mobile app that features both free-to-play and daily fantasy golf contests where you can win cash and prizes with each round and tournament.

With the calendar flipping to December and winter temperatures setting in, who wouldn’t want to play in Tiger’s golf tournament in the Bahamas? Not a bad gig if you happen to be one of the lucky 20 players in this week’s event — the Hero World Challenge in Albany.

This is our final column for 2025. Next up is the Sony Open in mid-January as the 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway. Normally, we’d have our sights set on Kapalua in Maui but The Sentry has been canceled for 2026 due to drought conditions in the northwest Maui area. Interestingly, I played the Plantation Course at Kapalua this past summer and was warned about dry conditions. We received some of that typical afternoon mist in the days leading up to our reservation that is so often experienced in Hawaii and I hardly noticed any drought-like conditions. Fast-forward to late October and the announcement was made that the PGA Tour event that has kicked off the season since 1999 was not going to happen in 2026. A real bummer. Mother Nature has dealt Maui some tough hands in recent years.

On to the Caribbean/Atlantic Ocean, where the Tour has been hanging out for a few weeks now. Roughly a month ago, Adam Schenk won the Bermuda Championship and then back stateside Sami Valimaki won the RSM Classic before the Thanksgiving holiday. Now it’s a short trip to the Bahamas just off the tip of Florida before we take about a six-week break.

The Albany Resort is located on New Providence Island in the Bahamas about 20 minutes from Nassau. The championship golf course is a par 72 that stretches to just a tick over 7,300 yards. It is an Ernie Els design that opened in 2010 and has hosted this event since 2015. A two-time Open Championship winner, Els compares this course to an Open-like design. He says the bunkering reminds him of Australian sandbelt courses.

Here are the past winners of the Hero World Challenge:

2024 – Scottie Scheffler
2023 – Scottie Scheffler
2022 – Viktor Hovland
2021 – Viktor Hovland
2019 – Henrik Stenson
2018 – Jon Rahm
2017 – Rickie Fowler
2016 – Hideki Matsuyama
2015 – Bubba Watson

The golf course is relatively flat, a links-style with sand, water hazards and dunes bordering narrow-ish fairways. The greens are on the smaller side and the turf is wall-to-wall Bermudagrass. When looking at that list of past winners, Els’ reference to a British Open-type design makes sense with plenty of Open Championship success on that list. Total Driving and Ball Striking jump out at me as far as skill sets, and also WM Phoenix Open success comes to mind with multiple past champions having also hoisted the trophy here at Albany.

The layout of the golf course is unique with five par 5, five par 3s and eight par 4s. In addition to Total Driving and Ball Striking, I also looked at Par 5 Scoring, Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass), Scrambling and Hole Proximity from 175 to 200+ yards out.

As far as correlated courses, we have mentioned the connection in design to courses in the Open rota. Specifically, I looked at Royal Troon, Royal Liverpool and Royal Portrush. Here at home, I looked at TPC Scottsdale, where they play the aforementioned WM Phoenix Open, TPC Craig Ranch (Byron Nelson) and TPC Southwind (FedEx St. Jude).

It has been a solid 2025 here in this column. We’ve had a number of near misses and we’ve had a few wins as well. It began way back in January with Matsuyama at Kapalua. We also found the winner’s circle at Torrey Pines for both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Invitational. We landed correctly on Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin in New Orleans and wrapped up the season with Tommy Fleetwood at the Tour Championship. Most recently, we had Europe to win the Ryder Cup by 1-3 points. We have been on Scottie Scheffler correctly each of the last two years here at the Hero World Challenge. Let’s see if we — and he — can make it a Hat Trick.

Scottie Scheffler (+140)

It is really something to see this price and the next closest competitor be in the neighborhood of 12-1. Two years ago, I was on Scheffler at around 4-1. Last year it was at +225. My feeling is he really ought to be at less than even money, as crazy as that is to say. Over the last 24 rounds, for every stat I looked at this week, Scheffler is ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in this field — except for SG: Putting (Bermudagrass), where he is fifth. And by the way, he’s won at Royal Portrush, at TPC Craig Ranch and twice at TPC Scottsdale.

Hideki Matsuyama (+1800)

Matsuyama basically comes up in second position for me in everything I handicapped. He’s right there with Scheffler in Hole Proximity from 175 to 200+ yards out and he’s one of the best scramblers in the world. He won here back in 2016, won at TPC Southwind in 2024 and, like Scheffler, has also won twice in Phoenix. Matsuyama was 16th this past summer at Royal Portrush, 13th at Royal Liverpool in 2023 and 14th at Royal Birkdale in 2017, the latter the Open course Els specifically referenced when saying Albany reminded him of Open designs.

And finally, thank you to all the readers for another great year. Happy Holidays and we’ll see you at Waialae in January.

Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling-tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator, Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a host and regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network devoted to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at@LasVegasGolfer, and you can read his picks below for the 2025 RSM Classic, which gets underway Thursday in St. Simons Island, Ga. Along with Kannon’s recommended plays, you’ll also see data fromChirp Golf, a mobile app that features both free-to-play and daily fantasy golf contests where you can win cash and prizes with each round and tournament.

If we were trying to make our way into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings, we’d have likely accomplished our goal. We had the runner-up in Utah, the fourth and eighth-place finishers in Cabo San Lucas, and two third-place finishers last week in Bermuda. While our Tour card for 2026 would certainly be secure, getting paid for that ever-elusive outright winner remains just barely outside our reach.

On to St. Simons Island and “Glory’s Last Shot.”

The RSM Classic at Sea Island is the final stop on the 2025 FedEx Cup Fall and the last chance for players to find themselves in the top 100 in the standings, which secures their full PGA Tour status for 2026. This is essentially a block party for a number of the players in this week’s field as they either live in the immediate or nearby area or practice at the Sea Island facilities on a regular basis.

These are two difficult situations to handicap. Do we want to land on a player that Is on the bubble as far as the top 100, figuring they’ll have plenty of motivation to play well this week? Or is that a lot of pressure to deal with? Can one simply “flip a switch” and suddenly play at a higher level because of what’s at stake? For the locals, is this merely a casual few days of golf, close to home, on a course they’re extremely familiar with?

2025 RSM Classic odds: Ryder Cupper leads betting favorites at FedEx Fall finale

By:

Kevin Cunningham

Personally, I did not pay much attention to either of these situations. I am lucky enough to have played the Seaside Course at Sea Island a handful of years ago and have a feel for what it takes around here, no matter one’s place in the standings or place of residence. It is a shorter course, a par 70, at just a hair over 7,000 yards. Three of the four rounds will be played on this side while one round for each player on either Thursday or Friday will take place on the Plantation Course, the easier of the two, a short par 72, more inland, away from the coast.

The main defense here is the wind that will often kick up off the Atlantic Coast but the forecast this week is not calling for anything much over 10 mph on any of the four days. Golf oddsmaker, Jeff Sherman, at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has set the winning score proposition bet at Under/Over 260.5, meaning 21.5 under par.

As far as skill sets, it’s all about finding the right spot in these relatively wide fairways, setting up a good angle of approach to these larger than average greens, and holing some putts with what ought to be another Fall Swing birdie-fest. Approach play from 100-175 yards will be key. Accuracy off the tee, Hole Proximity from this distance, and scoring on the 12 par 4s will be most important, in my opinion.

I feel the connectivity with the correlated courses is strong this week. Bermuda-based, shorter, coastal courses. Courses where accuracy trumps distance, hitting greens in regulation, and negotiating possible windy conditions. We tend to see many of the same names pop up on the leaderboards at all these courses. Specifically, I looked at Sedgefield Country Club (Wyndham Championship), Waialae CC (Sony Open), Colonial CC (Charles Schwab Challenge), Harbour Town (RBC Heritage), Port Royal (Bermuda Championship), and Pebble Beach.

Here’s to the golf gods shining upon us this week and finding that winner amidst many recent close calls. I stayed away from any of the favorites this week as 50-1 is the shortest price I played.

Nico Echavarria (50-1)

Already a two-time winner on Tour in his young career, Echavarria is one of the very best putters in this field and has recent runner-up finishes at the Sony Open and here at Sea Island in 2024. He is very steady across all the stats I considered and over the last 24 rounds, ranks 35th in Greens in Regulation Gained. In two of his last three starts, he’s finished 14th and ninth.

Seamus Power (65-1)

The Irishman is one of those players currently on the outside looking in at 130th in the FedEx Cup standings. He has made seven cuts in a row and finished 11th last week in Bermuda, a tournament he won in 2022. I love the short approach game for Power as he ranks top 5 in this field for Hole Proximity from 100-150 yards. He’s finished top-5 here twice, has been as high as third at Colonial, sixth and 12th at Harbour Town, and ninth, 15th, and 17th at Pebble Beach.

Seamus Power hits a shot at the 2024 Zozo Championship.

Getty Images

Mac Meissner (70-1)

It has been a nice run for the young player from nearby Charleston, S.C., as he hasn’t missed a cut since July. During that span, he finished runner-up at the Wyndham Championship back in August and was 12th there in 2024. He also owns a fifth place finish at Colonial and a 21st at the Sony Open. His approach game is excellent, ranking sixth in this field for SG: Approach over the last 24-rounds, third in Greens in Regulation Gained, and is fifth in Hole Proximity from 125-150 yards.

Stephan Jaeger (100-1)

Maybe it is the coastal connection because otherwise there is not much similarity between Sea Island and Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. but it is interesting that the last two RSM Classic winners, Maverick McNealy and Ludvig Aberg, finished 2-1 respectively at the Genesis Invitational earlier this season when it was held at Torrey. Jaeger is another guy who has done very well at Torrey Pines — and has done so at some of this week’s correlated courses as well. He’s been top 30 here at Sea Island twice, top 20 at Harbour Town and Bermuda, top 15 at the Wyndham, and was third at the Sony Open to begin 2025. Over the last 24 rounds, he ranks top 40 in this field for better on the Par 4s, in Hole Proximity from 100-175 yards, and for SG: Putting (Bermudagrass).

Kris Ventura (100-1)

Sitting at 121st in the standings, Ventura is another player who is hard-charging toward that top-100 cut line. He has finished 21-11-27-34 in his last four FedEx Cup Fall events and was fourth earlier this season at Torrey Pines. He makes a bunch of birdies, hits greens in regulation, is an excellent putter, and ranks top-45 in this field for Hole Proximity from 100-175 yards. Ventura finished 16th at Colonial back in May of this season.

Lee Hodges (105-1)

A player at Alabama, Hodges is plenty familiar with golf in this part of the country and with Bermudagrass. He is also right on the borderline of the FedEx Cup standings, ranking 103rd coming into this event. He finished fifth here last year and was also 12th at the Charles Schwab in 2024. Earlier this season, Hodges finished 10th at the Sony Open. He is very accurate off the tee, hits greens in regulation and over the last 24 rounds, Hodges ranks top 25 in this field for Hole Proximity from 100-175 yards.

Who Chirp Golf players are picking

The top 3 Chirp Golf player picks for the 2025 RSM Classic.

Chirp

To make your own Chirp picks and win amazing prizes, download the app here.

To the list of life’s great certainties — death, taxes, my block-slice under pressure — we might add this: Pine Valley’s position in the rankings.

Since 1985, when GOLF first tallied ballots for its Top 100 Courses in the World, the famed New Jersey club has held firmly to the No. 1 spot. The votes, in fact, have been something of a landslide, with the nearest contenders not especially close. This Wednesday, when GOLF releases its newest ranking, it will take a shocker on the scale of Y.E. Yang over Tiger Woods for Pine Valley to be supplanted.

Enter Jim Wagner, our guest on the latest Destination Golf podcast. If you follow course design, you know the name. Wagner is the longtime design partner of Gil Hanse. He’s a shaper’s shaper, and a deeply thoughtful architect whose work, with Hanse, ranges from original courses such as Ohoopee Match Club and Castle Stuart to restorations at Los Angeles Country Club, Fishers Island, Sleepy Hollow and beyond. And with a new Top 100 about to drop, his perspective on what makes a world-class course couldn’t be more timely.

So what does a guy like that think is the best course in the world?

Not Pine Valley.

Wagner acknowledges the place is extraordinary but if you pinned him down for a vote, he’d likely lean toward Merion. Part of what fascinates him about Merion is how much was accomplished on such a compact parcel. And that’s the natural bridge to another course he holds in high regard: Kingston Heath in Australia, built on relatively flat terrain and a small site that demanded an entirely different kind of creativity.

On the podcast, Wagner talks about how the routing at Kingston Heath reflects a special imagination, different from what it took to conjure compelling golf from the dramatic landforms that underpin Pine Valley. The constraints were different, he says, and so was the artistry required to make the course sing.

That’s only a sampling of where the conversation goes. In the full conversation, Wagner ranges widely, touching on everything from the Grateful Dead to the importance of thinking in three dimensions when you’re sketching out golf holes. He also offers candid takes on other big-name courses. Spoiler alert: he’s not exactly bullish on Bethpage Black as it stands.

You can listen to the full episode below and can hear more from Wagner on Pine Valley in the video above.

We all know that you need to turn on your backswing. It’s how you turn that makes all the difference. To borrow some boxing analogies, high-handicappers tend to make a left cross. Better players make an uppercut. Here’s what I mean — plus a visual to help you see and feel the difference.

Get into your regular setup with any iron, then swing to the top and hold. Have a friend place an alignment stick across your elbows, as shown in the photos above. If you struggle with consistency or speed, it’s likely that the alignment stick looks like the one on the left: parallel to the ground.

This indicates that you simply rotated your shoulders, probably with a little too much sway off the ball. Yes, you’ve turned, but you haven’t really “loaded.” This is the dreaded left-cross turn, which can lead to a serious lack of power and plenty of downswing path problems.

You need to build some uppercut into your backswing. Notice in the photo on the top right how at the top the alignment stick is angled more toward the ground. It’s this type of turn that correctly sets the club on plane and creates the “load” you need for a power-rich and on-plane downswing. Think of turning while retaining the tilt you establish at address. It’s the easy way to always catch the ball solid.

V.J. Trolio is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who teaches at Old Waverly Club in West Point, Miss.

The Panthers’ 3-0 home record makes them an intriguing underdog against the Bills, who lost consecutive games before their Week 7 bye.

Moreover, Buffalo lost by 10 to the Atlanta Falcons, who failed to score in a 30-0 road loss to Carolina in Week 3. If you followed that, this should be a competitive game that makes you sweat while on the Bills’ side.

However, Buffalo is coming off a bye week, and Carolina will likely start 37-year-old Andy Dalton while Bryce Young recovers from a high ankle sprain.

With Dalton as their starting quarterback, the Panthers are 1-5, and they lost all five games by 10 or more points. The refocused Bills win big in Carolina.

Despite a unanimous choice in the Bills’ favor, a pathway exists for the Panthers to keep this game close. They can run the ball quite well, while the Bills field one of the league’s worst run defenses.Â

However, Buffalo is coming off a bye, with two weeks to prepare for that specific area. With quarterback Bryce Young out of the lineup, the Bills can load the box and concentrate on slowing Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, without too much worry that Dalton is going to exploit the approach at this point in his career.

Otherwise, Josh Allen and Co. should be able to move the ball, even against Carolina’s top-10 defense.Â

BillsDavenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O’Donnell, Sobleski

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Oct 21, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The NBA season is back! We made it!

The Oklahoma City Thunder begin their quest to repeat Tuesday night (7:30 p.m., Peacock) against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets after an offseason in which they re-signed 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to deals worth nearly $800 million.

Elsewhere in the loaded Western Conference, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors begin their first full campaign with Jimmy Butler, with their eyes on a final run to cap a decade of near-dominance, as they face off (10 p.m. ET) against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

In the injury-ravaged East, the Cleveland Cavaliers return a core — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — that led them to 64 wins and a No. 1 seed last season. They face off Wednesday night against a Knicks team with Finals-or-bust expectations (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Then, the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, after a serious health scare last season and a transformational offseason, play Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks, in a game featuring two of the most tantalizing teams in the West.

Will SGA and the Thunder repeat to begin a dynasty? Or can three-time MVP Nikola Jokic return the Nuggets to the Western Conference elite? Will the Knicks reach their first Finals since 1999 in the wide-open East? Our experts have cast their votes. Here’s who they think will win the East, West and the 2026 NBA Finals.

MORE: 30-team preview | NBA Rank 100-51 | 50-11 | 10-1

Eastern Conference finals picks

Tim Bontemps:Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Jamal Collier: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Vincent Goodwill: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Baxter Holmes:Knicks over Magic in 6

Zach Kram:Knicks over Hawks in 6

Tim MacMahon: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Bobby Marks:Knicks over Cavaliers in 6

Dave McMenamin: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Kevin Pelton:Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Ramona Shelburne: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Anthony Slater: Knicks over Cavaliers in 6

Marc Spears: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Michael Wright: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Ohm Youngmisuk:Knicks over Magic in 6

Final tally (East champs):Knicks 8, Cavaliers 6

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Western Conference finals picks

Bontemps: Thunder over Nuggets in 5

Collier: Thunder over Timberwolves in 6

Goodwill:Thunder over Nuggets in 7

Holmes:Thunder over Warriors in 6

Kram:Thunder over Nuggets in 7

MacMahon:Thunder over Rockets in 6

Marks:Nuggets over Thunder in 6

McMenamin:Mavericks over Thunder in 7

Pelton:Thunder over Warriors in 6

Shelburne:Rockets over Thunder in 7

Slater:Thunder over Rockets in 6

Spears:Nuggets over Thunder in 7

Wright: Thunder over Nuggets in 7

Youngmisuk:Nuggets over Thunder in 7

Final tally (West champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 3, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1

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NBA Finals picks

Bontemps: Thunder over Cavaliers in 5

Collier: Thunder over Knicks in 6

Goodwill:Thunder over Knicks in 5

Holmes: Thunder over Knicks in 5

Kram: Thunder over Knicks in 6

MacMahon: Thunder over Cavaliers in 6

Marks: Nuggets over Knicks in 6

McMenamin: Mavericks over Cavaliers in 6

Pelton:Thunder over Knicks in 6

Shelburne: Rockets over Cavaliers in 6

Slater: Thunder over Knicks in 5

Spears: Cavaliers over Nuggets in 6

Wright:Thunder over Cavaliers in 7

Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Knicks in 6

Final tally (NBA champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 2, Cavaliers 1, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1

Tom O’Connor/NBAE via Getty Images

Bonus! Who wins the 2025-2026 MVP Award?

Bontemps: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Collier: Anthony Edwards

Goodwill: Nikola Jokic

Holmes: Jalen Brunson

Kram: Nikola Jokic

MacMahon: Luka Doncic

Marks: Nikola Jokic

McMenamin: Luka Doncic

Pelton: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shelburne: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Slater: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Spears: Nikola Jokic

Wright: Nikola Jokic

Youngmisuk: Nikola Jokic

Final tally:Nikola Jokic 6,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4, Luka Doncic 2, Jalen Brunson 1, Anthony Edwards 1

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Oct 21, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The NBA season is back! We made it!

The Oklahoma City Thunder begin their quest to repeat Tuesday night (7:30 p.m., Peacock) against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets after an offseason in which they re-signed 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to deals worth nearly $800 million.

Elsewhere in the loaded Western Conference, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors begin their first full campaign with Jimmy Butler, with their eyes on a final run to cap a decade of near-dominance, as they face off (10 p.m. ET) against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

In the injury-ravaged East, the Cleveland Cavaliers return a core — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — that led them to 64 wins and a No. 1 seed last season. They face off Wednesday night against a Knicks team with Finals-or-bust expectations (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Then, the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, after a serious health scare last season and a transformational offseason, play Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks, in a game featuring two of the most tantalizing teams in the West.

Will SGA and the Thunder repeat to begin a dynasty? Or can three-time MVP Nikola Jokic return the Nuggets to the Western Conference elite? Will the Knicks reach their first Finals since 1999 in the wide-open East? Our experts have cast their votes. Here’s who they think will win the East, West and the 2026 NBA Finals.

MORE: 30-team preview | NBA Rank 100-51 | 50-11 | 10-1

Eastern Conference finals picks

Tim Bontemps:Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Jamal Collier: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Vincent Goodwill: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Baxter Holmes:Knicks over Magic in 6

Zach Kram:Knicks over Hawks in 6

Tim MacMahon: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

2025-26 NBA season preview

What lies ahead for all 30 NBA teams in 2025-26? Here are the stars, stats and bets you need to know to get ready for the season.

• Rankings, predictions, odds and more

Bobby Marks:Knicks over Cavaliers in 6

Dave McMenamin: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Kevin Pelton:Knicks over Cavaliers in 7

Ramona Shelburne: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Anthony Slater: Knicks over Cavaliers in 6

Marc Spears: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Michael Wright: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7

Ohm Youngmisuk:Knicks over Magic in 6

Final tally (East champs):Knicks 8, Cavaliers 6

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Western Conference finals picks

Bontemps: Thunder over Nuggets in 5

Collier: Thunder over Timberwolves in 6

Goodwill:Thunder over Nuggets in 7

Holmes:Thunder over Warriors in 6

Kram:Thunder over Nuggets in 7

MacMahon:Thunder over Rockets in 6

Marks:Nuggets over Thunder in 6

McMenamin:Mavericks over Thunder in 7

Pelton:Thunder over Warriors in 6

Shelburne:Rockets over Thunder in 7

Slater:Thunder over Rockets in 6

Spears:Nuggets over Thunder in 7

Wright: Thunder over Nuggets in 7

Youngmisuk:Nuggets over Thunder in 7

Final tally (West champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 3, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1

NBA Finals picks

Bontemps: Thunder over Knicks in 5

Collier: Thunder over Knicks in 6

Goodwill:Thunder over Knicks in 5

Holmes: Thunder over Knicks in 5

Kram: Thunder over Knicks in 6

MacMahon: Thunder over Cavaliers in 6

Marks: Nuggets over Knicks in 6

McMenamin: Mavericks over Cavaliers in 6

Pelton:Thunder over Knicks in 6

Shelburne: Rockets over Cavaliers in 6

Slater: Thunder over Knicks in 5

Spears: Cavaliers over Nuggets in 6

Wright:Thunder over Cavaliers in 7

Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Knicks in 6

Final tally (NBA champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 2, Cavaliers 1, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1

Tom O’Connor/NBAE via Getty Images

Bonus! Who wins the 2025-2026 MVP Award?

Bontemps: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Collier: Anthony Edwards

Goodwill: Nikola Jokic

Holmes: Jalen Brunson

Kram: Nikola Jokic

MacMahon: Luka Doncic

Marks: Nikola Jokic

McMenamin: Luka Doncic

Pelton: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shelburne: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Slater: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Spears: Nikola Jokic

Wright: Nikola Jokic

Youngmisuk: Nikola Jokic

Final tally:Nikola Jokic 6,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4, Luka Doncic 2, Jalen Brunson 1, Anthony Edwards 1

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Max Scherzer was exceptional and the Blue Jays†offense exploded for the second straight game as Toronto won 8-3 last night and evened the Best of 7 American League Championship series against the Seattle Mariners at two games apiece.

The veteran Scherzer allowed two runs over 5.2 innings in his first appearance in almost a month. The Jays†bats hit Luis Castillo and the Mariners†bullpen hard, racking up 11 hits. After driving in a couple runs in Game 3, Andres Gimenez drove in four more last night to pace the Toronto attack that has now accounted for 29 hits and 21 runs the last two games.

Seattle turns to Bryce Miller today to try and turn the series back around while the Jays counter with Kevin Gausman.

Lets dive into the numbers and try to find an advantage or two.

Weâ€ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Blue Jays at Mariners – ALCS Game 5

• Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
• Time: 6:08PM EST
• Site: T-Mobile Park
• City: Seattle, WA
• Network/Streaming: FS1

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Blue Jays at the Mariners – ALCS Game 5

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Toronto Blue Jays (-115), Seattle Mariners (-105)
• Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 (+152)
• Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Blue Jays at Mariners – ALCS Game 5

• Pitching matchup for October 17, 2025: Kevin Gausman vs. Bryce Miller
  • Blue Jays: Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59 ERA)
    Last outing: 10/12 vs. Seattle – 5.2IP, 2ER, 3H, 1 BB, 5Ks
    Gausman has struck out 5 or more in 8 of his last 9 starts
  • Mariners: Bryce Miller (4-6, 5.68 ERA)
    Last outing: 10/12 at Toronto – 6IP, 1ER, 2H, 3BB, 3Ks
    Miller has not struck out more than 4 in any of his last 5 starts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Blue Jays at Mariners

• Cal Raleigh is 8-17 (.471) with 4 HRs against Kevin Gausman in his career
• Eugenio Suarez has struck out 8 times in 24 career ABs against Gausman
• Toronto as a team is hitting .204 against Bryce Miller
• George Springer is 2-9 (.222) with both hits being HRs in his career against Miller

If youâ€re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonightâ€s Game 5 between the Blue Jays and the Mariners

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Fridayâ€s game between the Blue Jays and the Mariners:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Seattle Mariners at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)

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Colt Knost, the former PGA Tour pro turned CBS Golf analyst and radio/podcast host, turned heads earlier this week when he revealed that, after 18 years as a professional golfer, he had applied to regain his amateur status from the United States Golf Association.

Two decades ago, Knost was an elite amateur; in 2007, he joined Bobby Jones and Jay Sigel as the only players to win three USGA titles in the same year. (In Knost’s case, those wins came at the U.S. Amateur Public Links, the U.S. Amateur and, as part of a team effort, the Walker Cup.) For five weeks that year, Knost held the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking before making his first start as a professional at the Valero Texas Open.

Knost joined the PGA Tour in 2009 and went on to notch nine top-10 finishes in his career and more than $4 million in earnings. He played his last full-schedule season in 2015-16 and retired from competitive golf following a missed cut at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Two years later, he joined CBS as a full-time analyst.

When Knost, who now is 40, announced his desire to regain his amateur status, he said his decision was partly motivated by wanting to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, but that no one should be under the illusion that his game still packs the punch that it did when he was in peak form. On Wednesday, on Knost’s Sirius XM show, Knost added that he also has dreams of one day captaining a U.S. Walker Cup team, and that being an amateur “would probably help” his chances. None of that rationale, however, is likely to assuage critics of Knost’s (or, for that matter, any other longtime pro’s) move back to amateurism, some of whom have been popping off on social media.

“Total bullsh-t,” John Ziegler, a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier who hosts The Death of Journalism podcast, wrote on X. “You were a pga tour pro. Now, on a lark you want to take a coveted spot away in a USGA championship from an actual amateur. … You should know better and should be ashamed.”

Should he, though?

The rules permit changes of heart, and Knost is far from the first high-level pro to return to his amateur roots. Gary Nicklaus, Jack’s son, did it in 2007. Dillard Pruitt was another; after a decade-long PGA Tour run in the 1980s and 90s, Pruitt was granted reinstatement and promptly won the Sunnehanna Amateur and Canadian Amateur. John Peterson, a former pro who finished 4th at the 2013 U.S. Open, also has returned to paycheck-less golf. At this year’s U.S. Mid-Am, six of the eight quarterfinalists — including eventual winner Brandon Holtz — were former pros, indicating the top shelf of amateur golf is littered with players who once played for cash.

“We’re seeing more and more kids turn professional and give it a go,” Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s chief governance officer, said on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio this week. “Therefore we’re seeing more and more applications coming back to us. Once you have success and once you get one of those cards, man, it’s really, really hard to keep it.”

According to the USGA, roughly 800 U.S.-based pros — including not only tour professionals but also the club and teaching variety — annually apply for reinstatement, and virtually all are approved. Which isn’t to say every candidate zooms back to the amateur ranks. Far from it. On Thursday, I spoke with Craig Winter, the USGA’s senior director, Rules of Golf and amateur status, to better understand how the process works.

How do pros apply for amateur reinstatement?

Pros who want their amateur status back need only answer a couple of dozen questions on an application available on the USGA’s website; the application fee is $200.

Among the information candidates must supply are the names of any tours on which they have competed, their results, cuts made and prize money won. The app also asks for “two people who can attest to the accuracy of the information provided.”

“The more somebody puts into an application, the less we have to do research ourselves,” Winter said. “And frankly, the less back and forth there is when the application matches what we see in public records. It’s a simpler process for us.”

Winter said the review process for a player of Knost’s pedigree is more rigorous.

“We’re trying to make sure that our decisions, especially with that type of a player, is as like as it can be to others,” he said. “And so we’re trying to get a full understanding of what the playing record was.”

Who makes up the applicant pool?

Applicants run the gamut from established tour pros to dreamers who never made it to teachers who ply their trade at clubs and driving ranges. Few applicants have had sustained success at a high level, Winter said, but those who have should expect a longer waiting period before they are granted reinstatement.

There’s no precise formula, because how could there be?

“We try to look at players that have that have had success and try to put them kind of in similar buckets,” Winter said. “Like being treated alike is probably the best way to put it.”

Tell us more about these waiting periods!

The minimum waiting period for a pro seeking reinstatement is six months from their last “professional action,” meaning, for example, a tournament start or a paid lesson. But for more decorated tour pros, the “cooling-off” period, as Winter phrased it, can take years.

“The more success you have, the more that you would be asked to wait from whenever your last breach was,” Winter said, referring to breaches of the rules of amateur status (i.e, competing as a pro, accepting a prize that is not permitted or holding a teaching job). “And the weight that we put on that is — it’s hard to just kind of put into words, specifically, but if you’ve played on a major tour and had membership, you’re going to wait quite a bit longer than someone who played mini-tour golf and won cash prizes or prizes above a thousand dollars, the limit in the current rules.

Phil Mickelson calls this golf-etiquette breach a ‘huge problem.’ Is it?

By:

Josh Sens

“We’ve had players that have waited eight years before, and that’s, again, from the date of the last breach. I think what often is a lightning rod for the public out there is when they hear somebody applied and they got reinstated right away. That kind of misses the facts of, well, when was the last time they breached the rules? And it may have been quite some time ago. I think in Colt’s case it’s been quite a while.”

It has, indeed — more than five years since his last start as a pro, meaning when the USGA rules on Knost’s reinstatement, he’s unlikely to have more than another year or two tacked on to his waiting period.

Has a pro ever been denied reinstatement?

No!

At least not as far as Winter can tell.

“We’ve done some looking and never seen anything to that effect in in our museum archives,” he said.

If everyone gets approved, why bother with the review process at all?

Take it away, Mr. Winter!

“Well, we want to have a process by which we can look, compare and ultimately have some system in place [by which], as I mentioned before, like situations are treated alike; we feel there’s value in that. The player coming off the PGA Tour and jumping right back into amateur golf, we don’t feel like that’s the right thing for the amateur game. So there is a waiting period that acts as a cooling off of sorts for players of that caliber, and it does help in in a way protect the amateurs that have been lifelong amateurs.

“And to say that we’ll let everybody in isn’t quite accurate. There would be a lot of players that could apply that would be told no. Those that are close to that edge, they are waiting a long time. Eight years is a long time to not be able to play an amateur golf competition after you ultimately hang up the professional golfing life.”

What would happen if, say, Scottie Scheffler, wanted his amateur status back?

Scheffler falls into what the USGA calls its “national prominence category” — in other words, players of repute. For pros in this class, the governing body’s decision is easy.

“I am very confident that Scottie, should he choose to apply or someone in his situation, he would receive a phone call that would say, ‘Scottie, unfortunately you do fit the national prominence category,’” Winter said. “‘And that means you’re not eligible to get your reinstatement back.’”

Finally..something most golfers can do that Scheffler can’t!

A dominant effort from yet another Dodgers†starting pitcher and just enough timely hitting has the Dodgers on the brink of a return trip to the World Series.

Tyler Glasnow allowed one run and just three hits over 5.2 innings as the Dodgers won Game 3 against the Brewers, 3-1. Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts each drove in a run but the story as it was in Games 1 and 2 was about the Dodgers†hurlers. This was more of a collaborative effort than the previous two games, but it was again dominant, nonetheless. Glasnow and four relievers allowed four hits while striking out 12 in putting the Dodgers on the brink of a sweep of the team with the best regular season record in the National League.

The freight train that is the Los Angeles Dodgers is now 8-1 this postseason (13-1 dating back into the regular season). Milwaukee has yet to announce who will start Game 4 for them. Los Angeles will send Shohei Ohtani to the bump with an eye on punching their ticket to the World Series.

Lets dive into the matchup and the numbers and perhaps find a sweat or two.

Weâ€ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
• Time: 8:38PM EST
• Site: Dodger Stadium
• City: Los Angeles, CA
• Network/Streaming: TBS

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Brewers at the Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Milwaukee Brewers (+162), Los Angeles Dodgers (-200)
• Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+109)
• Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Pitching matchup for October 17, 2025: TBD vs. Shohei Ohtani
  • Brewers: TBD
    Last outing: Its not like Milwaukee pitchers have struggled in this series. LA is hitting just .267 through three games.
  • Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani
    Last outing: 10/4 at Philadelphia – 6IP, 3ER, 3H, 1BB, 9Ks
    Ohtani got knocked around in Philadelphia after not allowing a run in the previous 14.2 innings

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Brewers at Dodgers – NLCS Game 4

• Mookie Betts is 11-37 (.297) this postseason
• Enrique Hernandez is 11-32 (.344) this postseason
• Teoscar Hernandez leads the Dodgers with 23 Total Bases this postseason
• Brice Turang is 1-12 this series
• Christian Yelich is 1-11 this series
• Andrew Vaughn is 0-10 this series
• Jackson Chourio is 1-11 this series

If youâ€re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonightâ€s NLCS Game 4 between the Brewers and the Dodgers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Fridayâ€s game between the Brewers and the Dodgers:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at +1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)

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