PGA TOUR Experts Back Brian Harman Top-20 Bets at +162 for 2026 Travelers Championship

Q: Will the TOUR's new structure create a permanent class divide among pro golfers?

The TOUR’s new structure will create a class divide, but it is not designed to be permanent. Beginning in 2028, the PGA TOUR plans a two-tier system: a Championship Series with up to 24 events, including 16 signature tournaments, roughly 120-player fields and purses above $20 million, and a Challenger Series with at least 20 events and minimum $4 million purses. That gap in money, visibility and access will clearly separate the top tier from the rest. Rory McIlroy’s remark that the lower track risks feeling like a “glorified Korn Ferry event” captures that concern. What keeps the divide from becoming fixed is the promotion-and-relegation model. The top 90 players in the Championship Series keep status, while those outside that line can drop down. At least 20 players from the Challenger Series will move up each season, and players can earn faster promotion by winning twice on the Challenger circuit or by winning a major. A fall “last chance” series will also offer additional routes into the top tier. That means the system is more closed than the old one at the top, but not sealed. The TOUR says the goal is “meritocracy,” with clearer pathways and more consistent fields. Whether that works in practice will depend on how realistic those pathways prove to be, especially given the much smaller purses and lower profile in the Challenger Series. So the likely outcome is a sharper hierarchy, but one with built-in movement rather than a permanent caste system.

3 articles · Updated · PGA TOUR · Jun 23

Brian Harman drew the strongest support in this week’s Travelers Championship picks, with experts backing him for a top-20 finish at +125 and +162 and in a 72-hole matchup over Justin Rose.
Those wagers lean heavily on course history: Harman’s last five results at Cromwell were 8th, 9th, 2nd, 8th and 5th, while Rose has two missed cuts and a T36 in three starts there.
Other featured bets included Aaron Rai for a top-10 at +430, Justin Thomas at -105 over Patrick Cantlay, and Ben James at -110 over Tony Finau in Round 1.
The picks are part of PGA TOUR’s 2026 fantasy format, where expert lineups use four starters, a captain for bonus points and two bench players that can be rotated after each round.