Golf best bets: Three top props for the Fortinet Championship

The 2022-23 PGA Tour season concluded with the Tour Championship in late August, and just like that, professional golf is already back a few weeks later. That's right, the PGA Tour returns this week with the first leg of the FedEx Cup Fall at the Fortinet Championship.

The host course, the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa Calif., is a short track (by PGA Tour standards) at 7,123 yards. So, we're going to be targeting some short-course experts with our three best bets for the Fortinet Championship. Let's get into it.

Brendon Todd top-20 finish (+190 DraftKings)

Brendon Todd always plays his best golf on shorter golf courses in weaker fields, and that's exactly what we have at the 2023 Fortinet Championship. There are only four players inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, so this is the type of tournament in which Todd can contend for a win.

Todd finished T9 at Silverado last year and T22 the year before, proving he knows how to play this course. He also finished last season with six straight made cuts and two top-10 finishes. He's primed for a strong week to start the fall swing.

Chez Reavie top-30 finish (+130 DK)

Speaking of short-course experts, I'd like to welcome Chez Reavie to the column.

Reavie ranked 169th on the PGA Tour last season in driving distance, but that won't hurt him much at Silverado. Driving accuracy and iron play are much more important here, and Reavie ranked 14th in accuracy and 33rd in strokes gained: approach in 2022-23. The veteran has four top-35 finishes and a solo third in his last five trips to Silverado, so let's ride the strong course history here. 

Taylor Pendrith > Taylor Montgomery (-115 FanDuel)

In the battle of the Taylors, we couldn't jump fast enough to fade Taylor Montgomery. Montgomery finished the 2023 season with four missed cuts and a T37 in his last five starts, and he lost strokes on approach in 11 of his last 12 events. The rookie finished solo third at the Fortinet Championship last year because he gained a season-high 10.92 true strokes putting at Silverado Resort, but it will be nearly impossible to replicate that performance on the greens.

Taylor Pendrith isn't lighting the world on fire right now, but he did notch a solo sixth and a T14 in back-to-back starts in July. The Canadian has made the cut in each of his two starts at the Fortinet, so I trust the consistency over Montgomery's poor ball-striking form.