2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville Recap + WITB

Published September 20, 2026 at 4:55 pm by John Morrison

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Asheville, North Carolina – The PGA TOUR’s newest event, the Biltmore Championship Asheville held at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, provided an exciting stop on the TOUR’s updated fall schedule. The last time the PGA TOUR held a tournament in the Asheville area was in 1942 when Ben Hogan was victorious at the Asheville Land of the Sky Open. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove measures just over 7,200 yards (playing at a par 71) which is on the short end of most modern championship layouts. The rolling terrain, wooded corridors, and frequent elevation changes of the Blue Ridge Mountains created a beautiful course layout that added some mild teeth to the shorter length. The unique scenery and reachable par 5’s created plenty of aggressive and entertaining play throughout the week, before Jacob Bridgeman held off a tight pack on the back nine Sunday to capture the title at 26-under for his second win of the season.

Sometimes called the “silly season” because of historically weaker fields, this fall season event was packed with talent including 58 PGA TOUR winners (59, before Justin Thomas withdrew). The Biltmore Championship Asheville also served as the final tune-up for seven players in the field participating in next week’s President’s Cup at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago. Bridgeman will certainly carry the momentum into next week representing the United States with fellow participant Jackson Koivun (and Justin Thomas). Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Christian Bezuidemhout, Nico Echavarria, and Ryo Hisatsune also utilized the tournament to dial in their games before representing the International Team next week.

With the ball played up all four rounds, scoring was consistently low all week. Leveraging a hot putter, Neal Shipley entered the final round at 21-under after rounds of 65, 62, and 65 before his putting cooled a bit Sunday as he finished T3. Ben Kohles began one stroke behind, with Eric Cole, Ricky Castillo, Bridgeman, and others close on their heels. Starting his day 11 strokes back, JT Poston turned in one of the best rounds of the week with an 11-under 60 rocketing him up to a T5 finish. A final round and career low 61, allowed Ben James to momentarily hold the lead in the clubhouse at 24-under, ultimately finishing two strokes behind Bridgeman with an impressive second place finish.

After an eagle on the par-5 8^th, Bridgeman made the turn on Sunday 5-under for the day then promptly birdied 10. Consecutive birdies on 13, 14, and 15, capped off by a ten-footer on 15, and a birdie on 17, all but ensured he’d finish the day on top of the leaderboard. As the highest ranked player at the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville (after Thomas withdrew), the win sends Bridgeman into next week’s President’s Cup on a heater after also recently finishing the Tour Championship at East Lake in fourth place.

The Biltmore Championship Asheville is poised to become a standard fixture on the PGA TOUR’s fall schedule after showcasing its beauty while welcoming the TOUR back to the area for the first time in 84 years. The shorter length led to aggressive play, a heap of birdies, and a crowded leaderboard until the 72^nd hole. The golf world now turns to Medinah Country Club for next week’s Presidents Cup.

Jacob Bridgeman’s What’s In The Bag:

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5°) / Project X Titan Green 6.0 60g

3 Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5°) / Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 70 TX

9 Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (24°) / Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX

4 Iron: TaylorMade Tour Preferred UDI / Project X 6.5

5 Iron: TaylorMade P770 ‘23 / Project X 6.5

6 Iron-PW: TaylorMade P7CB / Project X 6.5

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 (50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB) / Project X 6.5 (50, 54), True Temper Dynamic Gold Onyx S400 (60)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

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John Morrison

Staff Writer at Plugged In Golf

John’s path to Plugged In Golf began on Sundays watching golf with his dad, but a career in sports marketing and a chance opportunity to build custom clubs for an OEM turned a casual love for the game into a full-blown equipment obsession. Today, as the owner and craftsman behind Greenway Golfworks in the Chicago suburbs, he applies that hands-on technical expertise to help golfers dial in their gear.

When he isn't testing clubs, fitting players, or thinking about golf, John enjoys live music, spending time with his dogs, playing "Uncle Johnny" to his niece and nephews, and passionately defending the honor of the Arby’s roast beef sandwich. He holds degrees from the University of Colorado, New York Law School, and the Kellogg School of Management.