'He looks set to become one of the best players on the planet' - Steve Palmer has two selections for the ISCO Championship

Racing Post+ subscribers will get exclusive access to Steve Palmer's weekly golf tournament previews from 2pm on a Tuesday.

Get 25% off your first six months of Racing Post+ by selecting Ultimate Monthly and entering code GOLF256 at checkout. Click here to join today, get Steve's tips and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.

Steve's tournament preview selections have resulted in profit in 21 of his 24 years as a tipster and he has already nailed winners this year at 66-1, 60-1, 40-1 (twice), 22-1, 20-1 (twice), 9-1 and 8-1.

Golf fans can access even more extensive golf coverage via the digital newspaper which also comes as part of the Racing Post+ Ultimate package – you will receive expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.

Ladbrokes are offering new customers £25 in free bets when they bet £5 on Steve Palmer's golf tips.

You can grab your free bets here. We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

When to bet on the ISCO Championship

By noon on Thursday

Where can I watch the ISCO Championship?

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 9.30pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's ISCO Championship predictions

Jackson Koivun
3pts each-way 22-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Takumi Kanaya
1pt each-way 66-1 Paddy Power

Recommended

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

40/1 Mo Salah To Have 1 Shot On Target V Man City

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Great acca features, including the ability to edit a live accumulator

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

18+. New customers only. Min 1st deposit £10. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Bet £/€1 single on Salah to have 1+ shots on target for 8 x £/5 Free Bets (valid 4 days). Stake & winnings returned at original odds as cash on settlement. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Bet £5 on golf with Ladbrokes and claim £25 in FREE BETS

Steve Palmer's ISCO Championship preview

Michael Thorbjornsen fired a final-round 63 in the John Deere Classic on Sunday, further advertising his credentials as a future PGA Tour star, and this week's ISCO Championship provides another excellent breakthrough opportunity.

Thorbjornsen, working with Collin Morikawa's former caddie JJ Jakovac, is a favourite to respect, but this looks a wide-open shootout on an easy track.

Jackson Koivun looks to have a very bright future ahead of himCredit: Getty Images

Steve Palmer's top tip

Jackson Koivun 22-1

World number one amateur Jackson Koivun looks set to become one of the best players on the planet – he has being winning every award going in the college ranks and has already wrapped up a PGA Tour card through the University Rankings.

Koivun is clearly ready for the big time, but has said he is delaying his switch to the professional ranks until next year. With a Tour card banked, the pressure is off, and the 20-year-old is enjoying the opportunities presented by sponsors' invitations.

Last week's John Deere Classic provided evidence that Koivun is ready to win titles immediately. An understandably slow start was followed by rounds of 64, 68 and 67 for 11th place. He finished third in a US Open qualifier last month, getting an early taste of Major golf, and appears to be going places fast.

With no course experience disadvantage this week at a layout which is new to everyone, Koivun can provide the biggest threat to the ISCO favourite.

Next best bet

Takumi Kanaya 66-1

Former world number one amateur, Takumi Kanaya, top dog in the rankings for 55 weeks, looks an outsider to follow this week. He won on the Japan Tour in 2019 when still an amateur and has triumphed seven times on that circuit, as well as once on the Asian Tour in 2023. Third place at Q School in December made 2025 a PGA Tour rookie campaign.

Maybe at the age of 27, Kanaya is ready to make a Stateside breakthrough. Koivun and Kanaya have been putting superbly lately and look ready to stay the pace in what should be a low-scoring affair. Fifth place in the Byron Nelson in May has given Kanaya hope of retaining his PGA Tour card. With his usual course experience handicap absent this week, the 27-year-old Hiroshima man can go well.

Recommended

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

40/1 Mo Salah To Have 1 Shot On Target V Man City

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Great acca features, including the ability to edit a live accumulator

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

18+. New customers only. Min 1st deposit £10. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Bet £/€1 single on Salah to have 1+ shots on target for 8 x £/5 Free Bets (valid 4 days). Stake & winnings returned at original odds as cash on settlement. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Bet £5 on golf with Ladbrokes and claim £25 in FREE BETS

Course guide for the ISCO Championship

• Course Hurstbourne Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky
• Prize money $4m ($720,000 to the winner)
• Length 7,056 yards
• Par 70 – two par-fives; 12 par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Beau Hossler (108), Mark Hubbard (112), Kevin Roy (117), Justin Lower (119), Rico Hoey (120)
• When to bet By noon on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 9.30pm on Thursday
• Time difference Kentucky is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – John Deere Classic 1 B Campbell (350-1), 2 E Grillo (66-1), T3 K Roy (60-1), D Lipsky (400-1), T5 Carson Young (175-1), L Glover (40-1), J Bridgeman (66-1), M Kuchar (125-1), K Kitayama (60-1), M Homa (100-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Keene Trace staged this event (previously called the Barbasol Championship) from 2018 to last year. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to Covid. Hurstbourne Country Club takes over for the first time this year. This short, tree-lined layout relies on water hazards and small greens to keep scoring in check. The fairways are zoysia grass and the greens are bentgrass
• Story of last year Harry Hall won a five-man playoff with a birdie at the third extra hole, chipping in for a maiden PGA Tour title
• Weather forecast Hot and humid, with light breezes, for all four days
• Type of player suited to the challenge This short, fiddly layout commands accurate approaches and smart scrambling around small greens
• Key attribute Touch/putting

Steve Palmer's ISCO Championship key stat

The last four ISCO winners were PGA Tour maidens at the time of their win

Read more ...

'He has taken his game to a new level since making his Ryder Cup debut' - Steve Palmer has four selections for the Scottish Open 

'The king of Valderrama can reign supreme again' - Steve Palmer has three selections for LIV Golf Andalucia 

'She is winless this year but recent signs are hugely encouraging' - Steve Palmer has one selection for the Evian Championship 

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.

For those looking for even more extensive golf coverage don't miss Palmer's extra pointers every Wednesday in the Racing Post newspaper.

As well as his tips and insight you will also get expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.