Austin Championship 2026: Thursday Tee Times, TV Schedule And Stars

The PGA Tour's Austin Championship gets underway Thursday at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, bringing a new tournament to the Texas Hill Country and giving 120 golfers another opportunity to secure their futures on Tour.

There's $6 million in prize money available, including $1.08 million for the winner, but the stakes extend well beyond the paycheck.

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With only two FedExCup Fall tournaments remaining, players near the top-100 cutoff are running out of time to secure full PGA Tour status for 2027.

The inaugural Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions runs Nov. 12-15 on the Fazio Canyons Course, a par-72 layout measuring 7,451 yards.

Among the biggest attractions is 19-year-old Blades Brown, who arrives fresh off his breakthrough victory at last week's World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico.

Brown will begin his opening round at 8:33 a.m. Eastern from the 10th tee alongside Andrew Novak and Max Homa.

Novak is another recent PGA Tour winner, making that threesome particularly interesting as the tournament gets underway.

Jackson Koivun, one of golf's emerging stars, tees off at 1:13 p.m. ET alongside Austin Smotherman and former University of Texas standout Tommy Morrison.

Smotherman enters the tournament ranked 51st in the FedExCup Fall standings after winning twice this fall. He's chasing another victory while attempting to strengthen his position for next season.

The afternoon wave also features a compelling group of proven veterans and rising contenders.

Major champion Brian Harman joins Chris Kirk and former Texas Longhorn Pierceson Coody at 1:24 p.m. ET from the first tee.

Another notable group includes Billy Horschel, Daniel Berger and Doug Ghim, who start at 8:44 a.m. ET from the 10th tee.

Eric Cole, Sam Stevens and Jordan Smith follow in the afternoon at 1:35 p.m. ET.

Thursday's first groups are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Eastern, with Nick Hardy, Mac Meissner and Takumi Kanaya heading off the first tee. Erik van Rooyen, C.T. Pan and Chandler Phillips start simultaneously from No. 10.

Fans won't have to wait until the television broadcast to follow the action.

PGA Tour Live coverage on ESPN+ begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET and continues until 5 p.m. Golf Channel will carry live television coverage from 2-5 p.m. ET.

Additional coverage is available through PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

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There isn't a defending champion this week, and that's part of the intrigue.

With an unfamiliar tournament venue, recent winners chasing another trophy and players fighting to retain their PGA Tour cards, Austin could deliver plenty of drama before Sunday's final putt.