Michael Block leads a field of 120 at Colonial Country Club.
Take a good look this week. Gil Hanse will begin the renovation at the end of play Sunday.
Charles Schwab Challenge
Colonial Country Club
Fort Worth, Texas
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NOW PLAYING:
The week after a major is only interesting if you’re new to all of this. The pros make their own schedules. They are not forced to play any events unless they are in the PIP program.
This week, or in some cases weeks, will have been on the books for a while. The Dallas/Ft. Worth double surrounding the PGA Championship makes sense for the pros who live in the area. They’re coming home anyhow. They get two weeks of sleeping in their own bed all while trying to win a couple of tournaments.
The field of just 120 will get one final look at “old” Colonial before Gil Hanse spends the next 10 months or so restoring this beauty.
Ranking inside the top 20 toughest tracks over the last seven years, Colonial requires ball-striking of the highest order to contend. Moving the ball both ways off the tee and tee to green, sometimes on the same hole, it’s difficult to fake it around here.
Controlling the ball out of the Bermuda and navigating the Bent on the greens, it’s not surprising why this track is revered by the rank and file on TOUR.
It’s simply a great test from tee to green.
It also reeks of history. The Champions Wall has all previous 77 winners on display to remember what golf means in Fort Worth and at Colonial Country Club.
| Host Course | Colonial Country Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,209 (since 2016). |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | A-4 Bentgrass. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13 feet. |
| Rough: | Bermuda mix at three inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In Play | 84/4/6. |
| Architect(s): | John Bredemus & Perry Maxwell (1936). |
| Purse: | $8.7 million; $1.556 million winner plus 500 FedExCup points. |
| Defending Champion (event): | Sam Burns (playoff). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Zach Johnson (2010, 2012). |
| Course Record (last): | 61; Kevin Na, 2018. |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 259; Zach Johnson (2010). |
| Fact of the Week: | 18 of the last 21 winners are 30 and over. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Sergio Garcia is the only debutant to win since 2001. |
| Fact of the Week III: | 11 of the last 14 winners have come from behind to win |
Notes:
- Field of 120 players.
- Top 65 and ties will play the final 36 holes.
- 24 of the top 50 OWGR are entered.
Season Winners
2022-2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Fortinet Championship | Max Homa |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Mackenzie Holmes |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Keegan Bradley |
| CJ CUP at CONGAREE | Rory McIlroy |
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Seamus Power |
| Mayakoba Championship | Russell Henley |
| Cadence Bank Houston Open | Tony Finau |
| The RSM Classic | Adam Svensson (first TOUR win) |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
Recent Winners
Italics – not entered this week
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2022 | Sam Burns (-9) | Made up a seven shot deficit with 65 on Sunday to force a playoff. Won the playoff vs. Scheffler; Led the field with 20 birdies. |
| 2021 | Jason Kokrak (-14) | Jordan Spieth couldn’t hold the 54-hole lead as he posted 73 in the final round to finish second. |
| 2020 | Daniel Berger (-15) | Collin Morikawa was knocked out in a playoff. Entered Sunday, along with Spieth, T2. |
| 2019 | Kevin Na (-13) | Tony Finau was four back in second, as CT Pan and Andrew Putnam shared T3. |
| 2018 | Justin Rose (-20) | Perfect weather saw him miss the tournament scoring record by a shot. Nothing worse than 66 for the week. |
| 2017 | Kevin Kisner (-10) | Made up a three shot deficit to win by one over Spieth, Rahm. |
| 2016 | Jordan Spieth (-17) | One of only five players 10-under or better. Won by three in dominant fashion. |
This Week – 78th Charles Schwab Challenge
Chalk (via BetMGM)
Scottie Scheffler (+400): The streak is now T12 or better in 13 consecutive events. His backyard, his form, this field of only 120 players.
Jordan Spieth (+1400): Expecting big things this week as the payback for missing AT&T Byron Nelson. Should be comfortable, like Scheffler, with his second home game in three weeks. That matters, especially with a new family.
Tony Finau (+1400): Site for sore eyes as he’s struggled, relatively speaking, recently. Eats at CCC and should take another big bite after going close in 2021. Never MC here.
Viktor Hovland (+1400): Interested to see if he has another gear to keep the momentum going. Last Sunday’s dogfight with Koepka was something.
Collin Morikawa (+1600): Has a bit of JT feel going on here. I want to believe but it’s getting me nowhere at the moment.
Sungjae Im (+1800): I’m throwing out last week and sticking a win ticket on him this week. Won’t have to try and keep up off the tee. Jet lag should be gone from Korea trip two weeks ago.
Max Homa (+2200): It’s not a major, so I expect a bounce-back performance.
Justin Rose (+2500): Course horse here had a big week last week. Back to back too much?
Sam Burns (+2800): Title defense is not going to bother him! Last time he was in Texas he won WGC-Match Play.
Top 10/Top 20/Top 40
Chris Kirk (+4000): He’s never MC in 12 tries and has won it. Simples.
Denny McCarthy (+5000): Super putter but was top 10 GIR last week at Oak Hill. Noticeable.
Brendon Todd (+6600): Back to back top 10 paydays here. Streaking.
Andrew Putnam (+8000): Five straight paydays on TOUR. T3 here before.
Sepp Straka (+9000): Keep banging it tee to green, sir.
Longer Shots
Use ’em wherever you see fit! All players listed are +10000 or worse and are for a reason or two!
Justin Suh (+10000): The tougher, the better.
Matthew NeSmith (+10000): Rollicking form.
Sam Stevens (+10000): Back in a familiar part of the world.
Jimmy Walker (+25000): Nice week to bounce back.
Michael Block (+30000): Just in case Hollywood is still on board… I’d be surprised if he breaks 80 after the weekend/week he’s had.
Last Week – PGA Championship
Chalk (via BetMGM)
Scottie Scheffler (+750): Already a major champion, so that’s not the issue. T12 or better in 12 straight TOUR events, so that’s not the issue. The robot killing machine rolls on. T2 after a minor struggle on Saturday. Amazing run of form.
Jon Rahm (+800): I don’t think there’s any pressure for the grand slam. It’s essentially impossible so I don’t believe the Spaniard is dreaming about that. Now, is he dreaming about winning THIS week? Absolutely. Took two weeks off after Mexico and should be primed and ready. Opening round 76 dug a hole too deep. T50.
Rory McIlroy (+1400): Got a call from Tiger, who was watching at WFC and noticed something in his swing. Skipping RBC Heritage was intended for him to reset and reload. T47 at WFC wasn’t the bounce he was looking for, but it’s also not a major championship. Once that switch flips…Closed with three rounds in the 60s for T7. Watch out.
Xander Schauffele (+1600): Best of the non-winners! Looking for his first major championship and first win of the 2023 calendar year. Streak of top-10 paydays is four straight, including solo second last time out at WFC. Streak ends at four, but the run of form in majors continues with T18.
Patrick Cantlay (+1800): In his last seven events he’s produced a top-10 finish in seven. The others are all T21 or better. Full bag. California cool when the heat is on, just like Schauffele. Similarly to Rahm, 74 to open was too much to overcome. Closed with 66 to jump into the top 10 at T7.
Brooks Koepka (+2000): Oh hey, T2 at Augusta. OK, I’ll bite. He’s won twice this season and, when healthy, which appears to be the case, is back to his major kill mode. If I have to remind you he’s won two of these, in back-to-back fashion, plus two US Opens…BOOM. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. BITTEN.
Justin Thomas (+2200): He’s won two of the last six of these, including in a playoff last year at Southern Hills. The new diet is starting to pay dividends, but not at the rate gamers expect. The angles that come with defending a championship go out the window. He already went through this in 2018. His irons/wedges will be the barometer this week. First time in his career he didn’t equal or break par in a major championship. Nothing worked. T65.
Tony Finau (+2200): Since July of 2022 he’s won five times so I can’t imagine him being in a better place mentally. Not having to answer questions about “when will you win again?” has to be fantastic. Now, the question shifts to “when will you win a major?” Not this week. Like JT, his best round was 72. T72.
Dustin Johnson (+2500): Won last week. Doesn’t care. Hit it, find it, hit it again. The harder, the better. T55 is even more disappointing when you remember he opened with 67, one off the first round lead.
Jason Day (+2800): He’s backed it up before, folks. The last guy to do it was, IIRC, McIlroy 2014 when he won WGC-BI then PGA Championship at Valhalla the following week. First win in five years should free him up as well. Unlike Rahm, who also opened with 76, Day called it a day after 72 to MC.
Top 10/Top 20/Top 40
Sungjae Im (+3000): Winner in Korea last week. Check his metrics. Jet lag? 80-73. MC.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+3300): He’ll enjoy parring the place to death. He’ll also enjoy a premium on fairways hit. He only enjoyed two rounds 76-70. MC.
Tyrrell Hatton (+4000): Win ticket. Another guy who shines on tough layouts and won’t hate the weather. Great mentality for grinding. T15 was majestic after opening with 77. What a final 54 holes.
Rickie Fowler (+5500): Too many good results for all of it to turn upside down this week. He’s played himself into the top 50. That’s very real. 73-73 MC should position himself perfectly for contending this week.
Adam Scott (+6600): Back-to-back top-10 paydays for the first time in some time. Experience won’t hurt. Opened with 68, closed with 69, but T29.
Sahith Theegala (+8000): A fresh face always seems to lurk so I’ll hook my wagon here. Full bag. Streak is 16 consecutive events. Three first-time guys hit the top 10 at Southern Hills last year. Keeps finding a way to rack up more experience. T40.
Shane Lowry (+9000): Ridiculous number. Can’t possibly putt as poorly as he did in April! Fairway finder for sure. T12 on the back of T7 GIR.
Longer Shots
Use ’em wherever you see fit! All players listed are +10000 or worse and are for a reason or two!
Keegan Bradley (+10000): All you can get. T29
Taylor Moore (+12500): After the first win, most guys regress. He’s followed his victory at Innisbrook with T39, T11, T4 and T27. T72
Seamus Power (+17500): Nice top 10 in Tulsa last year, followed by T12 at Brookline. Rolls in T18, T19 last two outings. Missed by a mile, 75-74.
Tom Hoge (+17500): Gaining shots on approach never hurts. The North Dakota native won’t mind wind or cold either. T58
Brandon Wu (+22500): Grew up in this part of the world. Top 3 fantasy finisher last week. MC
JT Poston (+30000): Fairway finder. T40
Thorbjorn Olesen (+30000): Top 10 last week ran his streak to four in his last five. Six of seven starts T20 or better this season includes a win in Thailand. MC
Joel Dahmen (+40000): Surely the special invite will play up. T69
OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game
| Already Burned |
| Sungjae Im – Maui |
| Tom Kim – Sony |
| Tom Hoge – AMEX |
| Viktor Hovland – Pebble |
| Xander Schauffele – WMPO |
| Max Homa – Riviera |
| Shane Lowry – Honda |
| Tyrrell Hatton – API |
| Akshay Bhatia – PRO |
| Jason Day – THE PLAYERS |
| Justin Rose – Valspar |
| Cam Percy – Corales |
| Scottie Scheffler – WGC MP |
| Rickie Fowler – Valero |
| Jordan Spieth – Masters |
| Collin Morikawa – RBC Heritage |
| Billy Horschel – Zurich |
| Nicolai Hojgaard – Mexico |
| Rory McIlroy – WFC |
| Adam Scott – ATTBN |
| Brooks Koepka – PGA Championship |
This Week – Charles Schwab Challenge
Chris Kirk
Former champion just quietly going along. Top 30 last week at Oak Hill suggests he won’t be looking to find it or fix it this week. Last time he was in Texas he was T10 at Byron Nelson. He won this event in 2015. That’s enough for me.
Others considered: Brendon Todd, Denny McCarthy, Ryan Palmer
Last Week – PGA Championship
Brooks Koepka – WINNER
No brainer.
Finally.
Glass Houses 