78th Charles Schwab Challenge
Colonial Country Club
Fort Worth, Texas
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Bet365: Top of the Board
Scottie Scheffler (11/4): Last week, he was arrested, played a round without his regular caddie, Ted Scott, and still cashed T8. This week, he is home with his newly expanded family, sleeping in his bed, and presumably will not be going to jail. Only three players have beaten him in the last two events at Colonial.
Collin Morikawa (12/1): The disappointment of not being in the fight Sunday at Valhalla from the final group should provide the fuel this week. Cashing T4, he picked up his third top-10 result from his last four events. After the renovations on multiple greens and holes, I am leaning on the ball-strikers to lead the way.
Max Homa (22/1): I can’t get it out of my head that his worst results this season are on the smallest greens on TOUR. Cashing T9 last year, his best result from five visits has me conflicted.
Jordan Spieth (22/1): Playing across town from his Dallas home, investors are paying for his spectacular course form. The 2016 winner has cashed T14 or better in nine of 10 weekends. Cashing T10 at Valero the week before the Masters was the last time he was relevant on Sunday. If the switch is going to flip, this is the week.
Tony Finau (30/1): The man from Utah likes his golf in Texas. Missing the cut last year broke a seven-year run of T34 or better. Finishing second in 2019 and T4 in 2022, it’s obvious the layout fits his eye. A winner in Houston two years ago, his best finish of the season is T2 at Memorial Park.
Harris English (30/1): Pre-renovation, he would have had more of my interest. Super on and around the greens, he struggled last week at Valhalla tee-to-green. In six weekends, he’s never cashed out worse than T30.
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Aaron Rai (55/1): Posting T7 in Houston and T4 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, the Englishman thrives on approach (10th).
Thomas Detry (55/1): Coming off T4 at the PGA Championship, all nine of his paydays this season are T28 or better, minus THE PLAYERS.
Mark Hubbard (75/1): Making his 15th start of the season, he has played all 14 weekends previously. Top 50 in approach. Top 50 in putting. Never missed the cut in five tries and was T9 last year.
Lee Hodges (80/1): His T12 result at the PGA Championship featured T9 Fairways and T8 GIR. Heater.
Robert MacIntyre (110/1): Paired with Detry at Zurich, the duo posted T8 for the week. The Scotsman shot 68-69 and missed the cut at TPC Craig Ranch before rattling off T13 at Myrtle Beach and T8 at the PGA Championship.
Sam Stevens (125/1): The last time out, he posted T10 at WFC and cashed T29 on debut here last year.
Alex Smalley (200/1): Missing the cut in a major will not erase T20, T13, and T6 in his previous three on TOUR.
Jorge Campillo (200/1): Quietly sits 32nd in SG: Tee to Green and has cashed T4, T24, and T18 in his last three starts. Vamos!
Ryan Palmer (500/1): Making his 21st start, the member at CCC is looking for his first top 10 since 2019. Start with a Top-40 ticket and work your way up! Let’s gamble!
Mike Glasscott: Charles Schwab Challenge Tips:
Win: Tony Finau (30/1)
Top 10: Jordan Spieth (23/10), Collin Morikawa (29/20), Lee Hodges (13/2)
Top 20: Alex Smalley (5/1), Mark Hubbard (13/5), Ryan Palmer (9/1), Adam Schenk (11/4)
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Colonial Country Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,289 |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | 007XL Bentgrass; 5,000 square feet on average (T-third smallest on TOUR 2024). |
| Stimpmeter: | 12 to 13 feet. Brand-new Sub-Air system in use. |
| Rough: | TifTuf Bermudagrass at 2.5 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 64/4/6. |
| Architect(s): | John Bredemus-Perry Maxwell (1936); Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner (2023). |
| Defending Champion: | Emiliano Grillo (-8*) |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Zach Johnson (2012, 2010). |
| Course Record | 61; 8 players (last 2018). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 259, 21-under; Zach Johnson (2010). |
| Facts of the Week: | Every blade of grass and every hole was modified during the 2023 renovation. |
Colonial Country Club
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the club opened in 1936. The John Bredemus-Perry Maxwell design found national acclaim by hosting the first U.S. Open in the South in 1941. The course also hosted the 1975 Tournament Players Championship and the 1991 Women’s U.S. Open.
The 2024 tournament will play to Par-70 and tips out at 7,289 yards, 80 additional paces than the 2023 edition. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner renovated the entire property after the conclusion of play last May, above and below the soil, as part of a $20 million renovation.
The list of changes is extensive. The greens all have new 007XL Bentgrass, while the rest of the property received new TifTuf Bermuda sod (tees, fairways, rough, and approaches).
Holes were moved back while others were lowered, shifted, or both. Par-3 holes Nos. 8 and 13 had more dramatic changes and will present as they did in the 1940s.
Hogan’s Alley requires precision over power. Shaping the ball both ways off the tee and finding greens in regulation provide a solid foundation for contenders.
For the second week in a row, greens average just 5,000 square feet and are Bentgrass. The Stimpmeter will run between 12 and 13 feet. Players new to the event will not notice the changes, leveling the playing field to a degree.
The Par-3 holes stretch 194 yards or deeper, while the Par-5 holes, listed at 581 and 639 yards respectively, provide a tough scoring duo.
Hazards include 64 bunkers and four water penalty areas in play across six holes.
In 2023, the course ranked as the toughest, non-major Par-70 layout on TOUR.
The course record, 61, was last set by Kevin Na (not entered) in 2018.
Zach Johnson, the only two-time winner in the field, owns the tournament scoring record (-21, 259) in 2010.
Recent Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| 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 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
Charles Schwab Challenge
The 78th edition is the longest-serving, non-major championship event on the PGA TOUR.
The nickname Hogan’s Alley was contrived after native Texan and Fort Worth resident Ben Hogan won five times, including the inaugural event, and cashed 15 times in the top 10.
The invitational field of 132 players includes 21 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf rankings, including No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Exactly half of the field, 66 players, took part in the second major of the season, the PGA Championship, last week at Valhalla.
After two rounds, the top 65 and ties will play the final 36 holes. The only time the cut has been under par in the last decade was 2-under-par for the 2020 edition in June.
Emiliano Grillo, the 2023 winner, joined 2014 winner Adam Scott to become just the second international winner in 10 years.
No player has won this event more than twice this century.
Sergio Garcia (not entered) is the last player to win on debut (2001). He joins Keith Clearwater (1987) as the only player to win on debut since 1967.
Ian Baker-Finch (not entered) was the last player to go wire-to-wire (1989).
The winner will take home 500 FedExCup points plus $1.638 million from the $9.1 million purse.
Recent Winners – Charles Schwab Challenge
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Emiliano Grillo (-8*) | Doubled the final hole but won a playoff on the second hole for his first win on TOUR since 2015. |
| 2022 | Sam Burns (-9*) | Sat 7 shots off Scheffler’s 54-hole lead, shot 65, won in a playoff beating his best buddy. |
| 2021 | Jason Kokrak (-14) | 54-hole leader Jordan Spieth (-15) posted 73 from the final group and finished second by two shots. |
| 2020 | Daniel Berger (-15*) | Defeated Collin Morikawa in a playoff in a rare (COVID-19) June edition. |
| 2019 | Kevin Na (-13) | Knocked off Tony Finau by four shots. |
| 2018 | Justin Rose (-20) | Easily winning by three, the Englishman missed tying the tournament scoring record by a shot. |
| 2017 | Kevin Kisner (-10) | Stifled Spieth’s attempt at becoming the only repeat champion since Hogan. |
| 2016 | Jordan Spieth (-17) | Three-shot winner over Harris English. |
| 2015 | Chris Kirk (-12) | Won by a shot over Jordan Spieth, others. |
| 2014 | Adam Scott (-9*) | Needed extra holes to defeat Jason Dufner. |
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Cognizant Classic | Russell Henley | 32,850 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | 4,000,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Will Zalatoris | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Sam Burns | 0 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Wyndham Clark | 54,418 |
| Valero Texas Open | C Bezuidenhout | 67,735 |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy | 175,500 |
| RBC Heritage | Patrick Cantlay | 1,160,000 |
| Zurich Classic | Nick Taylor | 122,375 |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Stephan Jaeger | 112,100 |
| Myrtle Beach Classic | Daniel Berger | 20,350 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Sahith Theegala | 47,000 |
| 106th PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka | 113,962 |
| Total Winnings: | 7,626,632 |
His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – 106th PGA Championship
MY CHOICE: Brooks Koepka – T26
I’m going to strike while the iron is hot. A winner recently, that’s what I need to see. I had earmarked Justin Thomas for this spot for almost the entire spring, but it is this week or Pinehurst in THIS FORMAT for Koepka. I’m riding the heat.
I can’t believe he missed THAT MANY putts under six feet. Posting 12-under in three rounds, 74 in Round 3 sunk my battleship.
My plan to play Justin Thomas (T8) ALL SEASON would have been better, but whatever.
With Memorial (Cantlay/Hovland), the U.S. Open (DeChambeau/Schauffele), and Memphis (JT) the big-ticket items in the States left, I’m ready. The Open Championship will depend on the draw at Royal Troon.
Others Considered:
Rory McIlroy – T12, Scottie Scheffler – T8, Xander Schauffele – WIN, Bryson DeChambeau – 2nd, and Justin Thomas – T8.
This Week – 78th Charles Schwab Challenge
Charles Schwab Field in Omaha is hosting the B1G Baseball tournament so it’s a busy week for Chuck.
I call it Colonial, sorry Chuck.
MY CHOICE: Taylor Moore
Playing the weekend in all 15 events this season, his full bag makes him a threat weekly. The native Texan, from San Angelo, shared second in Houston two weeks before the Masters, and cashed T12 last week at Valhalla.
Others to Consider:
Jordan Spieth: Those of you who have been saving him, it’s time.
Tony Finau/Collin Morikawa: I don’t love the prize pool for using either of these two, but with the new putting surfaces in play, they should be chomping at the bit.
Thomas Detry/Billy Horschel: Both have been sizzling recently and can get it going with the putter. It has been suggested by TOUR pro Michael Kim that the approach play will be EASIER after the renovation, but the new grass will make it play firmer this week.
Tom Hoge: Played at Texas Chrisitan down the street and kills it on approach.
Mark Hubbard: If you’re looking to zig, he’s had too many good weeks in a row.
Good luck! You’ll need it!
Glass Houses 