It will be hard to outdo the excitement of last week’s PGA Championship with Phil Mickelson making history with his two-shot victory. The field will do its best with a strong cast of characters, including Lefty, assembled for the Charles Schwab Challenge and ready to attack Colonial Country Club. The lineup doesn’t quite match last year’s when the Schwab was the first event back after a three month COVID-induced layoff. Mickelson is scheduled to appear after becoming the oldest player to win a major championship. I guess he still has something in the tank. Topping the odds board is Jordan Spieth, who stumbled a bit on Kiawah Island but has emerged from a slump with a win in Texas already this season. Defending champion Daniel Berger and Collin Morikawa, the man he beat in a playoff, are among the top four on the opening odds list. Head over to BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Charles Schwab Challenge at BookMaker.eu
Jordan Spieth +1000
Justin Thomas +1100
Collin Morikawa +1400
Daniel Berger +1600
Abraham Ancer +1800
Tony Finau +1800
Patrick Reed +2000
Scottie Scheffler +2200
Will Zalatoris +2200
Corey Conners +2500
Justin Rose +2500
Sungjae Im +2800
Joaquin Niemann +3000
Gary Woodland +3500
Billy Horschel +4000
Cameron Tringale +4500
Charley Hoffman +5000
Emiliano Grillo +5000
Brian Harman +5500
Jason Kokrak +6000
Matt Kuchar +6000
Phil Mickelson +6000
Sergio Garcia +6000
Matt Jones +6600
Matt Wallace +6600
Ryan Palmer +6600
Si Woo Kim +6600
Brandt Snedeker +7000
Keith Mitchell +7000
Branden Grace +7500
Chris Kirk +8000
Harold Varner III +8000
Jhonattan Vegas +8000
Joel Dahmen +8000
Kevin Na +8000
Kevin Streelman +8000
Lee Westwood +8000
Lucas Glover +8000
Russel Knox +8000
Odds Analysis
Tony Finau +1800
This is a risky pick and one that I initially passed on due to the price. But I kept coming back to Finau and his ability to drive this course. Typically, Colonial isn’t the type of layout that plays to big hitters, but in the past Finau has bucked the trend making up ground with his distance off the tee. He’s been his solid self with three top-20s in his last four starts, including a T8 at Kiawah Island. Finau is 5 for 5 at Colonial with a runner-up finish two years ago and has never been outside the top-35. He’s a good bet in alternate markets as well.
Branden Grace +7500
Mickelson’s triumph last week has many looking further down the odds board, including me. Grace is another risky wager but one that has a much better payout than Finau. The South African will have to step up his game and he showed signs last week resting among the top-5 after 72 holes. However he crumbled with a closing 78 to fall way down the leaderboard. Still, Grace proved he can win taking the Puerto Rico Open title in February and his game is rounding into form.
Matt Kuchar +6000
Kuchar is another longshot pick, but if Lefty can turn back the clock why can’t Kooch? Though he missed the cut last week he’s been on a strong run with three top-20s and a third in the WGC Match Play, so we know he can still swing it. He’s enjoyed a fair amount of success at Colonial with three top-10s among his five top-20s and it’s a course that plays to his precision ball-striking.
Justin Thomas +1100
I like Spieth’s chances in this tournament, but for the sake of not betting the opening line favorite I’m taking the next best thing. And that’s Thomas, who missed the cut last week and has some unfinished business to take care of. He doesn’t go MC often so I expect a bounce back performance from the No. 2 ranked player in the world. His only go-round at Colonial was last year when he finished 10th.
Will Zalatoris +2200
The only thing left for Zalatoris to do in his remarkable season is win a tournament. Following his MC at the Wells Fargo last month, only his second in 19 starts, he responded with a top-20 at the Byron Nelson and was T8 last week. He finished among the top-10 in all three major championship starts so the laid back atmosphere this week should be relaxing and his game appears well-suited for the Colonial layout.
Course: Colonial Country Club – 7,209 yards, Par 70
Colonial is the longest running host layout of any non-major event, so there is plenty of history. At just over 7,200 yards, the course has always played at par 70 and is average in terms of length compared to other Tour tracks. It’s never been a course for big hitters with precision and accuracy playing a bigger role while rewarding consistent ball-striking. Every course has a signature hole or holes, and Colonial is no different. Known as the Horrible Horseshoe, holes 3, 4 and 5 can impact scores. The par-4 fifth is the most difficult with No. 3 and No. 4 close behind.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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