Weekly PGA Preview: Charles Schwab Challenge

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

Charles Schwab Challenge

Colonial Country Club
Fort Worth, TX

The PGA Tour heads to Fort Worth, TX this week, for another edition of the Charles Schwab Challenge .

There are generally two things most golf fans want each and every week: good players at the top of the leaderboard and drama. Though the final tally this past Sunday made it look like we had only of the two this past week, we actually did get a bit of drama. As for the good players, well, we had that as well. Though the leaderboard had plenty of lesser-known players littered about, the best player in the world was at the top, and two of the biggest names in the game were just behind him most of the way.

Those two were Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm and while they finished far back in the end, there was about an hour on Sunday where the result seemed up in air. Okay, so that's not a ton of drama, but Scheffler entered the final round with a big lead and Alex Noren as his nearest competitor. It seemed like we'd get exactly zero drama on Sunday, so the fact that for a moment, there was actual doubt about the winner, well, that was pretty cool.

Exactly how much doubt is debatable of course. I for one never really thought Scheffler was going to lose. After all, he'd played about as poorly as he could on the front side, and he was still near the lead. All he had to do was find his game or have the guys behind him crumble and he'd get the win. What happened of course was both. Scheffler righted the ship right around the same time that Rahm went off the rails and the final hour contained no drama.

So what does this mean for Scheffler? For starters, it means that Scheffler is back in his rightful spot as the most dominant force in golf. Rory McIlroy took over for a couple months, but make no mistake, Scheffler is back and he's going to be a problem the rest of the season.

In the big picture, this win alone doesn't mean much…yet, but as Scheffler gobbles up more majors, this win will be added to what will inevitably be a very big number of major wins years from now. In the not too distant future, it means that Scheffler is likely to be the next one to complete the career grand slam. Heck, he could do it this year.

It wasn't the most exciting major I've seen, but it's always cool to see the best players in the world go at it, with the best golfer of his generation coming out on top. But enough about last week, it's time to look ahead and as we look to this week, we've got a standard event on a classic course that is known for its length, or lack thereof.  Bonus, Scheffler is in the field this week, so that should be entertaining.

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LAST YEAR

Davis Riley shot a final-round 70 on his way to a five-stroke victory over Scottie Scheffler. 

FAVORITES

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 6:30 PM ET Tuesday.

Scottie Scheffler (12-5) 

If you were wondering if we're back to where Scheffler was a year ago, his odds this week should tell you the answer. For those that aren't great with simple math, Scheffler is just a bit over 2-1 this week. Let that sink in, just over 2-1 against a field of 150 golfers. It's crazy to think that this is a reasonable play, but honestly, the only thing stopping Scheffler this week is a major hangover. Working in his favor this week is his current form and his track record here. Scheffler has finished inside the top-3 in his past three starts here, but he's yet to win, which is yet another reason to bet on him this week – he's come close, but he hasn't conquered this event yet.   

Daniel Berger (22-1)

The problem with taking anyone outside of Scheffler this week is that they have to not only beat the field, but they have to beat Scheffler. The mental side of that can't be discounted. He's crushed the field in his past two starts and that's something that anyone up against Scheffler knows. As for Berger, his form is not great entering this week. He was on a roll earlier in the season, but he's lost a bit of steam lately. Berger did win this event in 2020, but that's his only top-10 in six starts here.   

Jordan Spieth (22-1)

Spieth had some major momentum heading into the PGA Championship, but like many big names, he failed to make it to the weekend. Will that set him back or will he pick up where he left off prior to the PGA Championship? In most cases, I think golfers can easily forget a bad major because majors are so unlike anything else they see on tour. Spieth has a great track record here and if anyone could challenge Scheffler, it might be Spieth, who won this event in 2016 and has a total of seven top-10s in 10 starts.

Visit our golf betting section for the latest PGA odds and finishing props from multiple sportsbooks.

THE NEXT TIER

Harris English (35-1)

English closed better than anyone at the PGA Championship, the question is whether that will roll over to this week or not. As I just mentioned, players can usually wipe a bad major from their memory with ease, but how does a good result translate? I have to imagine a good result at a major can really boost the confidence of the golfer and in this case, English needed that boost. His track record here is decent, but not great. He did finish runner-up to Spieth in 2016 however.     

Si Woo Kim (40-1)

This will be a great test of form vs. track record as Kim's for is great heading into this week, but his track record here is pretty bad. Kim has just three made cuts in eight starts at this event and only one top-50 finish…but he's in good form right now and he's known as a very streaky golfer. It's going to take something special to pull off a win and Kim's certainly capable.

Davis Riley (55-1)          

A lot of angles in play this week with Riley. Let's start with his runner-up this past week at the PGA Championship. He managed to hang onto a tie for 2nd even after a triple bogey during the round. It was a testament to his resolve to come back after a crushing result while in contention. Second, he's the defending champion this week, which is not usually a great play, but it does show that he can get around this course. Lastly, the great result at the PGA could have a negative result as well. He was close to the lead at one point, but in the end, he wasn't a factor. That could boost his confidence if he looks at it the right way, or it could set him back if he's thinking about what might have been. Considering he wasn't in position to win on the back-nine, he'll probably see this past week as a positive.

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LONG SHOTS

Brian Harman (55-1)    

If you're playing a longshot this week, you're going to need a giant slayer and Harman, who won the Open Championship a couple years back is just that. He wasn't known as a giant slayer prior to that week, but in winning that major, he essentially beat all the best players in the world. He hasn't shown that form much since then, but it's still there, he just needs to find it again. His track record here is good, with three top-10s in 10 starts, but he hasn't had any high-end finishes. Perhaps that changes this time around.

Ryan Gerard (70-1)       

We've got one longshot with a history of taking down the top players, now we'll try one that has no track record, but ton of potential. Gerard displayed some of that potential this past week when he stayed in contention for a long period of time at the PGA Championship. That wasn't his only strong showing this season as he posted a runner-up at the Valero and a top-10 in Houston.     

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Jordan Spieth – Scheffler is not an option this week, you simply can't use him outside a major or signature event, so that leaves a bunch of guys, who are, honestly, not likely to win. The question then is, do you want to burn someone good when they have such a small chance to win? Honestly, you can't think that way, you have to believe that whoever you choose has a chance to win and while that chance is small, Spieth could still pull it off.      

Moderately-Chosen Pick:  Harris English – English's final-round is going to draw a lot of attention this week, but I'm still expecting ownership to be all over the place, so there should be an opportunity to gain ground with him. English has a lot of upside, enough to be in play at a signature event, but he lacks consistency, so you're better off using him in a spot like this.   

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Ryan Gerard – How much faith do you have in the rookie? Considering that Scheffler is likely to win this week, the odds of you losing much ground to anyone this week is small, so there's really not much risk with this pick. Gerard appears to have a high upside, so maybe he ends up being the one that challenges Scheffler.          

Buyer Beware: Tommy Fleetwood – Fleetwood was on a roll heading into the PGA Championship, posting top-10s in his two starts prior to the major, but once again he left a major thinking what might have been. Fleetwood often plays well at the majors, but his hopes are continually derailed by one bad round. In his case it was Saturday's round that sunk his chances. I just wonder if all these missteps are starting to create a lot of baggage. Fleetwood would love to win any event on the PGA Tour, but you know he wants a major and having not played his best at the most recent major could result in a hangover this week.      

My Pick: Ryan Gerard – There are other picks that would provide more comfort, but honestly, I don't want to use Daniel Berger or Jordan Spieth in a spot where they're unlikely to win or even cash a big check unless they get runner-up. Gerard is not a guy that I'll mind burning in this spot because I won't use him in a major or a signature event. He has the upside to cash a decent check however and his game appears to be in great shape entering this week.       

Previous Results

View the PGA earnings report to find total winnings and winnings per entry via our fantasy golf stats pages.

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Harris English ($11,100)
Middle Range: Davis Riley ($10,400)
Lower Range: Joe Highsmith ($8,400)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

My Pick: Brian Harman – The key to a survivor pick the week after a major is finding someone that won't be carrying any baggage. Harman was never in contention this past week, so there's no concern about a hangover. Harman also has a long track record to making the cut here as he's missed just one cut in 10 starts.