Stump the Schwab: PGA Edition
To say the PGA Championship was unpredictable would be an understatement. If you had told me to put Scottie being arrested on my bingo card along with Xander winning his first major, I would have laughed at you. If you would have told me that the course would play as easy as it did with the field score being -200 shots to par (next closest Major is +95), I would have laughed. The PGA Championship did not provide the challenges we expected, but that does not take away from Xander’s win. Nevertheless, let’s focus on the Charles Schwab Challenge this week!
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Field: 136 Players
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Cut: Top 65 and ties
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First Tee: Thursday, May 23
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Defending Champion: Emiliano Grillo
Colonial Golf Club, a cornerstone of American golf history in Fort Worth, Texas, is renowned for its challenging layout and storied past. Designed by Perry Maxwell and John Bredemus, this par-70 course stretches approximately 7,209 yards, demanding precision and strategic play. Recent course renovations in 2023 did not change the strategy for the golfers in the week’s field. Here’s a closer look at the course details and the skills necessary to conquer this iconic venue. Colonial is celebrated for its tight fairways and strategically placed hazards. The course’s signature stretch, known as the “Horrible Horseshoe,” encompasses holes 3, 4, and 5. This trio of holes tests golfers with narrow fairways, doglegs, and well-guarded greens. Hole 3, a lengthy par-4, requires an accurate tee shot to navigate the dogleg left and a precise approach to a small green. Hole 4, a par-3, features a demanding long iron shot over water, and Hole 5, another par-4, challenges players with a tight landing area and a difficult green complex.
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Accuracy and Precision
Success at Colonial hinges on accuracy off the tee and precision with approach shots. The narrow fairways require players to consistently find the right spots off the tee, while the small, undulating greens necessitate precise iron play. Errant shots are often penalized, making accuracy paramount.
Course Management
Strategic thinking is essential. Golfers must carefully plan each shot, considering the optimal angles for approach shots and the best positions on the greens. Understanding when to play aggressively and when to adopt a conservative approach can significantly affect scoring.
Short Game Proficiency
Given the challenging greens, a sharp short game is crucial. Players need to be proficient in chipping, pitching, and bunker play to save par from difficult positions around the greens. The ability to read greens and execute delicate putts can turn potential bogeys into pars.
Colonial Golf Club remains a revered venue on the PGA Tour. Success at Colonial requires accuracy, strategic thinking, short-game excellence, and mental toughness. A course and event that typically favors veteran golfers and course horses, lets take a look at my top plays heading into the week!
$10K and Up: $13.3K – Scottie Scheffler
There are only 4 players above $10K and I’m honestly not too keen on them so I’m doing what I haven’t done in previous weeks, telling you to play him. Scottie has already said that he would play this week and his arraignment was pushed back to June 3rd so it should be all systems go for Colonial. In the 3rd round at the PGA for the first time this season Scottie shot a round over par, a round without Ted Scott on the bag and after his adrenaline disappeared from the arrest. Even with that round, he finished T8th in a Major Championship, which is unbelievable considering all that was going on. In all honesty, if Scheffler comes in with even his B+ game I expect him to be able to dust the field. With a $5K range in place, Scheffler lineups could be made easily.
$9K Range: $9.5K – Brian Harman
When I think of a player that can be accurate off the tee with phenomenal short game and putting, Brian Harman comes to mind. He can play well in difficult conditions and has won in the past year (Open Championship). With expected windy conditions being able to be accurate off the tee will be critical. Especially when considering a golfer can lose up to 0.6 strokes on some holes with an errant tee shot. If you want to build a more balanced lineup, using Harman instead of Scheffler would offer a lot of salary relief. At a course where accuracy is more important than distance, Harman has winning upside and should be able to battle to a top-10 finish comfortably.
$8K Range: $8.8K – Billy Horschel
If I told you Billy Horschel was T8 at the PGA and won an alternate field event at Corales within the past month, would that impress you? He missed the cut at the team event after not playing with Sam Burns, and had a poor showing at the Wells Fargo. Despite all this up and down, when looking at his SGT over the last 36 rounds he ranks 2nd in the field behind only Scottie. He is a strong putter and above average in driving accuracy and around the green. Should you have the salary, Horschel has made 5 of his 6 cuts at Colonial and will offer plenty of experience moving forward this week. I will probably be overweight on Billy Horschel this week should I find a way to fit him into my lineups.
$7K Range: $7.2K – Lee Hodges
Of players who made the cut at the PGA Championship, Lee Hodges was 2nd in the field for approach gaining 2.16 shots to the field. As a result, Hodges finished T12, his best Major finish in his career. When looking at his overall stats he is above average at putting, approach, and driving accuracy. If you are noticing a pattern here, its because these are the stats that are driving my decisions for my lineups. Ranking in the top-30 for course fit, Hodges has played here twice before with better results each year. If he can manage to continue his current form, Hodges will easily outperform this price tag. Hodges will be one of my most owned players this week in DFS.
$6.9K and Below: $6.4K – Justin Lower
I know this is different than weeks previous, but I honestly don’t have much to say about the players in the range below $6.9K. There are a lot of okay players, but none that I really want to take a stand on outside of Lower. He missed the cut at the Myrtle Beach classic which is a tough look, but he was terribly inaccurate off the tee which is abnormal for him. However, Lower does come into this event ranked 5th in the field this week for SGT over the last 2 months and 5th also for Opportunities Gained over the same period. He finished 4th at Corales and T24th at the CJ Cup. Lower offers tremendous upside at only $6.4K if he continues with his current form. At this price, we don’t need Lower to go out and win but if he can manage to finish top-30 again Lower would be a steal.
