The PGA Tour returns to play this week following the 105th playing of the PGA Championship with the golf standings at risk with the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Charles Schwab took over as the title sponsor in 2019, founding the tournament 77 years ago in 1946. The winner earns a Scottish tartan plaid jacket and an engraved on the Wall of Champions.
Furthermore, the tournament is one of five events on the PGA Tour schedule that is by invitation only. With that, the organizers reduce the average 156-man field to 120 players who are fighting for the title.
Sam Burns is the defending champion after knocking off Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. The victory was the fourth PGA Tour win for the 26-year-old and the second consecutive win decided in a playoff. Let’s dive into the course, the field, and the opening odds for the tournament. And hand out our favorite Charles Schwab Challenge prediction.
Colonial Country Club
Since the inaugural event in 1946, Colonial Country Club has been hosting this event. The course holds the record for hosting the longest non-major tour event at the same venue. John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell designed the course, which opened in 1936. Playing as a par-70, the track hovers around 7,200 yards in distance.
The Field
Top talent, not typically seen after a major tournament, fills the invitation-only field, showcasing an impressive lineup. Eight of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are teeing it up this week, led by new world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Six players that finished inside the top 10 at the PGA Championship are expected this week. Those players include Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Kurt Kitayama, Cameron Davis, Sepp Straka, and Justin Rose (2018 winner).
Burns returns to defend his title and is joined by other notable players such as Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Max Homa. Michael Block, a PGA club professional, earned the final exemption into the event after his PGA Championship performance.
Odds to Win
Golf betting odds are available, making it the perfect time for our Charles Schwab Challenge prediction.
- Scheffler (+500), fresh off a T2 at the PGA Championship, is the clear-cut betting favorite heading into the event. Scheffler has been a machine with 13-straight finishes of T12 or better.
- Tony Finau (+1200) made it to the weekend at Oak Hill. But didn’t have the results he would have liked, with rounds of 73 and 77 to close out the tournament. Finau has a pair of victories already this season, including a win in the state of Texas at the Cadence Bank Houston Open.
- Rounding out the top-5 of the Charles Schwab Challenge odds, we find Hovland and Speith at +1400, with Morikawa rounding out the top 5 at +1600.
- Defending champion Burns is there at +2500, sharing the same odds as Fowler. Rose, finishing T9 at the PGA Championship and past winner of the tournament, is a potential value play at +3000.
Charles Schwab Challenge Prediction
Our Charles Schwab Challenge prediction is that someone from the first page of the betting favorites ends up with the victory on Sunday. The cream will rise to the top and our Charles Schwab challenge picks this week is for the 25-year-old Viktor Hovland to get back into the winner’s circle with his fourth PGA Tour victory and first since 2021.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.