Charles Schwab Challenge: find out why Spieth is the horse for the Colonial course

Fort Worth awaits

Fresh off an entertaining finish to the US PGA Championship, the tour quickly moves on from Oklahoma to Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. 

It’s a famous old course at Fort Worth that has staged a tournament in various guises since 1946, and it continues a strong stretch of tournaments heading towards the US Open and Open Championship. 

At 7,200 yards, Colonial Country Club comes in almost 400 yards shorter than the demanding Southern Hills that proved such a tough slog for many of the world’s best players last week, but it’s not a track that will be bullied. 

Power hitters do try and overpower Colonial’s doglegs but it’s not been a haven for the bombers, with narrow fairways and small greens, the emphasis is on accuracy off the tee and on approach, and a razor-sharp short game. 

For the week after a major, there’s a strong field with four of the world’s top 10 taking part, including world number one Scottie Scheffler and PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas.   

After his dramatic playoff victory in the US PGA Championship, Justin Thomas starts the Charles Schwab Challenge as one of the favourites

Spieth a better option than Scheffler & Thomas

Jordan Spieth described Southern Hills last week as like “Colonial on steroids” so we’re looking at the players who have played well on both Perry Maxwell designs for some sort of form guide this week. 

It doesn’t include Scottie Scheffler (16), who missed the cut at the PGA, and has a missed cut and a 55th-placed finish in his two trips to Colonial. 

More importantly than Scheffler’s score was his demeanour at Southern Hills, as he showed far more emotion than we’re used to, and of the wrong kind as he was grumpy, tetchy and downbeat. Maybe his stellar year is just suffering a dip. 

Justin Thomas is 14.5 after winning his second PGA Championship with that playoff success over Will Zalatoris – and it had been coming after notching eight top 10s in his 13 starts this year. 

There’s no reason why Thomas can’t maintain some of that form here, where he’s finished T10 and T40 in his two starts, but it’s a big ask to go all the way the week after winning a major – especially given the way he won it. 

Preference out of the market leaders is for the favourite Spieth (13.5) though, who finished T34 at the PGA with a solid enough final round of 69, and has a great record around Colonial. 

Spieth won here in 2016 and has three runners-up finishes, including last year, among his seven top 10s in nine starts – if you’re talking horses for courses, Spieth’s your man. 

Throw in the fact that Spieth won the RBC Heritage, another course where accuracy is key, the week after missing the cut at The Masters, then the similarities with this week are too strong to ignore.  

Flying finish sets Fleetwood up to challenge on debut 

Collin Morikawa’s (17) game will obviously suit Colonial and the ball-striking wizard finished second on his debut two years ago, before a T14 last year confirmed he can play around here. 

Morikawa’s second on debut is a plus for Tommy Fleetwood’s chances, with the 46 shot making his first appearance at Colonial on the back of finishing tied for fifth at Southern Hills. 

His finishing 67 was a nice way to end the PGA and means he makes the short trip to Texas in good order to play on a track that should suit him down to the ground. 

There’s actually some good form here for two other Englishmen, with Justin Rose and Ian Poulter having some good finishes at Colonial in recent years. 

Rose (60) has a victory and a third place in the last four years, and finished well in Oklahoma to end up T13, while Poulter (100) came third here last year. 

Two other recent winners here need to be respected with Jason Kokrak (40) and Kevin Na (60) also having a top five to go along with their victory in the last four years. 

Another serious challenger could be Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, who was in contention at the PGA before a final round 73 scuppered his chances.  

He’s got the accuracy needed for Colonial as a 44 chance, and has finished in the top 15 the last two years. 

Recommended bets 

Jordan Spieth @ 13.5 

Abraham Ancer @ 44 

Tommy Fleetwood @ 46 

Justin Rose @ 60