RADIO
Joe Nicely's under-the-radar DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge. His Horse for the course for daily fantasy golf is based on course history.
Hello PGA DFS family and welcome back to Horse For The Course! A slog of a week at Southern Hills turned into a nail-biter Sunday evening, with DFS darling, Mito Pereira, punting the event away on the 72nd. Mito's mishap left two of the best tee-to-green players in the world standing, as Justin Thomas edged young Will Zalatoris in a three-hole aggregate playoff. It marked JT's second major championship and was a somewhat expected outcome for a player that's certainly been consistently on his game this year.
Like the RBC Heritage following the Masters, the Charles Schwab Challenge offers a very cushy landing spot for PGA DFS players this week. Let's get into it!
Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!
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2022 Charles Schwab Challenge Overview
After a tension-filled week at Southern Hills, the Charles Schwab Challenge is a nice way to come down from the high of the PGA Championship. Like the RBC Heritage following the Masters, the Schwab is a staple event (the longest-standing non-major on the schedule) that draws a strong field and is held on a unique golf course.
In another similarity with Harbour Town, this week's Colonial layout noticeably mutes the advantage of the bombers by placing an emphasis on position off the tee, sharp approach play, and solid putting. While the big hitters certainly can - and have on several occasions - played well in this event, Colonial undoubtedly evens the playing field for the Tour's shorter hitters.
As for the playing field, it's a really, really good one. While there will likely be a few PGA hangover-induced WDs in the coming days, this week's Schwab turnout will be one of the deeper fields of the year. Jason Kokrak broke the mold a bit last year with a come-from-behind victory over Jordan Spieth. He'll be back to defend and will be joined by Texans Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, and last week's bridesmaid, Will Zalatoris, while last week's victor, Justin Thomas, is also currently scheduled to tee it up at Colonial. I would keep an eye on player news (you can check that right here at RotoBaller!), as we normally see a few players bow out the week after a major championship. That said, we should have a very juicy field to choose our DFS options from this week.
You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. And be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!
The Course: Colonial Country Club
Par 70 - 7,209 Yards, Greens: Bent, Designed By: John Bredemus & Perry Maxwell
You guys might recognize the name Perry Maxwell above, as Maxwell was the original architect of last week's Southern Hills layout. While they are certainly very different golf courses - especially off the tee - there is some kinship between the two with their emphasis on approach shots that target contoured, Bent grass greens.
This 1936 design was recognized as an instant classic. Since Colonial made its debut on the PGA Tour in 1946, the event has been played under many names, but the course has continued to endure as a mainstay on the schedule. The tight fairways and multiple doglegs that are cut through the course's pecan trees make this layout difficult to overpower, with a premium being placed on a player's ball striking, shotmaking, and short-game abilities. While distance is not something we ever want to totally dismiss, it does take something of a backseat in importance this week. Basically, this layout serves as an "equalizer" for the game's shorter hitters and, from a DFS perspective, brings a large portion of the field into consideration.
I always recommend checking out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett for an in-depth breakdown of this week's golf course!
Recent Charles Schwab Challenge Winners
- 2021: Jason Kokrak (-14)
- 2020: Daniel Berger (-15)
- 2019: Kevin Na (-13)
- 2018: Justin Rose (-20)
- 2017: Kevin Kisner (-10)
The Horse
Jordan Spieth
- Event Scoring Average: 67.64 (Nine starts)
- Notable Event Finishes: 2nd (2021), T10 ('20), T8 ('19), T2 ('17), Win ('16), T2 ('15)
- DraftKings Price: $10,400 FanDuel Price: $11,400
Jordan Spieth broke a lot of hearts last week as the chalk DFS option. The Texan went off as the most popular option in most DraftKings contests but managed just a disappointing T34 at Southern Hills. Spieth's popularity last week was due to his phenomenal ball-striking in recent outings. He had gained a combined 25 strokes T2G in his two starts prior to the PGA Championship (outings that resulted in a win and a runner-up finish), the highest back-to-back total of his career.
Surprisingly, Spieth's ball-striking remained elite last week at Southern Hills, as he gained an impressive 8.7 strokes T2G, which was the 12th-best mark in the field. However, his putter betrayed him horribly in the PGA and he lost a massive 3.2 strokes on the greens.
The Charles Schwab represents the mother of all bounce-back spots for the Texan, as he brings his still-sharp ball-striking form to a Colonial layout on which he's been dominant throughout his career. His 67.64 career scoring average is the best in the field among those with a minimum of three starts at Colonial. He won the event in 2016 and has recorded an eye-opening three additional runner-ups (including in last year's edition) across nine career Schwab starts.
The Ponies
Collin Morikawa
- Event Scoring Average: 67.60 (Two starts)
- Notable Event Finishes: T14 ('21), 2nd ('20)
- DraftKings Price: $10,700 FanDuel Price: $11,500
I wasn't very high on Collin Morikawa last week at Southern Hills, but I'm making a 180-degree turn on him this week. I was very concerned with Morikawa's ability around the greens in last week's environment, but have limited worries in that area this week at Colonial, a layout that is a proven fit for him. The Californian has put together a 67.60 scoring average at Colonial over two career appearances (the lowest in the field with no start minimum). He lost a heartbreaker to Daniel Berger in golf's return from the COVID layoff in 2020 and scored a T14 in the 2021 edition of the Schwab, despite losing 1.3 strokes putting.
There are no guarantees that Morikawa will find any mojo with the flat stick this week, but we know that Colonial perfectly suits his game from T2G. The Texas course rewards precision over distance and he comes into the week ranked 16th in Good Drives Gained over the last 12 rounds. Precise approach play will also be required this week and Morikawa is a generational type of talent with the irons. He grades out first in this field in SG: Approach over long-term 100-round measurements.
Tony Finau
- Event Scoring Average: 68.79 (Six starts)
- Notable Event Finishes: T20 ('21), T23 ('20), 2nd ('19)
- DraftKings Price: $9,100 FanDuel Price: $10,300
Tony Finau is a swerve away from the accurate, fairways-and-greens types we've been focusing on throughout this article, but his Charles Schwab track record speaks for itself...six starts, six cuts made; a runner-up finish, and three additional top-25s. Finau stands sixth overall in this week's field in SG: Total (+26.87) in this event.
The concern with Finau comes with his underwhelming 2022 form, as the ever-consistent Utah native suffered through a noticeable downswing at the outset of the year that included missing three of four cuts during one stretch. He has righted the ship as of late, gaining strokes T2G in each of his last five starts with a runner-up finish in Mexico standing as the highlight. Finau is undoubtedly trending in the right direction and gained strokes in every major statistical category last week at Southern Hills. His growing confidence and sterling track record at Colonial make him a strong GPP candidate on this slate.
Kevin Na
- Event Scoring Average: 68.48 (14 starts)
- Notable Event Finishes: T32 ('21), Win ('19), 4th ('18)
- DraftKings Price: $8,100 FanDuel Price: $9,800
While there are some players on the PGA Tour that can be rostered on an almost weekly basis, Kevin Na is more of a specialized weapon that we must deploy in a surgical fashion. This week's Schwab represents one of the situations where we can feel comfortable - at least as comfortable as we can ever be with the WD-prone Na - clicking on the veteran's name when building DFS lineups.
One of the shorter hitters on Tour (112th in this field in Driving Distance), Na has proven his ability to handle this 7,200-yard Colonial layout in a resounding fashion by winning the Schwab here in 2019 and recording an additional four top-10 finishes since 2005. He's missed just one cut across his 14 career starts at Colonial and comes into this year's edition in notable form. Na is never gonna look great in SG: OTT due to his lack of length, but the irons (what we really care about this week) have certainly been firing, as he's now gained strokes on Approach in his last four starts, posting impressive top-25 finishes in both the Masters and last week's PGA Championship. It's always a little gross to pull the trigger on Na, but the combination of course fit and history combined with his recent form makes this spot about as good as it gets for a player with his limited and specialized skill set.
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Brian Harman
- Event Scoring Average: 69.03 (Nine starts)
- Notable Event Finishes: T8 ('21), T23 ('20), T14 ('18), T7 ('17)
- DraftKings Price: $7,800 FanDuel Price: $9,500
Like the aforementioned Kevin Na, Brian Harman possesses a skill set that's extremely well suited for this Colonial layout. He's made the cut in eight consecutive trips to the Schwab, posting three top-10 finishes across those appearances. The diminutive lefty will try to make it nine straight this week and comes in with the type of form that makes it likely. Harman has gained five or more strokes on Approach in each of his last two starts. What he lacks in distance off the tee he more than makes up for with accuracy, as he currently grades out third in this week's field in Fairways Gained over his the last 12 rounds. As a bonus, the veteran comes in with very reasonable price tags on both DK & FD. He'll likely be a popular option on this slate, but should be in strong consideration in cash and single-entry formats.
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