RADIO
Hello, RotoBaller PGA fam, and welcome back to Horse For The Course! Many fans would rank the PGA Championship fourth on the list of golf's annual majors, but the PGA has been on a bit of a heater in the last several years. That hot streak continued last week at Valhalla, as the event provided not only one of the wildest stories in the history of the sport but also an exciting finish featuring some of the game's biggest stars.
After the head-spinning shock of Rory McIlroy's divorce and Scottie Scheffler's arrest wore off, it was Xander Schauffele who ultimately was the star in Louisville. Schauffele - who has been a major contender for years, but has struggled to close the deal - outlasted Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland on a soft Valhalla layout that yielded the lowest winning score in major championship history.
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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2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
I completely understand if you are stumbling away from the PGA Championship feeling like someone who has just been on a weekend bender in Vegas. While the storylines of this week's Charles Schwab Challenge have little hope of matching the buzz at the PGA, we shouldn't overlook this storied event, even as we fight to get through the major championship hangover.
If you weren't crazy about last week's bomb-and-gouge layout at Valhalla, you might enjoy this week's Colonial course which is in many ways the complete opposite. The classic Texas track mutes the advantage of the bombers by emphasizing 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 and routinely rewards those familiar with the ins and outs of the Texas track.
Despite coming off consecutive weeks with a Signature Event and a major championship, there are still a few of golf's top stars who have elected to tee it up at Colonial. The headliner is, of course, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will look to rebound from what may well have been the strangest week of his life at Valhalla (I'd keep an eye out for a WD). Scheffler will be joined by Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, and Max Homa. They will all be looking to topple defending Charles Schwab champion Emiliano Grillo.
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! This week's Horse For The Course contains excerpts from my Masters Bible, which contains outlooks for every player in this year's field. You can find it free by clicking here.
The Course: Colonial Country Club
Par 70 - 7,289 Yards, Greens: Bentgrass, Designed By: John Bredemus & Perry Maxwell, Renovation By: Gil Hanse
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. This year will be our first look at recent renovations overseen by course doctor extraordinaire Gil Hanse. It appears as though the most notable differences will be the introduction of barrancas to as many as nine holes on the course and the replacement of sand traps with grass bunkers in some cases.
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 DFS and betting perspectives, brings a large portion of the field into consideration.
Recent Charles Schwab Winners
- 2023: Emiliano Grillo (-8)
- 2022: Sam Burns (-9)
- 2021: Jason Kokrak (-14)
- 2020: Daniel Berger (-15)
- 2019: Kevin Na (-13)
The Horse
Scottie Scheffler
If Scottie Scheffler is playing, I don't really know how you can have any sort of write-up without putting him at the top of the list. Not that we need an excuse to talk about the World No. 1, but for the purposes of this article, he's been fantastic in prior trips to Colonial, settling for a share of third place last year and falling short in a playoff to Sam Burns in the 2022 edition of the Schwab.
The Texan is obviously very familiar with the style of golf we'll see this week and he's completely equipped to handle all challenges this classic layout might throw at him. I have full faith in Scheffler's T2G skill set - he possesses every shot in the book - and imagine this week will simply come down to how well he's rolling the ball on the greens.
If I have any concerns with Scottie in this spot, they are solely off-the-course nitpicks. His arraignment for the unfortunate Valhalla incident was originally scheduled for Tuesday but has now been pushed back until June 3. While it's being almost universally reported that all charges against him will ultimately be dropped, I imagine this whole situation will weigh at least a tiny bit on his mind until things are completely cleared up. That said, he looked extremely sharp on Sunday at Valhalla, and he could well enter the Schwab feeling as though he has some "unfinished business" from last week.
The Ponies
Jordan Spieth
You can make a strong case that Collin Morikawa should occupy this spot, but man, it's tough to write a course history article about Colonial and not at least mention Jordan Spieth. The often-volatile Texan has been largely bankable in his home state throughout his career and that maxim has especially held true at the Charles Schwab Challenge, an event that he won in 2016 and has scored three additional runner-up finishes. In 11 career starts at Colonial, Speith has recorded eight total top-10 finishes and amassed a scoring average of 67.95, both of which are the best marks among this week's entrants.
As for his current form, well, that's where things get interesting. The three-time major champion has largely been a non-factor in recent months, even on courses where he normally thrives such as Augusta National and Harbour Town. Admittedly, his recent struggles make it difficult to pull the trigger on him at the massive price tag he carries on DraftKings, though he did show some flashes of life while gaining 4.6 strokes T2G in last week's PGA Championship.
Justin Rose
Though it's fair to say that Justin Rose's best days are behind him, the 43-year-old and former World No. 1 reminded us last week at Valhalla that he can still play a little golf from time to time. The Englishman scored an impressive T6 in the PGA Championship, an outing that was highlighted by a Saturday 64.
Rose's output last week was powered not only by a hot putter but also by his best ball-striking performance of 2024. He gained a rock-solid 3.6 strokes T2G in Kentucky, while also putting forth positive numbers both OTT and on Approach last week. The vet brings that positive momentum to a classic Colonial layout on which he's thrived throughout his career. Rosie won the Schwab while at the peak of his powers in 2018. He's since added three more top-20 finishes at Colonial in subsequent starts.
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Austin Eckroat
A course history article naturally leads us to veteran guys who have tons of course experience and have had several years to bulk up their event CVs. However, there's no rule that says we can't occasionally throw a young up-and-comer in here, so I'm rounding out the week with Austin Eckroat.
The 25-year-old has just one trip to Colonial on his pro resume, but he certainly impressed with a T16 in his Schwab debut last year. Since then, Eckroat has nabbed his first PGA Tour victory while wielding red-hot irons for the majority of 2024. His skill set screams that he'll be competitive at Colonial for years to come. He grades out 14th in Good Drives Gained (L36) and 21st in SG: APP (L36) among this week's entrants. The rising star should head to Texas in confident form, as he's fresh off a T18 in last week's PGA Championship.
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