Ian Wilkerson
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Xander Schauffele will be taking the week off after finally winning his first Major at the 2024 PGA Championship on Sunday, but even if he had lined up at the Charles Schwab Challenge, it is unlikely he would have taken much limelight away from Scottie Scheffler. The world number one rallied to finish 8th at Valhalla in a week that was extraordinary from a personal perspective and he is the hot favorite to win back in his home state of Texas at Colonial this week.
Charles Schwab Challenge golf picks and predictions
Scottie Scheffler (+275)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
Golf bettors are beginning to get used to Scheffler going off at low odds for tournaments, but the enthusiasm for his chances at Colonial looks justified despite his hectic week. Having just become a father, the usually unflappable Texan then became embroiled in an altercation with a Kentucky traffic police officer that led to his arrest before the 2nd round. A 73 the following day that took him out of contention was perhaps understandable, but Scheffler bounced back with a closing 65, showing no ill effects from his ordeal, which suggests it should be business as usual now he is back in his home state.
Colonial is a tight course where accuracy tends to be rewarded, and that should be no issue for Scheffler, who has solid course form, having finished 3rd last year and losing in a playoff to Sam Burns in 2022. It is difficult to find reasons not to back him and the fact that his closest market rivals are uninspiring encourages the thought that he can claim a 5th victory in 7 tournaments.
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Tony Finau (+3000)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and Bet365 at time of publishing.
Collin Morikawa’s accuracy should make him a factor this week, but he may have some baggage having seen the PGA slip from his grasp, while Jordan Spieth and Max Homa are perhaps not at the top of their game. So a chance is taken on Tony Finau, who finished a creditable 18th at Valhalla and was 2nd at the Houston Open at the end of March, which was the last time he was in action in Texas. He missed the Colonial cut last year but made up for an indifferent start to finish 4th in 2022, while he was 2nd behind Kevin Na 3 years previously after opening with a blistering 64.
Sungjae Im (+4000)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
Sungjae Im missed the cut at Valhalla but he had shown some good form before that and could perform better in lesser company. A 4th spot at the Wells Fargo Championship followed a win in his native South Korea and while he has missed 3 of 5 Colonial weekends, other finishes of 10th and 15th suggest he can get to grips with this test.
