The PGA TOUR heads back to Texas for the final Lone Star event of the season.
It’s the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
The host venue is a classical design that rewards patience and precision. With a unique test, I do want to lean a bit more on course history and course fit.
With that in mind, I’ve taken a look at the betting board and here are a few matchups that catch my eye.
Davis Riley over J.J. Spaun - Round 1 Matchup (+100)
Riley looked like the next breakout star last season when he rattled off five straight top 15s. That included a T4 finish at Colonial Country Club.
He’s slowed his pace quite a bit since then but did pop with a team win at the Zurich Classic, playing alongside Nick Hardy.
Also working in Riley’s favor this time around, he has a secret weapon by his side now with James Edmondson as his caddie who happens to be a member at Colonial Country Club. It will be nice to have that local knowledge when playing this week.
On the other side, Spaun WD-MC-WD on his Colonial resume and arrives with six missed cuts in his last 10 starts.
I’ll take the plus-money in this matchup and side with Riley.
Max Homa over Collin Morikawa - Tournament Matchup (+115)
These are two of the top dogs in the field this week. I wouldn’t expect either to miss the cut. I would expect this line to be close to even money, though.
They’ve played in 25 events together since the start of last season and Homa has the edge (14-10-1). The line should be flipped based on that view.
Does one have a distinct advantage at the course? Morikawa does have a better resume of results (2nd-14th-40th) but Homa did twirl a T23 last year and most of his appearances here were before he elevated his game to be a top-tier player. Homa also calls this one of his favorite courses on the tour rotation.
So, as I said above, I’m not expecting a flop from Morikawa but I do think this price should be closer to even, so I will take the value with Homa.