Charles Schwab Challenge - Predictions, Picks & Betting Odds

• Jon Rahm has a second and a fifth in three starts at Colonial and won in Dubai last winter after a seven-week absence so can thrive after a long break.
• Harris English is in fine form this season and boasts a strong course record. He looks an ideal candidate for the side markets, with top 20 the best play. 
• Dustin Johnson historically plays better than Brooks Koepka after a long break so DJ can be quicker on the draw and beat his fellow big hitter in a 72-hole match bet.

After a three-month break – the longest in its history – the PGA Tour returns to action in Texas this week with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Forth Worth.

With safety measures in place, no fans will be on-site at Colonial Country Club – a fact worth noting in terms of betting too.

With no spectators, will those who spray it wildly off the tee and perhaps rely on a favorable lie in trampled-down rough or even a rebound from a body part be at a disadvantage? Maybe this isn’t the week to back Phil Mickelson!

A field of 144 takes part at Colonial Country Club which has played host since 1946 and is very familiar to TV viewers. However, some of those in the field this week, including World No.1 Rory McIlroy, Open champ Shane Lowry, and Norwegian star Viktor Hovland will be viewing it for the first time.

Charles Schwab Challenge Odds

Odds taken from bet365.

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Before golf went into lockdown, Rory McIlroy was on a streak of seven top-five finishes, a run which included victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China at the start of November.

But on a course which usually takes some learning, it’s asking a lot for the four-time major winner to hit the ground running after such a long absence.

The +800 betting favorite will play in one of the featured groups alongside Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

Other notable groups include the all-American trio of Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth as well as the three-ball of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose.

The win market is only the tip of the iceberg this week and the bookies have welcomed golf bettors back with a range of odds.

They include top 5, top 10, top 20, top 30, and even top 40 odds at DraftKings while they and bet365 dangle odds on players miss the cut.

With many shaking the cobwebs off, it’s a great chance to bet on some big-name players crashing out after 36 holes.

Rust No Issue for Rahm

With no current form this week, it makes sense for bettors to lean on course form and that’s why Jon Rahm becomes an attractive proposition.

The big-hitting Spaniard has pegged it up at Colonial Country Club in each of the last three years, finishing runner-up on debut in 2017 and also cracking the top five in 2018. Last year’s missed cut can be excused.

Talking about the course two years ago, Rahm noted: “I like traditional courses. I grew up next to a golf course very similar to this. It’s just a place I come to and the vibe is so positive.”

One obvious concern is the lack of competitive golf but it’s reassuring to note that Rahm spent seven weeks out of action at the back end of 2019 before returning to win the European Tour’s prestigious DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Players with his much talent can click straight back into action so bet the Spaniard in the win market at +1200 with bet365.

English Looks Good for Top 20 Play

Odds from DraftKings.

With players feeling their way back, it’s prudent to keep expectations realistic and that’s why the top 20, 30 or 40 markets have strong appeal.

The one that stands out is Harris English for a top 20 at +350 (DraftKings) as it appeals from several different angles.

The Georgia Bulldog has played this event six times previously, cashing in five of those and making the top 20 in three. That 50% top 20 strike-rate includes a second place in 2016 and a fifth in 2012.

Before the break in play, he was on a run of three straight top 20s (T9 Arnold Palmer, T17 Honda Classic, and T16 Phoenix Open) while he had four top sixes in his first five starts of the season from September to November.

That’s enough to make him a top 20 play but there’s one added bonus. English is one of the many pros who live at the Sea Island Resort on the Georgia coastline. Last week they held a special 36-hole event for pros from the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour and English finished solo second with rounds of 66-65.

DJ Can Gun Down Koepka in Battle of the Big Guns

Odds from DraftKings.

The long break may have benefitted both Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka as the two American bombers were struggling for form after coming back from injury.

The two are thrown in together in a Draftkings Matchup and DJ as the +110 ‘dog is worth taking to have the better finishing position.

True, Koepka was runner-up on his only Colonial appearance in 2018 although he’d go on to win the U.S. Open just two starts later so was clearly in form.

But, right now, he’s struggling with finishes of 34-17-43-MC-47 in five starts in the calendar year and, key to this bet, history shows he’s sluggish when returning after time off.

Johnson isn’t pulling up any trees either but has a proven record of immediately playing well after a long break so, with that in mind, he’s the pick.

Our Picks

In the outright market, take Jon Rahm to hoist the trophy at +1200 with bet365. Harris English looks a shrewd top 20 play at +350 with DraftKings while, in a big guns match bet, Dustin Johnson (+110 Draftkings) can take down Brooks Koepka.