By Chris Havlicek
Updated 5/22/24 11:41am ET
Scottie Scheffler getting arrested hours before his tee time is as mindboggling of a story that can come from a golf tournament. However, just days later he is a microscopic +270 betting favorite – something we have not seen in a decade.
According to Golf.com, citing research by Justin Ray at Twenty First Group, then world #1 Tiger Woods held +225 odds entering the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He barely made the cut that weekend and did not finish.
As for this weekend, even with a favorite with such low odds, the Charles Schwab Challenge still features a handful of big names. Collin Morikawa is the second-favorite +1200, while Max Homa (+2000), Jordan Spieth (+2200) and Tony Finau (+2800) round out the top five favorites.
The 132-player field will compete for a total purse of $9.1 million with the winner landing $1.64 million.
Dates/Location:
What: The Charles Schwab Challenge
Where: Colonial Country Club, Ft. Worth, TX
When: Thursday-Sunday
Purse: $9.1 Million
Defending Champion: Emiliano Grillo
The Field:
Defending champion Emiliano Grillo is coming off a missed cut at the PGA Championship and oddsmakers doubt his back-to-back chances. He is a 170-to-1 longshot at FanDuel, which puts him tied for 50th on the odds board. That means 49 other golfers have a better shot to win this weekend, based on the betting market.
The Course:
Players will see a “new” Colonial Country Club, as Gil Hanse was brought in to modernize the course. Colonial is a lengthy par 70 at nearly 7,300 yards. The fairways are narrow and tree-lined, feature dog legs, and never run in the same direction on consecutive holes. All that collectively creates tricky decisions to negotiate the seemingly ubiquitous Texas wind.
The greens are small, bentgrass surfaces that will challenge even the best putters. It’s a classic ball-striker’s course, where accuracy, position off the tee and a solid short game are all required to score well.
This tournament has been held at Colonial Country Club since 1946, the longest-running tournament on Tour to be staged at the same course every year. Ben Hogan won at Colonial five times during his storied career. A statue of the famous Texan stands tall at Colonial, a place often referred to as “Hogan’s Alley,” where Hogan’s final Tour victory came in 1959
Top 10 Odds: (courtesy of FanDuel)
Scottie Scheffler +270
Collin Morikawa +1200
Max Homa +2000
Jordan Spieth +2200
Tony Finau +2800
Harris English +3300
Si Woo Kim +3500
Brian Harman +4000
Sungjae Im +4500
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock
