Table of Contents
By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
The Colonial: Throwback Golf Week
On the heels of the PGA Championship that brought us the predictable amount of Oak Hill carnage, a LIV Golf champion (oh the humanity!), and the legend of Michael Block, we now shift our attention to Colonial Country Club and shift our clocks back about 50 years to the way the game of golf used to be played. It’s quite the dichotomy going from 7300 yards of maliciousness at Oak Hill to 5 irons off the tee and yardages that look a lot more like our local muny track than a PGA Tour stop. That’s what we’re getting at the Charles Schwab Challenge this week in Fort Worth.
The Oak Hill roster of plays this past week was a passing grade as a team, and most importantly I shouted from the rooftops that the Masters wasn’t a fluke for Brooks Koepka. Lo and behold he’s now a five-time major champion. He heads back over to the LIV Tour for their event next weekend, but as for the PGA Tour, it’s back to business as usual in Texas.
Invest in Short Game
If the sponsor Charles Schwab can give any golf advice to the players this week, it’s to wisely invest your time practicing around the greens twice as hard, and be prepared to hit half of the drivers you normally would. It’s a departure from the norm as strategy is abundant throughout Colonial Country Club and club choice is empirical. You’ll see lots of club selection and pondering over point A to point B strategy here, and it brings a wide swath of players into the fray this week as the distance is borderline useless. I always contested that if there’s one PGA Tour course a regular Joe could look decent on, it’s Colonial because you can get by on a 250-yard tee shot on almost every hole here.
As for which PGA Tour players are going to make this course look outdated this week, it’s led by Scottie Scheffler (4-1) and Jordan Spieth (12-1). With it being the week after a major it’s predictably a lighter field, but the DFW area location has the two Dallas area residents playing a home game. The top of the betting board looks a lot similar to the At&T Byron Nelson board, but this is a completely different challenge from TPC Craig Ranch down the road.
Forecasting the Charles Schwab Challenge
The uniqueness of Colonial is similar to that of Harbour Town or the Travelers – shorter track, lots of strategies, and putt and chip your way to victory. It shows in the field as a lot more veteran established pros are showing up this week to play a style of golf that won’t feel like the “bomb and gouge” style that we’re so used to seeing. Break out the putting stats and fairways leaders, that’s who can contend here.
1. Who’s hot and trending – recent high finishes, top-10 streaks, and consistent play are never a bad thing.
2. Horses for courses – players love certain courses and course familiarity and experience are invaluable in a field of the world’s best.
3. What the numbers tell you this week – while I’m far from analytical, there’s always a tournament darling or two scattered across the golf talk stratosphere that stuns on paper.
4. Intangibles – while this allows for theater of the mind, there’s a mysterious optimism surrounding that feels “due” or if the price looks just right for buying.
Grading time: At the PGA I delivered the goods again. That gets us an A every friggin time. Two for two on outright winners in this year’s majors, and it wasn’t even a 72nd-hole sweat getting Brooksy to the finish line at 18-1 odds. You’re welcome, and yes you can have another…just keep following along here for the plays.
The Picks
(Wanna start a Pick-X pool with your friends? Learn more here! Or, if you’re looking to start your own PGA One-and-Done pool, check those out here) (Hint: the main difference between the two is how many players you’ll pick each week)
1: Scottie Scheffler – Impossible to pick against this week. Coming off of a 2nd at Oak Hill, he played well enough to win another major and was beaten by one guy. He should feast on familiar grounds.
2: Max Homa – Back to the well after a less-than-stellar PGA, his smooth tempo and wedge game fit this track well, just needs to heat up with his birdie looks.
3: Cam Davis, The Aussie and PGA Tour winner had the quietest tie for 4th in major ever last week, look for him to keep the good vibes rolling.
4: Taylor Moore – Going back to a recent PGA Tour winner that has the putting numbers stomach up well at Colonial – scrambling will be his key to keeping good rounds on track.
5: Eric Cole – Supremely undervalued this week, he’s coming off a finish at Oak Hill that qualified him for next year‘s PGA Championship.
6: Denny McCarthy – Always high up on the putting stats, this is a good course fit for McCarthy to thrive.
RYP One and Done Pick: Scottie Scheffler
THE DEETS
Where to watch: Golf Channel and CBS all week for the broadcast – prepare for mind-blowing stories of how Ben Hogan beat all the odds.
Why to watch: Colonial is a fun test of golf where distance is irrelevant and course strategy is critical – a nice switch up from the normal bomb fest on Tour.
What to eat: Back in the DFW Metroplex, so this time we’re calling on the Tex Mex lovers – fire up the oven and bake those enchiladas.
Purse: $8.7 million
Winner’s Share: $1.56 million
Golf FAQs
How do PGA Golf Majors Pools work?
In PGA Golf Majors Pools, member select six golfers to compete on a roster over the course of an event. The member with the best combined score from the six golfers wins.
Can you include all four majors into one pool?
Yes, but your commissioner can also customize these setting with RunYourPool. Pools can include up to all four majors, repicking golfers each time or adding bonus points for finishing positions
How do I assemble a roster?
Golfers are broken up in to six tiers, as members select one golfer per tier to be on their Major roster.
What happens to golfers who miss the cut?
Any PGA Player who does not make the cut will be given the highest score of Round 3 and Round 4, respectively.
What are the four golf majors?
The Masters is the first major of the season, in April. The PGA Championship and the U.S. Open follow, with the British Open ending as the final major.
How do PGA One and Dones work?
Members in a pool select one golfer to win a tournament, but can't pick that golfer again for the rest of the season. The member with the best score at the end of the season wins.
What is a PGA One and Done pool?
A PGA One-and-Done Pool is a contest similar to Survivor Pools, in which members can only select a golfer one time per season for events.
Which tournaments are played for PGA One and Dones?
Pool commissioners can set up the season for as many or as few tournaments as desired. Go crazy and do all of them! Or dial it back for the major events. As commissioner of a RunYourPool contest, you decide which events to play in!
How to run a weekly golf pool?
In order to run a golf pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like One and Done or Pick-X Pools. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
How do golf Pick-X Pools work?
Members select a certain number of golfers per tournament, set by the pool commissioner. The member earns the total winnings that their selected golfer won for the tournament. Whichever member earns the most winnings over the duration of the season wins.
What is a golf Pick-X Pool?
A Pick-X Golf Pool calculates tournament winnings rather than strokes gained when deciding a winner. This amplifies the big name events that feature a higher prize purse.
How to run a golf pool?
How you decide to run a golf pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
What is a prop bet?
Prop bets are any sort of pick or wager on a game that has nothing to do with the score or the final score outcome. Props can range from game types, to team types and even player types - such as who will score the game's first and last touchdowns? Other props, such as novelty or exotic, feature bets on things such as the coin flip or the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How do Masters Prop Bets Pools work?
Pool members simply fill out a wide range of prop questions, each question worth a different value. Commissioners decide on the point value for each question, along with the amount of questions. Whichever member earns the most points based on corret answers wins the pool.
When is the Masters?
The Masters is typically in April and the first major of the golf season. The 2023 Masters is set for Thursday, April 6 and will run until Sunday, April 9.
Where is the Masters played?
The Masters is annually held at the Augusta National Golf Club located in Augusta, Georgia, USA.
