Getty Images
Welcome to the PGA Tour’s weekly gambling advice column, featuring picks from GOLF.com’s forecasting expert, Brady Cannon. Veteran golf fan and commentator, Kannon is the host of HeatStrokes Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter at @tweet, and you can read below to see his favorite plays for the Charles Schwab Challenge, which takes place Thursday at the Colonial Country Club, in Fort Worth, Tex. Keep scrolling past Kannon’s picks, and you’ll also see data from Chirp, Free to play mobile platform It features a range of games with attractive prizes, giving fans all kinds of ways to get in on the action without risking any money.
***
Two weeks after the wrap-up of AT&T Byron Nelson, in McKinney, Texas, we’re back in the Lone Star State to challenge Charles Schwab, at the Colonial Country Club—the famous Fort Worth course long associated with Nelson’s friend, Ben Hogan. The legendary names will continue to run next week at the Memorial, a course built by tournament host, Jack Nicklaus. Nelson. Hogan. Nicklaus. These are three of the best games of all time, represented over four weeks on tour.
The Colonial Country Club has hosted the event since 1946, making it the second longest running host tournament in the professional men’s game, after the Augusta National. It also hosted the 1941 US Open. Colonial was designed by Perry Maxwell, whose striking portfolio includes Southern Hills, the site of last year’s PGA Championship. For the pros, it is now run as a par-70, with a shade measurement of over 7,200 yards. This stretch of stream reminds me of the transition from the Masters to the RBC Heritage – switching from the mammoth Augusta National to the tighter tree-lined course in Harbor Town. Now, we’re stepping out of the big bad Oak Hill and the PGA Championship, into a smaller, more refined test.
Hogan has won here five times, and the course is named “Hogan’s Alley” in his honor. He finished third here at the 1941 US Open. Such success is not surprising, since Colonial requires precise hitting—not that he doesn’t call for scrambling and good hitting, either. The fairways are Bermuda, and tree-lined doglegs abound. The greens are small and characterized by a herbaceous undertone. The skill sets I looked at this week are: Strokes Gained: Approach and Greens Gained in Regulation, Driving Accuracy and Good Drives Gained, Close to the Hole from 125-200 yards, Strokes Gained: 4s from 350-450 yards, Flop, Strokes Gained : mode (Pentgrass).
As for related courses, I believe there are strong links between the Colonial Club and Austin Country Club, as they both play WGC Match Play; Harbor Town and Waialae Country Club home of the Sony Open in Honolulu.
Another note about Colonial that could be useful going forward: As a pre-US Open tournament that required precision and shot formation, it could be a harbinger of next month’s US Open, at the Los Angeles Country Club. At the very least, it’s worth noting who’s doing well here this week as we plan ahead. Skills required at Colonial must be transferred to LACC.
We’ve had a nice two-week run on this pole, landing right on Byron Nelson’s Jason Day and Brooks Koepka in the PGA Championship last week. I have six picks this week trying to keep the winning trend going. I played these for an outright win as well as a top 20 finish.
Russell Henley (40-1)
Henley is No. 1 in the field over the last 36 rounds to get good drives. It is very accurate from a tee. He is 25 years oldy in greens in earned regulations, and 10y In proximity hole from 125-150 yards. Henley won the Sony Open to go along with two top 10s and three top 20s. He has two top 10s at Harbor Town, and three top 10s at Sea Island. He missed the cut by a shot last week at the PGA Championship. Now, having rested, he has come to the path which should best suit his game.
Chris Kirk (42-1)
Kirk has won at Colonial before. He’s also won at Sea Island, and has a second-place finish at Sonny to go along with his third, fifth, and 10th-place finishes. He is an excellent 4s, ranking 10th in the field over the last 36 4s runs measuring 350-400 yards, and 4th out of 400-450 yards. Kirk also ranks first in the field as close as 125-150 yards.
Cam Davis (42-1)
Davis comes from fourth in the PGA Championship, his highest finish in a major championship. I think he’s using that momentum here this week, finishing seventh last year. He also has two top-10 finishes at Harbor Town. Over the last 36 rounds, Davis has ranked 17th in Par 4s 350-400 yards and is also 17th in the field for Hole Proximity 150-175 yards.
Si Woo Kim (47-1)
A winner earlier this season at Sony, Kim also finished as runner-up at Harbor Town. Over the last 36 rounds, Kim ranked fifth in the field for Hole Proximity from 150 to 175 yards and 11y From 175-200. He is also 34th in rushes and 27th in earned drives.
Nick Taylor (90-1)
Taylor has a top 30 here at Colonial, top 25 at Harbor Town, 7th and 11th.y Finishing place in Hawaii. His stats are pretty solid over the last 36 rounds, ranking 15th in field scrambles, 5th in Par 4s between 400-450 yards, 34th in Hole Proximity from 150 to 175 yards, and 38th in greens in regulations gained.
Hayden Buckley (100-1)
He exited the positive PGA Championship as he handled a first-round lead and ended up with a score of 26y-Championship finisher Buckley should be able to improve this week against a lesser field. Over the last 36 innings, he’s ranked 5th in the field for greens in regulations gained, 5th for good drives earned, and 9th in Round 4 from 400 to 450 yards. Buckley finished second and 12thy First place at Sony and just finished in fifth place at Harbor Town.
Full championship head-to-head match (28-22-3 YTD)
Sungjae Im (+100) over Viktor Hovland
Who do Chirp users think will win: