Charles Schwab Challenge Tips: 3 Long Shots To Back At Colonial

Charles Schwab Challenge Betting Predictions:

• Austin Eckroat To Win (Each-Way) - 51.0 With William Hill (eight places)
• Andrew Putnam To Win (Each-Way) - 56.0 With Bet365 (five places)
• Mark Hubbard To Win (Each-Way) - 76.0 With Bet365 (five places)

Scottie Scheffler takes centre stage once more at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial as he looks to banish the memory of a hectic few days at the USPGA Championship.

The world number one is the 3.75 favourite with betting sites despite being arrested and subsequently charged with several offences, including assaulting a police officer, while trying to drive into Valhalla early on Friday morning.

Recent father Scheffler admitted feeling “fairly tired and ready to get home” after finishing eighth at the year’s second major which saw us land Collin Morikawa as an each-way selection at 29.0 to add to Alex Noren (26.0) from the Byron Nelson a couple of weeks earlier.

Although he avoided a court appearance this week, we’re giving Scheffler a wide berth and other candidates at the top of the market like Morikawa, course specialist Jordan Spieth and Max Homa, instead focusing on three outsiders for our Charles Schwab Challenge betting tips.  

Austin Can Shine In Lone Star State

Colonial is a tight tree-lined classical par-70 track which last year underwent a $25million renovation involving the lowering of many elevated greens.

The course was inside the top 10 for difficulty last year and it won’t be any easier having been extended by 89 yards to 7,289 as part of Gil Hanse’s redesign.

Distance is less of an advantage than accuracy this week judging by recent past winners and putting should also play its part in determining the champion.

Last year’s winner Emiliano Grillo ranked sixth and second respectively for approach and putting using the Strokes Gained metric, and the 2022 champion Sam Burns also figured high in these areas.

One player we like the look of this week is Austin Eckroat who can be backed at 51.0 with golf betting sites to land a second PGA Tour title of the season following his success at the Honda Classic, now sponsored by Coznizant.

Eckroat has already proved his liking for difficult courses, posting a top 10 at last year’s US Open and 18th at Valhalla last week in his second season on the PGA Tour.

The 25-year-old from nearby Oklahoma is 42nd for approach this season and encouragingly 33rd in the tee-to-green stats which have featured prominently amongst recent winners, with seven of the last eight in the top 10.

Eckroat’s putting may have been average, but he sneaked inside the top 30 at Valhalla and he made an impressive debut here last season when he finished 16th. 

A decent player of wind which could be a factor this week, Eckroat’s confidence will be high after an impressive USPGA Championship debut last week and kicks off our Charles Schwab Challenge predictions.

Pick Putnam For Texas Title Tilt 

Tony Finau could go well this week, especially if the wind blows, and looks well priced at 31.0 with betting apps in a field missing the likes of Rory Mcilroy, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and newly-crowned USPGA champion Xander Schauffele.

However, the purpose of this preview is to pick out a few each-way bets at longer odds and Andrew Putnam fits the bill quite nicely.

Putnam may be without a Tour victory in almost six years, but he has been playing reasonably well lately and has decent form at Colonial.

The 35-year-old from Washington has been inside the world’s top 100 since a runners-up spot at the Zozo Championship in October 2022 and headed to Valhalla having posted three successive top 30s, including 14th at the Texas Open.

Putnam was also eighth at Bay Hill in March, so his confidence levels are steadily rising, helped by a solid game in all departments.

The American is not a player that can blow away the field, but at a course which requires patience and where a winning total is likely to be in single figures to par, Putnam can thrive just as he has on several occasions here.

In six visits to this iconic club, Putnam has finished inside the top 30 four times, including third in 2019, so he has form and there are not many players in this field that have better putting stats this year.

At 56.0 with Bet365, Putnam is the next of this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge tips.

Get Hubbard In Your Cupboard

Thomas Detry was on the shortlist at 56.0 on the back of excellent putting stats and a great performance last week, but fourth place at Valhalla may have taken it out of the Belgian, so our last selection is Mark Hubbard, who is 76.0 with Bet365 for a maiden PGA Tour victory.

Inside the top 50 for Strokes Gained in putting, approach and tee-to-green, Hubbard has never missed the cut in five appearances at Colonial and last year finished four shots behind winner Grillo in ninth after posting four successive 69s.

Indeed, Hubbard has played the weekend in all 13 tournaments this year and his consistency was rewarded with a top 30 at the USPGA Championship, comfortably his best ever performance at a major which will put him in fine spirits.

Hubbard is up against some elite players this week but there is surely not a better time to be taking on Scheffler and he looks a dangerous outsider to challenge the elite.