Charles Schwab Challenge

The PGA Tourseason continues, and this week we head to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Charles Schwab Challenge at the iconic Colonial Country Club. As usual, we're hunting for odds.

After several intense weeks of majors, signature events and a tight Texas stretch, it is also starting to become clear that many players are feeling the strain throughout the season.

We also see that clearly on the field this week.

Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood and several other profiles are in the tournament, making this year's Charles Schwab Challenge far more open than many might have expected.

But we at 90minutefamily are not taking a break, and we are hunting odds once again.

Because when several of the biggest names are missing, far more realistic chances of winning suddenly open up in the field.

Colonial Country Club – a completely different test

After last week's birdie party, the players now face a completely different challenge.

Colonial Country Club is one of the most traditional courses on the entire PGA Tour, and the course is known for rewarding precision far more than pure power.

This is rarely about bombing the driver everywhere.

Instead, it becomes:

• fairways hit
• precise iron play
• patience
• course management

... absolutely crucial if you want to fight at the top throughout the weekend.

The greens are small, several approaches are demanding, and players are punished significantly harder for poor tee placements than we saw under Byron Nelson.

It also makes this week far more interesting to analyze from a betting perspective.

An open field without the biggest Texas profiles

The absence of Scottie Scheffler naturally changes the entire dynamic of the tournament.

The world number two has dominated large parts of the PGA Tour season, and when he's not there, the entire tournament suddenly feels much more open.

At the same time, Jordan Spieth is also missing from Colonial for the first time in many years, which removes one of the crowd favorites in Texas.

Tommy Fleetwood is also out this week, meaning that several of the players who would normally be among the biggest contenders are not present in Fort Worth.

This opens up great opportunities for other profiles.

Multiple players are a perfect fit for Colonial

This type of course often favors players who are strong tee-to-green and at the same time comfortable playing strategic golf.

Hideki Matsuyama will be very interesting this week. When the Japanese finds his rhythm with the irons, he is still among the best ball strikers in the world, and Colonial normally suits his playing style very well.

Russell Henley is another player who naturally stands out. The American is extremely consistent from tee to green and often thrives on courses where precision and control matter more than length.

Justin Thomas also feels like a player who could fit in well this week. His form has gradually improved throughout the season, and when his iron game is working he remains one of the most complete players on tour.

At the same time, it will be exciting to see if Ludvig Åberg can continue his development on a course that requires a little more patience and strategic discipline than many modern PGA Tour courses.

Experience can be crucial

Colonial is also a course where experience often means extra.

Several of the green complexes require very precise inputs, while players often need to be comfortable playing smartly around the course instead of attacking aggressively all the time.

That's why we often see experienced players doing very well here.

Ready for the games

The Charles Schwab Challenge rarely disappoints.

An open field, a classic course and the absence of several of the biggest profiles make this one of the most interesting PGA Tour weeks in a long time.

The only question is who will be able to seize the opportunity when several of the tour's biggest stars are not present in Fort Worth this week.

Our recommended bets and odds

Justin Thomas - Top 10 (3.60)

Justin Thomas is really starting to show signs of his form returning. In recent weeks, the American has delivered several solid performances, and especially the tournaments in both The Players Championship and PGA Championship have shown that his level is starting to resemble more what we are used to seeing from one of the world's best players.

This week I also feel like the conditions are very suitable for him. Colonial Country Club is much more about precision and strong iron play than pure length off the tee, and that has always been one of Justin Thomas' greatest strengths. When his inputs are right, he remains one of the best players on the PGA Tour when it comes to creating birdie opportunities.

At the same time, he enters a significantly weaker field than we've seen in recent weeks. The absence of several of the biggest profiles makes the competition at the top feel much more open, and that naturally gives extra value in a top 10 bet on Thomas this week.

There are still some questions about his stability over four rounds, but with the level he has shown recently, this feels like a course and a tournament that suits him very well right now.

Ben Griffin - Top 20 (2.10)

Ben Griffin feels like a very exciting game this week, especially considering how well he has already shown his mastery of Colonial Country Club. As the reigning champion, he naturally comes in with both confidence and fond memories of the course, which often means extra much on a classic and demanding course like this.

At the same time, Griffin also comes in with solid form. Two weeks ago, he delivered a strong 14th place in the PGA Championship, where he asserted himself in one of the toughest fields of the year. The fact that he also chose to skip last week's tournament may also prove to be an advantage heading into this week, especially after a period of many big tournaments and a tight schedule on the PGA Tour.

This week, the field will also be significantly more open than we've been used to lately. With several of the biggest names missing, it naturally increases the opportunities for players like Griffin to fight their way back to the top of the leaderboard.

Colonial also suits his playing style very well. The course rewards patience, control and strong inputs, and it was precisely these qualities that Griffin displayed when he won here last time.

With both documented track form and strong performances recently, the top 20 game feels very interesting this week.

Akshay Bhatia – Top 20 (2.35)

Akshay Bhatia is a player I still think is worth having faith in this week, even though his recent results haven't quite been at the level we saw earlier in the season.

The American showed earlier this year how high his top level actually is, and for a period he delivered top 20 finishes in six out of seven tournaments. That is no coincidence, and it says a lot about how stable his level actually was over time against strong PGA Tour fields.

His form has certainly dipped a bit in recent weeks, but this feels like a great opportunity for Bhatia to bounce back.

The field this week is significantly weaker than many of the tournaments he has played earlier this season, and Colonial is also a course that could suit him well when his iron game is working. Bhatia is a player who often looks comfortable when he gets to work his way strategically around the course and not necessarily have to compete in pure birdie contests.

At the same time, his peak level is still very high compared to much of this field.

Therefore, it will also surprise some if he fails to break into the top 20 this week, especially if he finds some of the rhythm we saw earlier in the season.

Rickie Fowler - Top 20 (2.10)

Rickie Fowler has actually had a much more consistent season than many might think. The American already has seven top 20 finishes in just eleven tournaments this season, which shows that his level has been consistently solid over a long period of time.

While he may not have been quite up and fighting for the biggest headlines, Fowler has shown time and time again that he is still very competitive when the game sits throughout the week.

This week also feels like a very good opportunity for him.

The field is considerably weaker than many of the tournaments we've seen recently, while Colonial Country Club often suits players who are comfortable playing strategic and controlled golf. Fowler has always been a player who thrives when courses require precision and creativity rather than pure length off the tee.

His experience could also be important this week. Colonial is a course where patience and smart course management are often rewarded, and this is precisely what Fowler has shown throughout much of his career.

With the stability he has already shown this season, it feels like there should be good opportunities for another top 20 finish this week.

Ryo Hisatsune - Top 20

Ryo Hisatsune continues to impress this season, and the Japanese has gradually become a player that is difficult to overlook in this type of field.

He has played an incredible amount of golf this year, playing in 16 tournaments, but what really stands out is the consistency he has shown throughout the season. In fact, he has only missed the cut once, and that came in the first tournament of the year.

Since then, the level has been very solid week after week.

Four top 10 finishes and six top 20 results speak volumes about the high and consistent level Hisatsune has actually delivered throughout much of the season. While he may not get the biggest headlines compared to several other names on the tour, he has shown that he is more than capable of holding his own against strong fields.

Last week he also delivered very well for us with a solid 19th place, and that naturally means he will have renewed confidence this time.

His playing style also suits Colonial Country Club well. Hisatsune is a player who often keeps the ball in play well and rarely gets himself into big trouble, which can be very important on a course where precision and control mean far more than pure length.

In a field that is also missing several of the biggest profiles, the top 20 play at Hisatsune feels very interesting again this week.

Otherwise, as usual, you will find our popular H2H bets during the weekend. You can always find them on our odds list.