As the PGA Tour heads to Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge, the summer of golf is drawing to a close. Players from last weekend discover the host location has comparable elements to those of Southern Hills as the court designer is the same. This might allow some of the players who played well last weekend to fare well this weekend.
Justin Thomas, the 2022 PGA Champion, is in the field fresh from his win last weekend in the major. Jordan Spieth is also a hometown favorite each time that he plays in his home state of Texas.
The favorite for the weekend is Scottie Scheffler, even though he did not play his best golf this past weekend. Having Scheffler at the top of the betting odds is strange when Thomas and Spieth both have the pedigree to win this week.
Who are the Favorites?
Below are the top 10 golfers in the events, as shown by their pre-event odds.
Scottie Scheffler 10-1
Justin Thomas 12-1
Jordan Spieth 14-1
Collin Morikawa 16-1
Viktor Hovland 18-1
Will Zalatoris 20-1
Max Homa 25-1
Sam Burns 25-1
Abraham Ancer 30-1
Tommy Fleetwood 30-1
Which Players are Worth Betting On?
Jordan Spieth, last year’s runner-up, characterized Southern Hills as “Colonial on steroids,” which makes sense given that both golf courses were created by renowned architect Perry Maxwell.
Spieth comes into the weekend at +1400 odds to win, and we think he is a great pick to win. Colonial will receive a Gil Hanse renovation following the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge.
While there are some similarities between the two courses, there are also some distinctions. When looking at former success stories like Jason Kokrak, Daniel Berger, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele, Colonial has discovered a method to reward elite golf ball strikers.
The course takes the form of small fairways, narrow tree-lined corridors, and dogleg-shaped holes, making it a shorter venue by PGA Tour standards. More of the same might be in store this weekend, with 2022 PGA winner Justin Thomas, Spieth, and other representatives of golf’s best players proving triumphant over the last month.
Will Zalatoris is at +2000 odds and may see his PGA Championship as a positive experience. On the one hand, it was his second playoff defeat of the season, and he is still without a PGA Tour title.
On the other hand, it was just his sixth major championship participation and his fifth top-10 result. Zalatoris is quickly earning a reputation as a big-game hunter, and he deserves it. He has been playing really good golf as of late, and that momentum could carry him this weekend.
Abraham Ancer has +3500 odds, and if Ancer had shot a round below par on Sunday at Southern Hills, he would have either won or been in a playoff with Thomas and Zalatoris. He got lost in the mix in the last round, but he played well in another big event and has the profile to win this event.
