DFS Picks For the Charles Schwab Challenge May 27-30, 2021

Sometimes a storyline transcends trying to win money at DFS and that was surely the case last week when Phil Mickelson scored a stunning victory for the ages/aged at the PGA Championship.

While 50-year-old men woke up with new purpose and spring in their steps, Phil was still trying to come down from the high that saw him win a sixth Major title just weeks shy of his 51^st birthday.

A 300/1 shot, Mickelson showed that craft still counts for plenty on the right course and Kiawah Island proved a huge hit with golf fans.

It was a tough week for gamers however, unless you took the angle that “looking a bit linksy” would translate into a leaderboard crammed full of Open champions. Those who did were rubbing their hands with glee as former Claret Jug winners Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington all populated the top five.

It’s back to regular PGA TOUR action this week although plenty of big names have chosen to keep the engine running and make the journey from South Carolina to Texas. That’s testament to how highly this week’s course is rated.  

Colonial Country Club

Opened in 1936, Colonial Country Club is one of those traditional, tree-lined tracks that many pros rank in their top five on the PGA TOUR. This old-school test features narrow fairways, dog-legs on two-thirds of the holes and small bentgrass greens that will run faster than those at Kiawah.

Add in water being in play on six holes and some cleverly-placed bunkers and, despite being a stock par 70 measuring in at just 7,209 yards, it’s no pushover. Adam Scott won with 9-under in 2014, Kevin Kisner with 10-under in 2017 and Kevin Na with 13-under in 2019. 

Its Texas location throws up another factor: wind. That was certainly in play at Kiawah Island last week where Open Championship winners dominated. Dealing with the gusts will again be a problem to solve here.

Weather

A check of the weather forecast for Fort Worth, Texas, shows a mixed bag. While temperatures are pleasant (mid-80s), there’s a chance of thunderstorms on both Friday and Saturday. Winds could blow north of 15mph in round one although they’re predicted to drop a little over the final 54 holes. 

Past Champions at Colonial Country Club
Two things stand out when looking at the list of past winners at Colonial CC. The first is age: go back to the turn of the century and it’s packed with champions in their 30s and 40s. Jordan Spieth did win here five years ago but players that good will break any trend.

The second factor also relates to the idea of experience. Some courses have been kind to those looking for a first PGA TOUR win but not Colonial Country Club. The last to make the big breakthrough here was Sergio Garcia in 2001 but he’s another to defy conventional wisdom and the Spaniard was already a two-time winner on the European Tour by that stage. 

Here’s an entirely FREE lineup for you this week with MORE  for subscribers (DraftKings Prices)

                  Remaining cash                      $100

Justin Rose ($8,900) Rose has finished first and third in two of his last three visits to Colonial Country Club. Rose has cracked the top-10 in the last two majors. And, what’s that, you can get him on board for under $9,000?! Yes please. The Englishman putted the lights out at Kiawah Island (1^stfor SG: Putting) and must surely have been delighted to see friend and Ryder Cup foe Phil lift the trophy. Rose, a 40-something, can strike another blow for the vets. 

Billy Horschel ($8,800) Shooting 4-under for 72 holes got you second place at the PGA Championship. Horschel managed that over his final 54, a reminder that his game is in a great place. Billy-Ho took home the silverware on his last visit to Texas when landing the WGC-Match Play in April while he also claimed the 2017 Byron Nelson in the Lone Star State. He’s 3-for-3 at Colonial, with six of his last seven rounds under par. Another good deal at sub-$9,000.

Charley Hoffman ($8,600) Want unbeatable consistency? Then turn to The Hoff, who has cashed in 28 of his last 29 starts in Texas. That’s location form licked but we can add course and current form too. He’s made nine of his last 10 Colonial cuts, crashing the top 25 in five of them. Hoffman returns on a streak of six top 20s in seven starts, the latest at Kiawah Island where his prowess in windy conditions was again on display.   

Matt Wallace ($8,200) Wallace had Sleeper appeal at Kiawah Island but, despite lasting the distance, posting T-55 was short of expectations. But struggling a little in a major doesn’t invalidate the promise of the last few months which shows T-6 at Wells Fargo, T-17 at the RBC Heritage and, most notably, T-3 at the nearby Texas Open. Shot two rounds of even-par 70 on his first look last year but his game is much stronger now.

Emiliano Grillo ($7,400) In the Horschel mode in that he opened with 77 at the PGA but dug deep to make the cut before shooting 2-under on the weekend. Add that T-38 to a run of 14-MC-2-6 in his previous four starts and Grillo looks a solid option. Even more so when you consider that he has top 25s in three of his last four visits to Colonial, including a top three in 2018.

Patton Kizzire ($7,400) Completing this balanced line-up, Kizzire owns an impressive run of 10 cuts out of 12 since the calendar flipped. The highlights all have relevance to this week: T-7 at the windy Sony Open, T-9 in the Texas Open and T-3 at the Byron Nelson last time. His patchy course form explains the cheap price but he played all four rounds in 2017 and 2018 while last year’s missed cut featured a Friday 69.

Here’s A Hi-Low Lineup For The Charles Schwab Challenge

$100 leftover salary

Collin Morikawa ($10,500) The elite ball-striker comes in off T-7 at the RBC Heritage and T-8 in defense of his PGA crown. Morikawa gained a combined 15 strokes on Approach over those two events in the Carolinas and this thinking-man’s test should suit him too. Should? Well, we already have proof: he finished runner-up on debut in 2020. Well worth the money.   

Patrick Reed ($10,300) Never laid a glove on the leaders at Kiawah Island but shooting 5-under on the weekend after scraping through on the number was impressive work. That T-17 adds to a pair of top eights at the Wells Fargo and The Masters in two of his previous three starts. Reed gets better every year in this event (46-33-15-7) and, on current form, that pleasing upwards sequence can continue.

Corey Conners ($9,400) In contrast to Reed, Conners was in the mix at Kiawah, taking the first-round lead before eventually sliding to T-17. That’s seven top 25s for the Canadian in his last eight events and four of those have doubled as top 10s. He’s a points machine for fantasy players and course form of 8-31-19 suggests he can produce another high count at Colonial.

Michael Thompson ($6,600) After picking three of the 10 most expensive players, it’s time to call in the support staff. Let’s start with Thompson, who prefers a test like this. He posted T-10 on his third visit while firing 64-69 on the weekend in his penultimate one. He’s cashed in four of his last five PGA TOUR starts and struck his irons well at Quail Hollow last time despite missing the cut.

Joseph Bramlett ($6,700) The Stanford grad is piecing together a nice run of results over the last few months. T-18 at Torrey Pines was a statement of intent and he’s followed that with T-13 at the Corales Puntacana and a Texas top 10 via T-7 in the Byron Nelson. He’s ranked in the top 15 for Greens in Regulation in three of his last five starts so that reliable iron play should stand him in good stead on his course debut.

Rafa Cabrella Bello ($6,300) We’ll close with some Spanish flavor in the form of Cabrera Bello, who looks a real bargain. RBC made the top 25 on his Colonial debut last year and is a consistent performer in the Lone Star State, making the weekend in each of his last four strokeplay starts there. He showed his liking for Texas golf again at the recent Byron Nelson when T-21 (ninth after 54 holes).

Other Player Options For The Charles Schwab Challenge

• Jordan Spieth is bound to be popular, even at $11,200. A win (Texas Open) and T-9 (Byron Nelson) on two recent home-state starts highlighted his welcome return to form and he has a win and two seconds at Colonial. 
• Will Zalatoris The Texas resident already has three top 10s in the majors after T-8 at Kiawah. That’s incredible but has he done enough in regular events to justify paying $9,900 here?  

• Abraham Ancer A super-solid pick although everyone will surely be on board. The Mexican has connected three top 10s after his fast-finishing T-8 at the PGA and made the top 15 here last year. 

• Scottie Scheffler Another Texan to consider and, at $9,500, he’s a hair cheaper than Ancer. Runner-up in the WGC-Match Play in Austin, he battled hard for T-8 at Kiawah. Six top 20s in last 10 starts.

• Matt Kuchar Flopped in the PGA but he’s been a top 10/20 machine in Texas down the years, including here at Colonial. $7,600 could look a steal.

COVID-19 and Injury Warning:

Pro DFS players know it makes sense to stay up-to-date on Twitter, DraftKings, FanDuel and-or subscribe to any number of email feeds and whatever to remain up to speed with injuries or COVID-19 withdraws. Players that don’t make the cut are tough enough. Players that don’t play all four rounds (even when pulling out at the last minute) make for a pretty weak lineup. 

Go win your lineups and then tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.