The PGA TOUR makes its last stand in Texas for the 2023 season, heading back to Fort Worth for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Last week’s PGA TOUR golf sleepers article identified a pair of top-30 finishers from the value range in Chris Kirk and Harold Varner III. We’ll look to keep that momentum going into this week.
This event has been kind to longshots. Three of the last four winners opened beyond 60-1 in PGA TOUR odds. A simple formula of hot irons and putting has proven repeatable at this venue. That opens the door for a wider list of competitors to contend. We’ll look to dig for some diamonds in the rough in this article ahead of the 2023 Charles Schwab.
COURSE INTRODUCTION
Colonial Country Club was designed to challenge all types of players with heavy tree lines forcing layups and emphasizing position off the tee to generate scoring opportunities. Through the years, that has rewarded a profile of player with spike approach and putting upside, a consistent trend from recent winners like Daniel Berger, Kevin Na, Justin Rose, Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth and Chris Kirk.
What’s interesting, however, is that over the last two years, the paradigm has shifted to power. Jason Kokrak led the field in driving distance in his 2021 victory. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns finished No. 1 and No. 3 in driving distance, respectively, in 2022. Burns ultimately prevailed over Scheffler in a playoff.
You can’t spray your drives at Colonial CC. But, aggressive players off the tee who are long and above-average in driving accuracy can overpower this course. This will be the final tournament played at this version of Colonial Country Club. Gil Hanse will complete his renovation project in time for the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge. Maybe then, the bombers will effectively be neutralized as originally intended.
For a deeper dive into the course, read my Charles Schwab Challenge preview. Let’s get to our 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge picks, with a focus on longshots and PGA TOUR golf sleepers for your DFS lineups.
PGA TOUR GOLF SLEEPERS: CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE
From a golf betting perspective, there is enough fire power at the top of the odds board (Scheffler, Spieth, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, and Max Homa) to create appealing betting value in the middle to long tier of the odds board. Wins over the last four years from Jason Kokrak, Daniel Berger and Kevin Na – each between 60-1 and 70-1 odds – have proven this is not a tournament dominated by the favorites.
In terms of DFS, there is no shortage of players towards the bottom of this field of 120 capable of spiking with their irons and putter on Bentgrass greens. A look at the contenders throughout the years confirms that those are the two areas of focus at Colonial CC.
Below, find my favorite value PGA golf sleepers and longshots for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. Stats pulled across Last 36 Rounds unless otherwise noted. Each player is listed with best price in Charles Schwab Challenge odds.
Eric Cole (, $7,200)
Eric Cole tied Michael Block with a +1, T15 finish at last week’s PGA Championship to guarantee his own entry into the 2024 PGA Championship. And despite the immense success of his rookie season, which includes two top-five finishes and three top 25s over his last four starts, Cole is priced just $300 higher on DraftKings than the club pro. Truthfully, this is more an indictment Block’s price on DraftKings. But, I’d argue Cole is almost equally mispriced this week.
Over the last 36 rounds, Cole ranks No. 12 in SG: TOT and top 30 in both SG: Ball Striking and SG: Short Game. That’s an impressive baseline for a rookie. And it’s unusual to find that kind of form this far down the board. Cole is the only player priced below $8K on DK who ranks above average in SG: APP, SG: P (L36 & Bent), Par-4: 350-450, and Prox: 100-200.
I’m hesitant to back Cole outright given the lackluster event history amongst debutants. But as the No. 12 player in my model this week, he’s a player I’m targeting in DFS and placement markets.
Andrew Putnam (, $7,100)
Course History, elite approach play, and spike putting upside (especially on Bentgrass greens) are the pillars which seemingly held up every Charles Schwab Challenge winner. Of the last eight, five had posted a T15 finish within the last three years. Putnam easily checks that course history box. He finished T15 here last year to go along with three total T20 finishes over five career appearances.
Approach and Putting are the foundation of Putnam’s game, as he ranks No. 5 in SG: P on Bentgrass and No. 26 in SG: APP, spiking for 4+ strokes gained on approach in four of his last six starts. Putnam joins Tony Finau and Viktor Hovland as the only three players in this field to rank top 30 in SG: APP, SG: P (Bentgrass), and SG: TOT at Colonial CC.
One of the shorter drivers on TOUR, this is one of few venues on TOUR that won’t penalize him. I love this fit for Putnam’s game and will have plenty of exposure both on my betting card and DFS lineups.
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Chez Reavie (, $6,900)
The 2022 Barracuda Champion is nearly a mirror image of Andrew Putnam off the tee. Both rank near last on the PGA TOUR in driving distance but atone with elite driving accuracy (No. 10 in Fairways Gained). Throughout his 15+ year career on the PGA TOUR, Reavie has always been a stud on approach. That hasn’t shown signs of stopping in 2023. He ranks top 25 in Prox: 100-200.
His accurate ball striking has allowed him to keep his TOUR card each year. A deficient putter has held him back from contending more regularly. That seems to be changing this year, however. Reavie currently finds himself in the midst of a streak of six consecutive events gaining strokes putting. That represents the longest such streak of his entire career.
Amidst this hot streak on the greens, Reavie has piled up four top-50 finishes over his last five starts. That includes a T6 at the Valero Texas Open and T11 at the RBC Heritage. Reavie has finished as high as T5 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in the past and ranked No. 2 in Greens In Regulation at this event last year. With newfound confidence on the greens in 2023, Reavie makes for one of my favorite longshot fliers this week.
Akshay Bhatia (, $6,700)
It’s too early to say for certain which types of courses suit the young phenom best. But, a stretch of four top-25 finishes and just two missed cuts over his first 10 starts to the season suggests he has a game that will travel anywhere. Over those first 10 starts, Akshay has lost strokes on approach just once. He ranks No. 22 in this field in SG: APP over the last 36 rounds.
Akshay is one of just five players in this field who ranks top 50 in both Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy. Combine that with ranks of top 15 in both Good Drives Gained and Greens In Regulation, and it’s easy to see why the 21-year-old has received so much early hype.
Akshay has far more untapped potential than any others priced around him in this range. He could push for his third top-five finish in eight starts this week.
Best of luck if you choose to bet these PGA TOUR golf sleepers!
CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE ODDS
Shop the best odds at sports betting sites for PGA TOUR golf sleepers and more highly-touted players here, including for top 10, top 20, etc.
