Charles Schwab Challenge 2026 Betting Tips: Six against the field in Texas

Following Wyndham Clark’s victory at another extremely low-scoring renewal of the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, the PGA Tour stays in Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with six more each-way picks this week, so let's check out his Charles Schwab Challenge 2026 Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights...

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TOURNAMENT HISTORY

First staged in 1946, the Charles Schwab Challenge is one of the PGA Tour’s oldest events. It boasts the longest-running tournament/course relationship on the schedule, having been held at Colonial Country Club every year since its inception.

Fort Worth legend Ben Hogan remains the most successful player in the tournament’s history. After winning the opening two editions in 1946 and 1947, he added further victories in 1952, 1953 and 1959 to set the benchmark at five titles.

No player has managed more than two wins since, though several notable names have completed doubles at Colonial, including Lee Trevino (1976, 1978), Corey Pavin (1985, 1996) and Phil Mickelson (2000, 2008).

Last five winners:

• 2025

Winner: Ben Griffin (-12)

Runner-up: Matti Schmid (-11)

• 2024

Winner: Davis Riley (-14)

Runners-up: Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley (-9)

• 2023

Winner: Emiliano Grillo (-8, playoff)

Runner-up: Adam Schenk (-8)

• 2022

Winner: Sam Burns (-9, playoff)

Runner-up: Scottie Scheffler (-9)

• 2021

Winner: Jason Kokrak (-14)

Runner-up: Jordan Spieth (-12)

Fresh from securing his PGA Tour breakthrough alongside Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic a month earlier, Ben Griffin triumphed at Colonial last year to claim his first individual PGA Tour title, edging out Matti Schmid by one shot in a hotly-contested finish. He returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Colonial Country Club

• Original architect / Year opened: John Bredemus & Perry Maxwell / 1936
• Latest renovation: Gil Hanse completed an extensive renovation in 2023 with the aim of restoring it closer to the original design
• Previous tournaments (pro): S. Open (1941), Players Championship (1975), U.S. Women’s Open (1991)
• Previous tournaments (amateur): It has also hosted the 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 editions of the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational (formerly the Nike/Colonial Collegiate Invitational)
• Par / Yardage: Par 70 / 7,289 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 4x par 3s (194-248 yards)
  • 12x par 4s (385-480 yards)
  • 2x par 5s (581-639 yards)
• Course style: A traditional, gently-rolling and strategic parkland with tightly tree-lined corridors
• Fairways:
  • The narrow fairways feature doglegs alternating in both directions
  • With bunkers placed adjacent the landing areas, along with thick rough and densely-packed trees that often leave no line into the greens, players can be punished severely for missing them
  • It has ranked among the 10 toughest driving challenges on the PGA Tour in each of the last eight seasons
• Greens:
  • The bentgrass greens are small (5,000 sq. ft.), subtly undulating and can be speedy if firm
  • Although they possess the eighth-lowest GIR percentages on tour, the difficulty in getting it up and down isn’t severe
• Defences:
  • Water is in play on six holes, including each of the last four
  • The real defence lies in the relentless demands this constricted layout places on the long game
• Average winning score: -13.2 (last 10 editions)

Colonial Country Club is a true test of ball striking, where patience is required and scoring opportunities are hard-earned.

With each measuring close to or over 200 yards, the par 3s are lengthy as a group, and while there is plenty of variety within the par 4s, danger lurks at every turn. Meanwhile, the two par 5s offer no guarantee of a birdie.

It’s a course that requires the utmost attention on every shot and as one of the more familiar and well-liked on tour, we should be in for another entertaining week in Texas.

THE WEATHER

There has been a lot of rain around in this area in recent weeks and that is set to continue, with over 25mm forecast on Wednesday alone. The threat of thunderstorms will linger into Thursday morning, but it looks clear from the afternoon onwards. With calm, bright and warm conditions on the cards for the rest of the week, this rain-softened course could be at its most vulnerable.

KEY STATS

SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation (GIR) / Proximity from 125-175 yards

High-class iron play into these small greens stands out, especially as they’re likely to be ultra-receptive. Furthermore, it’s the short-to-mid irons that carry most weight around here, with approaches between 125-175 yards consistently among the most common.

• 2025
  • Ben Griffin (Winner): 17^th in GIR
  • Matti Schmid (2^nd): 17^th in SG: Approach
  • Scottie Scheffler (4^th): 1^st in SG: Approach / 7^th in GIR
• 2024
  • Davis Riley (Winner): 2^nd in SG: Approach / 6^th in GIR
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 18^th in SG: Approach / 3^rd in GIR
  • Collin Morikawa (4^th): 9^th in SG: Approach / 10^th in GIR
  • Pierceson Coody (5^th): 8^th in SG: Approach
  • Sepp Straka (5^th): 10^th in SG: Approach
  • Mac Meissner (5^th): 13^th in SG: Approach
• 2023
  • Emiliano Grillo (Winner): 6^th in SG: Approach / 8^th in GIR
  • Adam Schenk (2^nd): 12^th in SG: Approach
  • Scottie Scheffler (3^rd): 4^th in SG: Approach / 1^st in GIR
• 2022
  • Sam Burns (Winner): 12^th in SG: Approach / 7^th in GIR
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 8^th in SG: Approach / 1^st in GIR
  • Scott Stallings (4^th): 2^nd in SG: Approach / 12^th in GIR
  • Davis Riley (4^th): 3^rd in SG: Approach / 7^th in GIR
  • Tony Finau (4^th): 10^th in SG: Approach / 16^th in GIR
• 2021
  • Jason Kokrak (Winner): 8^th in SG: Approach / 2^nd in GIR
  • Charley Hoffman (3^rd): 3^rd in SG: Approach / 16^th in GIR
  • Patton Kizzire (3^rd): 5^th in SG: Approach
  • 11 of the top 13 ranked inside the top 25 in GIR

SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) and/or Driving Accuracy

As one of the tightest, toughest and most penal driving courses on tour, being in control of your ball off the tee is paramount.

• 2025
  • Ben Griffin (Winner): 16^th in SG: OTT
  • Bud Cauley (3^rd): 15^th in driving accuracy
  • Scottie Scheffler (4^th): 8^th in SG: OTT
  • Tommy Fleetwood (4^th): 10^th in SG: OTT / 13^th in driving accuracy
• 2024
  • Davis Riley (Winner): 6^th in SG: OTT
  • Keegan Bradley (2^nd): 1^st in SG: OTT / 4^th in driving accuracy
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 7^th in SG: OTT
  • Collin Morikawa (4^th): 5^th in SG: OTT / 1^st in driving accuracy
  • Mac Meissner (5^th): 13^th in SG: OTT / 9^th in driving accuracy
  • Sepp Straka (5^th): 12^th in driving accuracy
  • Hayden Buckley (5^th): 12^th in driving accuracy
• 2023
  • Adam Schenk (2^nd): 13^th in driving accuracy
  • Scottie Scheffler (3^rd): 1^st in SG: OTT
• 2022
  • Sam Burns (Winner): 6^th in SG: OTT
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 2^nd in SG: OTT
  • Brendon Todd (3^rd): 7^th in SG: OTT / 1^st in driving accuracy
  • Tony Finau (4^th): 9^th in SG: OTT
• 2021
  • Jason Kokrak (Winner): 1^st in SG: OTT / 4^th in driving accuracy
  • Jordan Spieth (2^nd): 13^th in SG: OTT
  • Sebastian Munoz (3^rd): 8^th in SG: OTT
  • Nine of the top 13 ranked inside the top 25 for driving accuracy

SG: Putting (bentgrass)

These putting surfaces are rarely straightforward to hit but, with the deluge of rain on the way and little wind, we should naturally see higher GIR numbers. This places added emphasis on the putter, which was very much the case on a similarly wet course 12 months ago.

• 2025
  • Ben Griffin (Winner): 3^rd in SG: Putting
  • Matti Schmid (2^nd): 1^st in SG: Putting
  • Bud Cauley (3^rd): 9^th in SG: Putting
• 2024
  • Davis Riley (Winner): 4^th in SG: Putting
  • Keegan Bradley (2^nd): 9^th in SG: Putting
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 16^th in SG: Putting
  • Hayden Buckley (5^th): 3^rd in SG: Putting
• 2023
  • Emiliano Grillo (Winner): 2^nd in SG: Putting
  • Adam Schenk (2^nd): 9^th in SG: Putting
  • Harry Hall (3^rd): 1^st in SG: Putting
  • Paul Haley (5^th): 7^th in SG: Putting
• 2022
  • Sam Burns (Winner): 6^th in SG: Putting
  • Brendon Todd (3^rd): 4^th in SG: Putting
  • Scott Stallings (4^th): 12^th in SG: Putting
• 2021
  • Jason Kokrak (Winner): 7^th in SG: Putting
  • Jordan Spieth (2^nd): 4^th in SG: Putting
  • Sebastian Munoz (3^rd): 1^st in SG: Putting
  • Ian Poulter (3^rd): 11^th in SG: Putting

Par 4 Scoring

Lastly, with the 12 par 4s making up the bulk of the test around this layout, performance on these holes carries major significance.

CORRELATING EVENTS

Valspar Championship (Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead Course)

The Copperhead Course is a tight, strategic tree-lined course that is closely-matched to Colonial in tee-to-green difficulty. Fairways and greens are similarly hard to find, whilst approaches between 150-175 yards are highly prominent.

Notable correlating form:

• Sam Burns: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Valspar (1^st, 1^st)
• Davis Riley: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Jason Kokrak: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Kevin Na: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Justin Rose: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Valspar (5^th, 5^th)
• Sean O’Hair: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / Valspar (1^st, 2^nd)
• Keegan Bradley: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Adam Schenk: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Webb Simpson: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / Valspar (2^nd)
• Xander Schauffele: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / Valspar (4^th, 5^th)
• Bud Cauley: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / Valspar (4^th)
• Scott Stallings: Charles Schwab (4^th, 4^th) / Valspar (3^rd)
• Tommy Fleetwood: Charles Schwab (4^th) / Valspar (3^rd)
• Adam Hadwin: Charles Schwab (5^th, 8^th) / Valspar (1^st)
• Ryo Hisatsune: Charles Schwab (6^th) / Valspar (4^th)
• David Lipsky: Charles Schwab (9^th) / Valspar (2^nd)

St Jude Championship (TPC Southwind)

As a par 70 of a similar length, with narrow, doglegging corridors and small greens, TPC Southwind showcases a comparable ball-striking test to what players will face this week.

Notable correlating form:

• Daniel Berger: Charles Schwab (1^st) / St Jude (1^st, 1^st)
• Justin Rose: Charles Schwab (1^st) / St Jude (1^st)
• Sam Burns: Charles Schwab (1^st) / St Jude (2^nd, 5^th)
• Ben Griffin: Charles Schwab (1^st) / St Jude (9^th)
• Harris English: Charles Schwab (2^nd, 5^th) / St Jude (1^st, 4^th)
• Adam Schenk: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / St Jude (6^th)
• Webb Simpson: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / St Jude (2^nd, 3^rd)
• Andrew Putnam: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / St Jude (2^nd, 5^th)
• Xander Schauffele: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / St Jude (2^nd)
• Ryan Palmer: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th, 5^th) / St Jude (3^rd, 4^th)
• Scott Stallings: Charles Schwab (4^th, 4^th) / St Jude (2^nd)
• Tommy Fleetwood: Charles Schwab (4^th) / St Jude (3^rd, 3^rd, 4^th)
• Sepp Straka: Charles Schwab (5^th) / St Jude (2^nd)
• J. Spaun: Charles Schwab (6^th) / St Jude (2^nd)

RBC Heritage (Harbour Town)

Harbour Town is another venue that ties in nicely with Colonial. The tight, densely framed fairways demand precision and smart positioning off the tee, whilst the small greens are tough to find, requiring quality with the short-to-mid irons to conquer them.

Notable correlating form:

• Emiliano Grillo: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Heritage (2^nd)
• Kevin Kisner: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Heritage (2^nd)
• Daniel Berger: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Heritage (3^rd, 3^rd)
• Kevin Na: Charles Schwab (1^st) / Heritage (4^th, 4^th)
• Matt Kuchar: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / Heritage (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd)
• Brandt Snedeker: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / Heritage (1^st)
• Collin Morikawa: Charles Schwab (2^nd, 4^th) / Heritage (4^th, 7^th)
• Harris English: Charles Schwab (2^nd, 5^th) / Heritage (4^th, 8^th)
• T. Pan: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / Heritage (1^st)
• Webb Simpson: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / Heritage (1^st, 2^nd)
• Brendon Todd: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / Heritage (4^th)
• Xander Schauffele: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / Heritage (4^th)
• Bud Cauley: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / Heritage (7^th, 9^th)
• Sepp Straka: Charles Schwab (5^th) / Heritage (3^rd, 5^th)
• Hayden Buckley: Charles Schwab (5^th) / Heritage (5^th)
• J. Spaun: Charles Schwab (6^th) / Heritage (6^th)

ZOZO Championship (Narashino Country Club)

Former host of the ZOZO Championship (now the Baycurrent Classic), Narashino Country Club, is up next. This compact, tree-lined layout is similar in par and yardage to Colonial, and forces players to strike their short-to-mid irons strongly into the small bentgrass greens.

Notable correlating form:

• Emiliano Grillo: Charles Schwab (1^st) / ZOZO (4^th)
• Keegan Bradley: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / ZOZO (1^st)
• Collin Morikawa: Charles Schwab (2^nd, 4^th) / ZOZO (1^st)
• Andrew Putnam: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / ZOZO (2^nd)
• Sebastian Munoz: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / ZOZO (4^th)
• T. Pan: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / ZOZO (6^th)
• Hayden Buckley: Charles Schwab (5^th) / ZOZO (5^th)
• J. Spaun: Charles Schwab (6^th) / ZOZO (6^th, 6^th)
• Ryo Hisatsune: Charles Schwab (6^th) / ZOZO (6^th)

THE PLAYERS Championship (TPC Sawgrass)

TPC Sawgrass has developed strong form ties with this week’s host. As a winding, strategic course with a similarly demanding ball-striking test and emphasis on short-to-mid iron play into small greens, it’s easy to see why.

Notable correlating form:

• Adam Scott: Charles Schwab (1^st) / THE PLAYERS (1^st)
• Kevin Kisner: Charles Schwab (1^st) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd, 4^th)
• Kevin Na: Charles Schwab (1^st) / THE PLAYERS (3^rd, 6^th, 7^th)
• Justin Rose: Charles Schwab (1^st) / THE PLAYERS (4^th, 6^th, 8^th)
• Matt Kuchar: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / THE PLAYERS (1^st)
• Jason Dufner: Charles Schwab (2^nd, 2^nd) / THE PLAYERS (5^th, 6^th)
• Keegan Bradley: Charles Schwab (2^nd) / THE PLAYERS (5^th, 7^th)
• Webb Simpson: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / THE PLAYERS (1^st)
• Ian Poulter: Charles Schwab (3^rd, 5^th) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd, 2^nd)
• Xander Schauffele: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd, 2^nd, 3^rd)
• Bud Cauley: Charles Schwab (3^rd) / THE PLAYERS (6^th)
• Tommy Fleetwood: Charles Schwab (4^th) / THE PLAYERS (5^th, 7^th, 8^th)
• David Lingmerth: Charles Schwab (5^th) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd, 6^th)
• Sepp Straka: Charles Schwab (5^th) / THE PLAYERS (8^th, 9^th)
• J. Spaun: Charles Schwab (6^th) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd)
• Anirban Lahiri: Charles Schwab (6^th) / THE PLAYERS (2^nd)
• Robert MacIntyre: Charles Schwab (6^th) / THE PLAYERS (4^th)

THE FIELD

Reigning U.S. Open champion and world No. 9 J.J. Spaun is the top-ranked player in a field that includes 16 of the world’s top 50. No. 12 Russell Henley comes next, closely followed by the European duo of Ludvig Aberg (No. 13) and Robert MacIntyre (No. 15).

Ben Griffin returns to defend and is one of five former winners in attendance, alongside Davis Riley (2024), Emiliano Grillo (2023), Kevin Kisner (2017) and Chris Kirk (2015).

Major winners Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama provide added depth; veterans Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson receive sponsor’s exemptions; and Albert Hansson, one of Sweden’s top amateurs, gets an invite after winning the 2025 Ben Hogan Collegiate here at Colonial.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Ludvig Aberg 8/1, Justin Thomas 18/1, Russell Henley 18/1, Robert MacIntyre 22/1, Ben Griffin 22/1, Rickie Fowler 25/1, Alex Smalley 25/1

Check out the full Charles Schwab Challenge Odds here

1.5 pts Pierceson Coody each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 35/1

Born just an hour’s drive from Colonial Country Club, this is a course with which Pierceson Coody is very familiar. He’s playing the best golf of his career in 2026 and, having been priced at 33/1 in a field that included world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler last week, there’s value here as he searches for a breakthrough win in Fort Worth.

Coody began the season in fine shape, with a runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open one of five top-20s across his first six appearances. He suffered a mini slump through March, though his form has again picked up since and he arrives after a 19^th-place finish at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

His game is built on quality with the driver and putter, ranking 22^nd in SG: OTT and 52^nd in SG: Putting in 2026. That already sets him up well for a spin around this setup, especially as the soft conditions should be more forgiving of his power. Coupled with top-25 rankings in both proximity from 125-150 yards and par-4 scoring, this fit looks an extremely strong one.

Fortunately, evidence of his suitability to this challenge isn’t difficult to find. He finished 5^th (2018), 2^nd (2020) and 11^th (2021) at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational here during his amateur days and has carried that form over to the pro ranks, finishing 5^th in 2024 and 16^th in 2025 at this event.

There are few in this field with as long or impressive a history around Colonial as Coody, and it would be an apt stage for this former No. 1 amateur to win his maiden PGA Tour title this week.

1.5 pts Gary Woodland each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 35/1

Gary Woodland didn’t quite work out for us two weeks ago at the PGA Championship, but I’m happy to give him another chance in Texas. He’s hit the ball as well as anyone in the last two months and, possessing a good record in limited starts at Colonial, he has the guile to tame this strategic layout.

Woodland’s early-season struggles were firmly put behind him in Texas back in March, where he won his first title in seven years in impressive fashion at the Houston Open. He’s had an 8^th-place finish at the RBC Heritage and 17^th at the Truist Championship since, and although he missed the cut at Aronimink, it was a positive to see him maintain form with his long game.

The driver has been sound all season, ranking 11^th in SG: OTT, but the upturn in form has been a result of renewed quality with his irons, sitting 4^th in SG: Approach across the last two months. His putting has been largely positive over this time, and when all of this is combined with a placing of 18^th in par-4 scoring, his profile stacks up perfectly.

Woodland has only teed it up in this tournament on six occasions, though he has hit the top 20 in half of those appearances, finishing 9^th in 2020, 11^th in 2025 and 14^th in 2021. In addition, his first PGA Tour victory came at the Valspar in 2011, and with that recent top-10 at Harbour Town showing he still has the ability to plot his way around these types of courses, he can complete a popular double in Texas.

1 pt Austin Eckroat each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Austin Eckroat was a little disappointing when put up in last week’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson, but I think he’s worth sticking with at Colonial. He’s among the standout short-to-mid iron players on tour this year, and as a generally straight hitter who has found form with the putter, this two-time tour winner holds plenty of appeal at this increased price.

There was little to shout about for Eckroat at the start of the season, as he failed to pick up a single top-40 over his first seven outings. A 39^th-place finish at the Houston Open five starts ago brought that run to an end and he’s kicked on since, finishing 10^th at the Texas Open, 6^th at the Zurich Classic (alongside Davis Thompson), 19^th at the Myrtle Beach Classic, and 40^th at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

It’s his irons that have shone most in 2026, sitting 29^th in SG: Approach, and he’s been especially good in that short-to-mid iron range, ranking an excellent 2^nd from 150-175 yards and 4^th from 125-150. The putter has started to pick up of late, gaining strokes in four of his last five and, as the 11^th-best par-4 scorer on tour, his case is compelling.

Eckroat got some handy experience of this venue in his amateur days, finishing 31^st at the 2020 Ben Hogan Collegiate. He was then 16^th on his Charles Schwab debut in 2023 but hasn’t managed to put it all together on two subsequent visits, missing the cut in 2024 and finishing 46^th last year.

That said, he’s currently playing some of his most consistent golf for over 18 months, and if he can just maintain form with the putter, this typically sound ball striker can secure a third PGA Tour victory.

1 pt Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 80/1

Big things were expected of talented Danish star Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen in his rookie season. It hasn’t quite worked out as yet, though he does arrive here after his highest solo finish of the year and, as a superb, controlled ball striker, this could just be a course that brings about further improvement.

A terrific campaign on the DP World Tour in 2025 saw Neergaard-Petersen finish 15^th on the Race to Dubai standings, which was enough to grab one of those highly-coveted 10 PGA Tour cards. He ended last year with a superb victory against a high-class field at the Australian Open, but he has surprisingly stalled a touch at the start of 2026.

Making cuts hasn’t been an issue, he’s just failed to really make his presence felt at the top of leaderboards. He did finish 4^th alongside countryman Jacob Skov Olesen at the Zurich Classic four starts ago and that does appear to have given him a boost of confidence, as he recorded a season’s best of 19^th at last week’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

Entering this week as the 15^th-best driver in the field, that club remains a serious weapon for the Dane. His putting has taken a notable step forward of late, producing positive displays on each of his last four appearances, and whilst he can’t find great consistency in approach, there have been sparks of life there too.

Rasmus will need to turn that into something more concrete at Colonial but luckily, he is no stranger to this layout, having finished inside the top 20 at each of the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Ben Hogan Collegiate. His 22^nd-place finish at the Valspar Championship on debut last year is another plus and, hopefully encouraged by the recent success of fellow Scandi rookie Kristoffer Reitan, it feels only a matter of time before we see the best of him stateside.

1 pt Emiliano Grillo each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 100/

It has not been a vintage season for former champion Emiliano Grillo, though there were signs that he was close to a big performance last week. He ultimately failed to keep up with the incredibly low scoring there and should appreciate this return to a more demanding ball-striking test.

Grillo has missed seven of his 13 cuts in 2026 and recorded just one top-20 finish when 7^th at the Valspar. He opened with an excellent seven-under 64 to sit 4^th after round one of the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and whilst he did slip down to 38^th by the end of the event, he shot three further under-par rounds and continued to show positives through the bag.

That resulted in a second-best approach performance of the year for the Argentinian at TPC Craig Ranch and he also produced one of his better displays on the greens. He’s driven it straight throughout the campaign, ranking 13^th in driving accuracy and, as a player who is dialled in with the short-to-mid irons, sitting 5^th from 150-175 yards and 35^th from 125-150, there’s a lot to like about where his long game is at.

With six top-25s in 10 visits, Grillo is somewhat of a Colonial specialist. He beat Adam Schenk in a playoff here to claim that 2023 edition and also has a 3^rd-place finish from 2018. He was the runner-up at the RBC Heritage in 2021, 4^th at the 2022 ZOZO Championship, and when we consider his one bright spot this year came in the Valspar, this is clearly the type of venue around which he thrives.

1 pt William Mouw each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 125/1

Although William Mouw missed the cut by some distance on his Charles Schwab Challenge debut last year, he does have much more promising experience of Colonial from his amateur days. His form this year has been up and down, but he’s continued to drive it superbly and, having won his first PGA Tour title on a similar layout in 2025, I believe he’s got more to offer around here.

Mouw’s breakthrough win came in his rookie season at the ISCO Championship, as he shot a breathtaking 61 to make up a seven-shot final-round deficit at Hurstbourne Country Club – a tight, tree-lined course with small bentgrass greens.

He finished last year strongly though hasn’t quite kicked on in 2026. However, he did pick up a top-10 at the Cognizant Classic and was 24^th on his PLAYERS Championship debut. That result at TPC Sawgrass was engineered by his best ball-striking display of the season and it’s worth noting that his second-best performance with the long game came at another correlating event, the RBC Heritage.

Driving remains a key component of his game, as he blends power with accuracy to rank 35^th in SG: OTT among this group. He’s also a tidy iron player who is at his best with the mid irons, ranking 28^th from 150-175 yards.

Mouw couldn’t get anything going here as he fired rounds of 73 and 75 to miss the cut by eight 12 months ago. Having said that, he finished an excellent 2^nd at the 2022 Ben Hogan Collegiate and with the added confidence that being a PGA Tour winner brings, I expect a much better showing this time around.