One of the oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour is the home for the return of golf in 2020 when Colonial Country Club hosts the Charles Schwab Challenge starting Thursday, June 11th.
There are four rounds, but the Showdown Challenge is just the scores from Round 1 of the event. Who will get off to a hot start on what is expected to be a 93-degree day in Fort Worth, Texas? Keep in mind Colonial is a Par 70 setup with four Par 3’s and just two Par 5’s.
We make some picks for Round 1 below. Enter your lineups here.
Webb Simpson ($10,200)
That’s a big price for a player that only has six PGA Tour wins, but his game sets up perfectly for this course. He’s the Tour leader in Par 4 Birdie or Better scoring at 27.43% as well as overall Par 4 play, which is how he’s second in overall scoring average. And he’s playing well with a win in the Chaos That Is Phoenix already this year.
Yes he’s missed the cut here three times, but he’s also got a third and a fifth in 2016 & ‘17. Add in a second at the RSM Classic and a third in Hawai’i at the Sony Open, and the 2012 US Open winner is in form at a track where he should play well.
Tony Finau ($9,200)
Only has one PGA Tour win, but finished second here last year and second this year at the Waste Management open as well (losing to Simpson in a playoff). 32nd in Par 4 scoring, and the break came at the right time as he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer right before the break. Should be in a spot to play well here.
Jim Furyk ($7,800)
Who’s going to be able to focus their game after a layoff faster than a PGA Tour veteran and one of the most accurate ball strikers that’s ever lived? Furyk is T32 in Par 4 scoring, and first in Greens in Regulation. Has broken 70 in five of his last seven opening rounds at Colonial, and finished 13th here last year. There should be plenty of value here.
Nick Watney ($7,100)
Finished eighth here last year, and is T78 in Par 4 average. The break couldn’t have come at a better time, as despite a T27 at the Honda Classic, he had missed three straight cuts prior. Broke 70 in five of his first six Round 1’s this season before a loss of form. The kind of player that could have used the Covid-19 break to get his game back in shape, and a good cheap choice here.