Blake Davis
A new-look Colonial Country Club produced old scores in the first round of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge. Playing tighter and faster as the day progressed, Colonial played to an average of just 1 over, with players outside the morning wave receiving the easiest conditions.
Charley Hoffman tops the congested leaderboard thanks to a 5-under 65, with several heavy hitters right behind him, including Tony Finau. Fresh off a strong performance last week at Valhalla where his putter didn’t cooperate, Finau leaned on that same club en route to his 4-under 66 on Thursday.
“I think right away I made a 60-foot birdie putt and I think that got me started,” Finau said. “The golf course is a little different than it was years ago and so a little unknown, I think, as to how it’s going to bounce and how it’s going to play, but with the 4-under round I thought it was a really good start. “
Finau is joined by Brian Harman, Davis Riley, Martin Laird and SH Kim, who were all hit by Hoffman later in the afternoon as the winds picked up. The early-season playoff loser in Phoenix will have a chance for a quick turnaround to further extend its lead on Friday morning, when scoring should be easier.
Not only is the group of immediate pursuers large, but almost half the field remains five points off the lead. Collin Morikawa – fresh from another major championship run – is just two behind at 2 under, along with Sepp Straka and JT Poston. Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim, Harris English and Billy Horschel are at 1 under.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will have his work cut out for him if he wants to return to this tournament. Coming in at 2 under at the start of his round, the Texan looked like he would do his usual job and score a round under par to sit somewhere on the first or second page of the leaderboard. Instead, a few missed putts before the turn and a poor tee shot on the par-3 13th resulting in a triple bogey – his first since the first round of the 2023 Tour Championship – left the local man at a disadvantage with an opening 2-more of 72.
The leaders
1.Charley Hoffman (-5)
T2. Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Davis Riley, Martin Laird, SH Kim (-4)
It’s been a somewhat quiet season so far for the Champion Golfer of the Year, but he’s made some noise on shorter positional golf courses like Colonial. Harman did damage at TPC Sawgrass and Harbor Town Golf Links, and he looks to add Colonial to that list after opening with a 4-under 66. Despite hitting just eight fairways, the fiery left-hander dotted 15 greens in regulation and was among the leaders in terms of stroke gained approach.
“I loved the old route so much, I’ve done so many laps around this place, it’s one I’ve always ridden around,” said Harman. “I felt like I had a little bit of knowledge, especially about the younger guys who are trying out Colonial the first few times. But, yes, we are all on equal footing now, but I feel like the essence of the course is still the same. You have to hit some really demanding shots, and if you can do that, you’ll put some shorter clubs in the holes. So I don’t feel like the main theme of this place has changed entirely. very.”
Other contenders
T7. Robby Shelton, Hayden Buckley, Pierceson Coody, Callum Tarren, CT Pan (-3)
T12. Collin Morikawa, JT Poston, Zach Johnson, Brendon Todd, Sepp Straka, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Matt Kuchar, Keegan Bradley, Grayson Murray (-2)
Since his time at the Masters, Morikawa has been running downhill. He was featured in the final group in the final round of the second consecutive major championship last week in Louisville, and continued to maintain a strong performance this week with a 68 in the first round. the iron play of the two-time major champion, has been a huge improvement with his short game that should be noted. By scoring a total of three birdies on Thursday, Morikawa drew twice outside the greens and continues to enjoy a level of competence in this area of the game that he has never seen before.
Stars start over from scratch
At the start of the week, Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Max Homa were among the names at the top of the odds board. After just 18 holes, they find their names close to the projected cut line and are in danger of losing the weekend entirely. After playing more than 40 rounds without posting an over-par score, Scheffler has now recorded two over-par rounds in his last three, dating back to last week’s PGA Championship.
Spieth has been up and down all season, and it appears that a return to the typically comfortable Colonial may have brought a sense of stability with his first-round 71 (about average for the course). Homa was the worst of the bunch, struggling to an 8-over 78 on Thursday with a round that featured everything from a near miss off the tee to a penalty drop. The good news is that the winning score in this tournament last year was 8 under, but the bad news is that they have a lot of work to do.
Updated Charles Schwab Challenge 2024 Odds and Picks
- Tony Finau: 7-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 8-1
- Brian Harman: 8-1
- Colin Morikawa: 8-1
- Sepp Straka: 22-1
- Charley Hoffman: 22-1
- Keegan Bradley: 25-1
- Christian Bezuidenhout: 25-1
- SH Kim: 28-1
The afternoon was about a shot harder than the morning, meaning someone from Thursday’s latest crop of players should have a great chance to make their mark on this tournament come Friday morning. Scheffler is in this group, but it will be his playing partner, Horschel at 40-1, who will pique our interest.
Already a winner this season on the PGA Tour, Horschel was solid with an opening 69 and should do even better tomorrow if his iron play takes a step in the right direction. If you’re looking for a little more bang for your buck, then Spieth at 65-1 could be a fun play (depending on your definition), especially with the way he’s running the ball.
