This week, The PGA Tour returns to Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. Played at the historic Colonial Country Club, the course will test a loaded field as a par 70 with Bermudagrass fairways and Bentgrass greens. Sam Burns will look to defend his title successfully for only the second time ever at this event, which will be a tall task against the likes of World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler and Jordan Spieth are both from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will have a ton of support from the crowd when they tee off at Colonial this week. Scheffler has been dominant this season and has heated up lately, racking up T5 and T2 finishes at the AT&T Byron Nelson and PGA Championship this past weekend. Spieth has already won this event, albeit in 2016, while placing subsequent finishes inside of the top ten consistently. A wrist injury has been ailing Spieth, but he has a historically good track record at this course, so his performance will be interesting to monitor.
The DFS slate is filled with value for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. Ranging from blue chip prospects to cheap salary savers, I’ve identified six of my favorite players to prioritize when constructing DraftKings and FanDuel lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round at Colonial Country Club.
Before we get into our Charles Schwab Challenge DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Charles Schwab selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Viktor Hovland ($10,600)
I opted to roll with Viktor Hovland because he’s consistently finished inside of the top ten in most of his recent events. He logged a T21 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2022, but Hovland is ranked inside of the top ten for multiple strokes gained categories, including off-the-tee and around-the-green, plus 11th tee-to-green. Hovland also is one of the best drivers on the PGA Tour, ranking fourth in total driving, which accounts for distance and accuracy. He’s delivered 17 birdies or more in consecutive events and is worth every penny of his salary on DraftKings at a course he won while playing as an amateur.
Justin Rose ($9,300)
We’re getting some good value with Justin Rose at $9,300 at this event. Rose won here in 2018 and has already secured one outright win earlier this season at Pebble Beach. Plus, the Englishman is fresh off of a T9 at the PGA Championship, where he only went above 70 once during the final round. Rose has a solid putter and great irons, plus he’s a quality scrambler, which makes him a valuable asset in DraftKings lineups at $9,300 this weekend.
Cam Davis ($8,600)
We’re landing quite a bit of value with Cam Davis at $8,600. The Aussie logged a T7 here a year ago and also has a T7 and T4 finish in two of his past three events, including last weekend at Oak Hills against a loaded field with Bentgrass greens. Davis has delivered 13 or more birdies in four of his past five events played, which is the stat that matters the most in DFS contests. He also has 85 DraftKings fantasy points or more in three of the past five events, plus some nice iron play off the tee and tee-to-green. Invest confidently in Davis’ outlook and potential upside based on his historical results and current form.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Collin Morikawa ($11,300)
Collin Morikawa nearly won here in 2020, logging a runner-up finish instead. Morikawa is among the most accurate golfers on the PGA Tour when it comes to irons; plus, he can show up above or near the top 25 consistently. Two missed cuts in the last six are a bit concerning, but Morikawa’s game fits nicely with this precision shot course. It’s much riskier than Scheffler or Hovland. Still, Morikawa could be the way to cash out big in contests with other DFS managers fading Morikawa over his recent mediocre T31, MC, and T26 finishes.
Hayden Buckley ($9,500)
Now we’re getting into the high-value prospects on FanDuel, led by Hayden Buckley. He has shown he can play premium golf, logging consecutive T10 finishes at the Valero Texas Open and RBC Heritage. He averages 63.1 FPPG on FanDuel and has not missed the cut in four consecutive events. Buckley is ranked eighth in total driving, fourth in strokes gained off-the-tee, and 11th in greens in regulation percentage. He’s not a horrible putter, but it’s certainly not a strength, so we’re banking on Buckley to continue his dominance off the tee and extend his current form into a T25 finish or higher. A missed cut here in 2022 doesn’t inspire positivity, but I’m valuing current form over historical results for Buckley in this scenario.
Joseph Bramlett ($8,900)
Joseph Bramlett has collected three T10 finishes this season and is ranked 14th in driving distance, 15th in greens in regulation percentage, and 31st in birdie average. This last stat is particularly enticing since FanDuel weighs birdies 6x more than pars and 7x more than bogeys. Bramlett has gone T10, T40, and T19 in his last three events, including his last one at AT&T Byron Nelson, which was also featured in Dallas, Texas. Bramlett is a good value at under $9,000, especially since he’s exceeded 100 FD fantasy points in two of his past three events. He’s a no-brainer when it comes to being a salary-saver in your FanDuel DFS lineups this weekend.
