Betting Picks for the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge

Despite flying home to San Diego to revel in his glory, Phil Mickelson has assured the golf world that he’ll be in Fort Worth this week for the Charles Schwab Challenge. Mickelson’s joined by a host of household names and a bunch of the guys who were in contention last weekend at Kiawah Island. In fact, eight men who landed in the top 10 at the PGA Championship are in the field.

How sharp and “mentally focused” Lefty will be after his historic triumph is certainly worth questioning, although plenty will be taking a bite at his +6000 price tag. Phil is oozing with momentum and is part of a select company of individuals who have won at Colonial multiple times.

With that, let’s start diving into my best Charles Schwab Challenge betting picks.

If 50-year-old Phil Mickelson can win the Wanamaker Trophy as a +20000 longshot, it’s safe to say that anything can happen when betting golf online. Phil hadn’t logged a single top-20 finish on the PGA Tour in nine months and wasn’t on anybody’s radar heading into the week.

As I searched for sleeper picks for the Charles Schwab Challenge, several names popped out while scrolling past the favorites. Kevin Streelman (+7500) is an obvious choice after logging his first career top-10 at a major championship. “Streels” is a fantastic iron player (20^th in GIR) and has won twice before, not to mention, he’s a regular at this venue, having played every edition of this event since 2015.

Here are two more sleepers who are a little more subtle.

Cameron Tringale was sitting pretty at -3 when he stood on the 14^th tee box (his 5^th hole of the day) Friday at the Ocean Course. Then came a catastrophic five-hole stretch that Cameron would rather not rehash.

Instead of harping what happened from holes 14-18 in round two, I’m honed in on the fact that Tringale played his final nine holes two-under-par (bogey-free). The moral is the 33-year-old did a lot of good things at the PGA Championship. He’s also finished 13^th or better in three of his last six starts and is armed with a couple of top-3s on the season.

Tringale hasn’t teed it up at Colonial Country Club since 2017, but he did make the cut here every year between 2013-2017.

Grillo’s Charles Schwab Challenge odds are sitting at +5000 at some of the top golf betting sites. However, I spotted the 28-year-old Argentinian at +7000 to win at BetUS and XBet. Emiliano responded to an opening 77 at Kiawah Island with rounds of 72-72-70, ultimately finishing T38. The takeaway?

Ranked 25^th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 12^th in SG: Approach, here’s an elite ball-striker who can take advantage of this week’s tree-lined layout. 6^th in Puntacana and 2^nd in Hilton Head remind us that Emiliano is knocking on the door for PGA Tour victory #2.

One of my Charles Schwab Challenge predictions is that Charley Hoffman tallies a top-20 finish.

He’s not one of the seven pros who share the course record (61), although Hoffman has shot 63 here twice since 2018.

Charley ranks 15^th on tour in SG: Tee-to-Green and 24^th in proximity; his profile fits this course nicely.  As for Hoffman’s recent form, how about top 20s in seven of his last eight starts, including an active streak of five in a row…

All things considered, a +175 price tag on Charley keeping his streak alive is too juicy to ignore.

Remember Lee Westwood’s hot stretch of golf in Florida when he was battling Bryson DeChambeau in back-to-back weeks? Since then, the 48-year-old Brit has finished 63^rd or worse in four of five starts in stroke-play events. Westwood fired rounds of 75-77 over the weekend at the PGA Championship and appeared to be running out of gas.

On the other hand, Ian Poulter finished 30^th – the fourth time he’s cracked the top-30 in his last six appearances.

Both of these Englishmen struggle off the tee and into the greens, but there’s a massive difference in their tidiness on and around the greens. While Lee Westwood ranks 178^th in scrambling and 80^th in SG: Putting, Ian Poulter is one of the best in the business in both areas.

I think Poulter should be favored in this Charles Schwab head-to-head matchup. In turn, I’m all over locking him in at just -105.

Arriving fresh of tying the tournament course record at the Ocean Course, there seems to be no better time to peg Abraham Ancer to win his first PGA Tour event. Colonial is the opposite of a bomber’s paradise – prospering at this track comes down to being accurate off the tee and precise with your irons.

Cue in the budding 30-year-old Mexican golfer who’s now landed 26^th or better in nine straight events. This includes 5^th-2^nd-8^th in his last three appearances.

There’s simply nothing to not like about Ancer’s game, and his confidence has never been higher.

Pencil Abraham in as one of your Charles Schwab Challenge picks, and expect a sweat on Sunday.