2022 Charles Schwab Challenge leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler returns to the top packed court at Colonial
Competition conditions made it difficult for competitors in the first round of the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge. While overnight rains did their best to soften the golf course, consistent winds and sunshine dried it. Colonial Country Club as it averaged nearly one stroke above par on Thursday.
“The course is playing harder than it has been in years here,” said 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, after opening round with a four-under 66. “I feel I found myself doing a great job of managing myself around the golf course. Anytime you don’t make a cheat, it’s going to be a good round. “
Despite the difficulties, Scheffler is not the only player to effectively navigate his way through the house. He joins seven others in a four-under lead, and closely followed by fellow Texans Jordan Spieth, Ryan Palmer and Harry Higgs as all three found their way into the reds at the end of the day. Spieth is the only player mentioned, who joined the field in the afternoon wave and he will do his best to climb the leaderboards on Friday morning.
“Being a little bit behind will put some pressure on tomorrow before the headwinds hit the weekend for sure going up across the board,” Spieth said. “You want to get around with 20 and 30 mph winds over the weekend. I think tomorrow, with very low morning winds, I’m looking to take advantage of the golf course.”
Leaders
T1. Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson and five others (-4): It was a leaderboard party, and while Scheffler and Nick Taylor were the top two hits on Thursday, Reed’s presence was hugely encouraging. Having struggled this year, the 31-year-old has shown subtle signs of finding form again.
Reed has yet to break into the top 20 this year, but his name has periodically popped up on the charts. He has competed in both The Players Championship and the Mexican Open. After the PGA Championship, where he posted his best iron show since the 2021 Memorial, perhaps this is the week where the nine-time winner finally gets back on track. He’s second in terms of strokes won from tee to green on Thursday and is outside the top half on the stroke, so if he can get a flat to co-operate forward, Reed has a big chance to win. achieved a double-digit win on the PGA Tour.
Other candidates
T9. Kevin Na, Davis Riley, Scott Stallings and four others (-3): Cameron Young and Mito Pereira are highly rated rookies, but it’s long overdue to bring Riley into the conversation. Since the playoff defeat to Sam Burns at the Valspar Championship, the Alabama production has been a weekly contender.
The 25-year-old joined Colonial for four consecutive top 15 finishes. The most recent came last week at the PGA Championship, where he impressed on his championship debut and ultimately finished. finished in 13th place overall. Young, Pereira and Riley have separated themselves in the rookie of the year discussions, and if Riley can be the first to break through to win, he will propel himself to the top of many people’s lists.
Justin Thomas looks sluggish
He said all the right things leading up to the Charles Schwab Challenge, but a major championship hangover was inevitable for PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas. Registering at a rate of 1 in 71 on Thursday, the 29-year-old is still fraught with controversy after his iron faltered in quiet morning conditions.
Leading the field in terms of hits from tee and ranking in the top 20 for strokes, the typical strength of Thomas’s approach was his biggest weakness on Thursday. That’s especially true at par 3 when the Americans play 4 out of 4 holes, one of which includes a tee that finds water and another finds… a parking lot?
Spieth’s love affair with Colonial
Typically for Spieth, Thursday was a roller coaster game as his first round featured everything – from simple recovery shots that were missed to short putts. All in all, it’s added 1 under 69 as the 28-year-old has positioned himself brilliantly to add to his already excellent résumé at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Coming to this week, Spieth has raised it nine times before designing Perry Maxwell. During that time period, he picked up one win in 2016, three runner-ups and four top 15 finishes. He appeared well on his way to a similar result, but The hitter will need to start cooperating once he falls outside the top 100 for Round 1 hits.
Updated odds and selections
Here are the new odds after 18 holes, via Caesars Sportsbook.
- Scottie Scheffler: 9/2
- Webb Simpson: 10-1
- Jordan Spieth: 12-1
- Chris Kirk: 12-1
- Patrick Reed: 14-1
- Harold Varner III: 14-1
- Kevin Na: 16-1
- Viktor Hovland: 22-1
- Davis Riley: 25-1
- Collin Morikawa: 25-1
- Orange Davis: 28-1
It feels as if Hovland and Spieth were both robbed in Round 1 as they both played relatively poorly and could still register for the first half under 69. Both are out in the morning and will face lighter winds. compared to those who would play in the afternoon hours. Far ahead of them on the odds, Max Homa at 35-1 was an attractive pick as his batting dropped him in parts of the opening round. Homa is a two-time champion this season and with a penchant for playing difficult golf courses, he can’t be dismissed.
Rick Gehman joins Sia Nejad to recap and react to the first act on Thursday at the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge. Watch and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
