Charles Schwab Challenge Leaderboard 2023: Scottie Scheffler lurks, Jordan Spieth misses first spot at Colonial
The chase team formed at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club, and the group trailed first-round leader Harry Hall. The Briton raced through the gates with an 8 under 62 on Thursday, and admirably assisted it with a 4 under 68 to take a three-stroke lead over the weekend in Fort Worth, Texas.
Despite the early hiccups, Hall looked resolute on his second stroll around Colonial as doubt could easily creep into his mind. Dropping a shot on the 13th par-4, his fourth of the day, Hall hit back with five birdies over a six-hole gap. In exchange for a bogey and a birdie from there, the former UNLV Runnin’ Rebel looked set to run away from the rest of the court during the final 36 holes.
He will cut his job because the Colony will only continue to be solid when it is about to revise its course. This could be in the hands of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has found himself half a dozen back after 67 back-to-back years. Indulging himself in a healthy diet with tee-to-green prowess, the local Texan will aim to make up for last year’s tournament that left him squandering a nine-point lead on late Sunday.
“I feel like I played really well,” said Scheffler. “Lots of good irons, lots of good shots. I took care of myself and today I hit a lot of good putts. It’s just that this afternoon the green was pretty chewed up and the grass was dead. Okay, so I think they’re taking advantage of the fact that they’re going to blow up the greens on Monday, so they’re pushing them as far as they can. When it has no friction at the points, it can be quite difficult to polish, especially when they’re already chewed up, but all you can do is keep rolling it well, and that’s what I did this afternoon.”
Leader
1. Harry Hall (-12)
The opening 62 will get all the headlines, but Friday’s 66 is just as impressive. Hall once again leaned on the red-hot putter while winning nearly seven on the green in the first two innings. As Scheffler pointed out above, those greens can become even harder to navigate and can make it difficult for Hall’s weekend plans. His short game was excellent, but for Hall to land his first career win on the PGA Tour and up against the world’s best player in the process, his batting will be under load. .
other candidates
2. English Harris (-9)
3. Emiliano Grillo (-8)
T4. Adam Schenk, Robby Shelton, Byeong Hun An (-7)
T7. Scottie Scheffler, Andrew Novak (-6)
T9. Austin Eckroat, Carson Young, Justin Rose (-5)
It’s easy to forget how good English was before undergoing hip surgery in 2022. Georgia Bulldog was knocked out of the 2021 season by two years with two wins, a nomination for the Player of the Year nomination. PGA Tour and a spot on the US Ryder Cup team. English competed in major championships and reached 10th place in the Official World Golf Ranking, and is slowly returning to that form. After finishing on the podium at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Wells Fargo Championships, English is taking another step in that direction this week.
“Today is very stable,” English said. “Hitting lots of fairways, lots of greens. When I was having a hard time on the tee or around the green, I stood up and down. Did a really great par on the 9th. Some of those hole positions. I’ve had a lot of shots that looked like 15 or 20 footers and didn’t make much. Had a really good chance at 18 and made a really good putt and it didn’t. But as long as I keep hitting the ball and keep creating my chances, then some good things are going to happen this weekend.”
Goodbye, goodbye Blockie
The man who has taken Rochester, New York, by storm will plunge into the sunset. Rounds 81-74 gave Michael Block a two-round total of 15 out of 155 and flew home early. Block simply doesn’t have it around Colonial CC but will be back in the limelight soon. The 46-year-old club pro will also participate in the 2023 Canadian Open in two weeks.
“I’ve practiced a lot in my life,” says Block. “I spent so many hours chipping and putting green, I can’t even explain it to you. Like years, years. If you add up all the minutes I spent on my chip and put green. Whitmoor Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri — St. Charles, actually — would be crazy. It would take years. Maybe worth 10 years. No one around. No one told me. do it. I just love it. I love it, and it paid off.”
Another first for Jordan Spieth
It’s not a good first for the local favorite as for the first time in his career at Colonial, Spieth will have to pack his bags early. Spieth has finished outside the top 15 only once in 10 games with one win and three runners-up to his name. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old never felt comfortable this time around. He struggled on the pitch on Thursday only to get a little better on Friday. Spieth joins Tony Finau, Sungjae Im and Cameron Davis as notable characters who will miss the action weekend.
2023 Charles Schwab Challenge updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Harry Hall: 4/11
- Scottie Scheffler: 33/10
- Harris English: 2/9
- Emiliano Grillo: 8-1
- Byeong Hun An: 14-1
- Justin Rose: 18-1
- Adam Schenk: 22-1
- Robby Shelton: 25-1
- Max Homa: 30-1
This constitutes a victory for Scheffler. He’s within scream distance, leading the field on tee-to-blue shots and still hasn’t taken anything from his shot. That has been the case for most of the season, but expect that to change as he burns through most of his advantage late on Friday. Hall has built himself a nice cushion, but Scheffler’s quality will be too much to overcome during the final 36 holes as Colonial continues to decline and becomes even more difficult. Join now for the number 1 position in the world.
