Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

2023 Charles Schwab Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

If anybody truly thought that the LIV Golf rebels were a spent force in the sport, they’d better think again.

Brooks Koepka is an exceptional golfer, and while he may lack regular competitive action, that’s not to say that his natural talents can’t carry him through at courses that suit his game.

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The East Course at Oak Hill, which is as long and as challenging as it gets these days, was expected to create a star-packed leaderboard, and the difficult set-up was perfect for the likes of Koepka – he was already a four-time major winner, of course.

Brooks asserted a 54-hole lead and never looked back, just keeping the likes of Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler at arm’s length as he proved once more – regardless of tour affiliation – he is one of the very best in the business.

While he will no doubt enjoy some time off, it’s back to the grind for Scheffler and Hovland – they’re two of the standouts in the field for the Charles Schwab Challenge, alongside Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth and Max Homa.

If those that have joined LIV have one regret about leaving the PGA TOUR, it might just be that they miss out on playing classic courses like Colonial Country Club, which remains as traditional yet challenging today as it did when it was first opened nearly 90 years ago.

It’s tight, it’s tree-lined, it’s doglegging and it features small, fast Bentgrass greens, and when you factor in the challenging conditions – it get super-hot in Fort Worth at this time of year, it’s also a layout that is extremely firm.

Colonial is proof that you don’t have to simply lengthen holes to make them harder, with 84 bunkers and a handful of water hazards only adding to the difficulty.

Those that are able to play with controlled length at this Par 70 track should get most bang for their buck, with short to mid-range approaches and scrambling non-negotiable. A good week on these pure greens is always welcome too.

Three of the last four winners of this event have been available at odds of 50/1 or longer, and its position in the schedule – just days after a gruelling runout at Oak Hill – perhaps lends itself further to the possibility of a long-priced winner.

But who will it be? Well, hopefully one or more of our sleeper picks for the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge can contend at the top of the leaderboard.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2023)

Denny McCarthy – 60/1 – The key sign that Denny McCarthy is in form comes when he starts linking together high finishes on leaderboards that haven’t solely been inspired by his elite putting ability.

At the PGA Championship, he gained +1.14 strokes on the field on approach, and in elite company at a layout that doesn’t necessarily suit his game that’s eye catching.

Similar green numbers with irons and wedges were delivered in top-20 finishes at the PLAYERS and Valspar Championship, so McCarthy is hitting the heights without banking on his flat stick. That’s good news indeed ahead of this Colonial assignment.

Tom Hoge – 60/1 – When we talk about quality approach play, Tom Hoge hits the spot from many different yardage buckets.

That led him to a fine 2022-23 season up until the start of spring, and while the wheels came off a bit after a T3 at the PLAYERS Championship, Hoge has since righted the ship with a solid T58 at the PGA Championship where he gained a mammoth +1.28 strokes on the field with iron and wedge.

At home hitting out of the fairway or rough, Hoge rans nicely for many key stats and scoring metrics this week. A test of technical skill should be right up his street.

K.H. Lee – 66/1 – When you load up K.H. Lee’s recent strokes gained data, it’s a sea of green off the tee and on approach.

That’s a fantastic sign, as is the fact he gained +1.01 strokes on the field putting on the slick Bentgrass greens of Oak Hill last week.

The Korean has those converging trends we love, but a surprisingly weak record at Colonial – however, he brings form and is reliably good from inside 100 yards, so this is a Texan track that should hold no fear for him.

Brendon Todd – 80/1 – The likes of Kevin Kisner and Kevin Na have won at Colonial in the past, so assumptions about keeping your ball in play and finding the right angles into the greens hold some weight. 

Brendon Todd is perhaps as good as anyone at keeping his ball on a string, and his lack of length will not be exposed as much at a venue where there’s just two Par 5s and only three of the Par 4s are 450+ yards.

You never get a true read of Todd’s form because there are some courses that he simply cannot compete at, but T8 at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier in May is a handy guide.

Alex Smalley – 80/1 – T18 at the Wells Fargo, T23 at the PGA Championship, with a combined +2.05 strokes gained on the field on approach – that’s handy form from Alex Smalley.

That brought an end to a wretched run of missed cuts and acted as a timely reminder of Smalley’s talents, who continues to rank inside the top-50 on TOUR for SG: Tee-to-Green.

He’s a curious animal who ranks higher for proximity from the rough than he does the fairway, so Smalley won’t be too perturbed by the claustrophobic conditions at Colonial – confirmed by a debut T27 here 12 months ago. 

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Charles Schwab Challenge here.

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