Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge first-round preview and free golf betting tips

Where to watch the Charles Schwab Challenge

Sky Sports Golf, 5pm Thursday

Best bets

Max Homa first-round leader
2pts each-way 33-1 general

Jordan Spieth to miss cut
2pts 3-1 bet365, Hills

Sam Stevens to win 1.11pm threeball
2pts 11-8 BoyleSports

Adam Schenk to win 6.56pm threeball
2pts 11-8 BoyleSports

Lee Hodges to win 6.45pm threeball
2pts Evens BoyleSports

Christiaan Bezuidenhout to win 2.28pm threeball
2pts 10-11 BoyleSports, Coral, Ladbrokes

Charles Schwab Challenge first-round preview

World number one Scottie Scheffler remains in the field for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club and the local man is scheduled to tee off alongside Billy Horschel and Keegan Bradley at 6.45pm UK and Ireland time on Thursday.

Scheffler, whose participation was in doubt due to some off-course distractions, may be on the wrong side of a slight draw bias over the first two days at Colonial. Strong breezes are set to whip across the course from Thursday afternoon onwards, so Thursday morning starters may be able to get some early birdies on their scorecard before the wind arrives.

From 7.55am local time (1.55pm UK), Max Homa will be looking forward to a threeball alongside Tony Finau and Adam Scott. This trio – three of the most pleasant characters on the PGA Tour – should get half of their round in relative calm. Expect Homa, whose game appears to be peaking for the summer, to threaten the first-round lead at 33-1.

Jordan Spieth, like Scheffler, is one of the later starters. Spieth, who has missed four of his last six cuts, looks a big price at 3-1 to miss this one. He loves Colonial, but fitness and form issues mean he has arrived this time looking extremely vulnerable.

First-round threeball punters are pointed towards Sam Stevens (1.11pm), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (2.28pm), Lee Hodges (6.45pm) and Adam Schenk (6.56pm).

Texas-born Stevens, who finished 29th on his Colonial debut last year, finished tenth in the Myrtle Beach Classic last time out, while Bezuidenhout, 15th and 21st in the last two editions of the Charles Schwab Challenge, has finished in the top 30 in six of his last seven events.

Hodges, 12th in the US PGA at Valhalla last week, and Schenk, fifth in the Texas Open on his last visit to this state and Colonial runner-up last year, also look strong day-one threeball favourites.

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