Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge predictions & free golf betting tips: Max Homa ready to rumble in Lone Star State

When to bet on the Charles Schwab Challenge

By 1pm on Thursday

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Where can I watch the Charles Schwab Challenge

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge predictions

Max Homa
3.5pts each-way 22-1 bet365

Lee Hodges
2pts each-way 90-1 bet365

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
2pts each-way 40-1 bet365

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Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge preview

Scottie Scheffler will be the centre of attention in the Charles Schwab Challenge in his adopted home state of Texas this week should he elect to retain his place in the field.

Scheffler has been chalked up as a general 11-4 favourite for the Colonial gathering, but off-course issues may see the local hero opt for a week off instead. The Masters champion has a court hearing coming up after his arrest at Valhalla last week, and may be too distracted to produce his best golf if he does tee up in Fort Worth.

Scheffler boasts form figures of 1-1-2-1-1-8, having carded three good rounds in the US PGA, but there will surely be better times to support the world number one than this week. He has a newborn baby at home and may well feel he is better off getting back to Meredith and Bennett as soon as possible.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Max Homa 22-1

With doubts over Scheffler's focus, Collin Morikawa's increasingly feeble weekend performances, and the fitness and form of Jordan Spieth, by far the most appealing option for the Charles Schwab Challenge is Max Homa.

If Scheffler stays in the field, Homa deserves to be second in the betting behind the world number one. Homa has been getting his game in top order, finishing eighth at Bay Hill, third in the Masters and eighth at Quail Hollow, before four solid rounds for 35th place at Valhalla last week.

Heavy pre-tournament rain made the US PGA venue play extremely soft and long, which put pressure on Homa's driving, but at Colonial CC this week he can happily plot his way around using lots of three-woods off the tee.

Homa's exceptional iron-play and putting counts for an enormous amount at Colonial, where he finished ninth last year, and he could prove the golf bet of the week if he gets a fair set of tee-times during a breezy week.

Next best bet

Lee Hodges 90-1

Closing rounds of 65, 67 and 69 in last week's US PGA Championship saw Lee Hodges rocket up to 12th place at Valhalla, providing the 28-year-old Alabama man with a huge boost to confidence.

Hodges has burst into form, with his bold PGA effort following 24th place in the Wells Fargo Championship, and it is a fortnight which may have transformed his 2024 campaign. He was due to play in a US Open qualifier in Texas on Monday, but did not bother, sensing that his improved world ranking will be enough to gain him entry to the third Major of the season soon enough.

Hodges won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, then made his PGA Tour breakthrough last summer with a spectacular seven-shot success in the 3M Open. He has Colonial form figures of 35-29 – achieved as a lowly-ranked PGA Tour maiden – and the world number 76 can make a more serious impact on his return this week.

Other selection

Christiaan Bezuidenhout 40-1

Another neat and tidy player with the tools to contend at Colonial is Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a three-time DP World Tour champion who seems set to make a breakthrough on the PGA Tour before long.

The South African, a great iron-player with a razor-sharp short-game, has been adding length this year in a bid to become a more complete package. He finished second in the 2022 John Deere Classic and second again in The American Express at the start of this year.

Bezuidenhout boasts form figures of 13-9-25-28-3-16-MC from his last seven tournaments. The missed cut was by a shot at a long, soft Valhalla last week. Colonial, where he has finished 15th and 21st in the last two editions, is a much better fit. He turned 30 on Saturday and may start this new decade in style.

Course guide for the Charles Schwab Challenge

• Course Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
• Prize money $9.1m ($1.638m to the winner)
• Length 7,289 yards
• Par 70 – two par-fives, 12 par-fours, four par-threes
• Field 132 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Collin Morikawa (9), Max Homa (10), Brian Harman (11), Keegan Bradley (20)
• Course records - 72 holes 259 Zach Johnson (2010) 18 holes 61 Keith Clearwater (1993), Lee Janzen (1993), Greg Kraft (1999), Justin Leonard (2003), Kenny Perry (2003), Chad Campbell (2004), Kevin Na (2018)
• Course winners taking part Rory Sabbatini, Zach Johnson (twice), Adam Scott, Chris Kirk, Jordan Spieth, Kevin Kisner, Justin Rose, Daniel Berger, Emiliano Grillo
• When to bet By 1pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday
• Time difference Texas is six hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – US PGA Championship 1 X Schauffele (14-1), 2 B DeChambeau (25-1), 3 V Hovland (45-1), T4 T Detry (200-1), C Morikawa (28-1), T6 J Rose (250-1), S Lowry (90-1), T8 B Horschel (225-1), S Scheffler (4-1), J Thomas (50-1), R MacIntyre (250-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview The PGA Tour has held an event at Colonial since 1946 and the ancient track inevitably offers up plenty of birdie opportunities to the modern professional. Ben Hogan won at Colonial five times, hence the track's nickname 'Hogan's Alley'. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner have renovated the course since the last Charles Schwab. There are only two par-fives – the first and the 11th – and the latter is a whopper at 639 yards. In-play punters should be aware that the first two holes on the course are the easiest, immediately followed by the three most difficult. The layout has been lengthened through the years but remains much more of a test of accuracy over power
• Story of last year Emiliano Grillo beat Adam Schenk in a playoff to win his second PGA Tour title
• Weather forecast Warm, humid, stormy and breezy throughout
• Type of player suited to the challenge An accurate sort with a behaving putter can destroy Colonial – it is a course that can be overwhelmed with straight-hitting rather than power-play. Newcomers are obviously at a significant disadvantage at such a long-established venue
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge key stat

None of the last 22 Colonial events have been won by a PGA Tour maiden

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