Last-round PGA TOUR Golf Wagers to Take Into Account

The Charles Schwab test has seen multiple sponsorship changes and currently has an unfavorable spot on the schedule, despite Colonial being one of the oldest courses on the PGA TOUR and offering a wonderful test for today’s players. As a result, we have a less-than-stellar scoreboard going into the final round and a less-than-elite field. Even yet, the Charles Schwab Challenge odds board suggests some excitement going into Sunday, and if the course proves challenging in the final round, several well-known players might be hiding.

Winner: Adam Schenk

Best chances still on offer:

The top three competitors on the Charles Schwab Challenge odds board are clearly ahead of the competition. Although the players at 5 and 6 under might surge, it is probable that they won’t fall too far behind given the players at the top’s advantages in the short game. It seems obvious to me after truly considering the best approach here that Adam Schenk winning his maiden PGA TOUR championship on Sunday would be the finest value. Since Schenk has been pounding on the door for some time, I don’t believe the occasion will be too large for him.

It’s advantageous because Schenk most likely won’t be competing against a well-known figure. English and Hall will make fairly easy foes. For the week, Schenk ranks seventh in Approach Strokes Gained, thirteenth in Around the Green Strokes Gained, and seventh in Putting Strokes Gained. Additionally, he maintains a comfortable distance from the driver and has done so all week.

On Saturday, Hall demonstrated that his ball striking is too unpredictable to be trusted. English is the one to be concerned about, but I really have a little more faith in Schenk’s driver and think he will more than hold his own against English in other categories. Schenk has achieved success with venues like Shriners and John Deere that complement Colonial well. All of their odds are quite close together, therefore I lean slightly in favor of Schenk with the additional stroke to finish the job tomorrow and get his long-awaited maiden victory.

Top-Five Finish: Andrew Putnam

Best Odds Still Available: +700

Putnam, who was one of my top selections entering into the tournament, has had a strong first three rounds and is currently tied for 10th place going into Sunday. Putnam is in a fantastic position to record another strong finish in what has been a great season for him, even though his chances of winning are probably over at six shots back and nine names ahead of him.

His putter has been excellent this week, as we would expect from Putnam. With 6.73 strokes gained in putting, he is currently third. However, despite some excellent ball striking over the past several months, the rest of his game has trailed somewhat thus far. On Saturday, in what would have been a fantastic round if he hadn’t had a terrible round on the greens, that ball striking began to take shape.

That’s probably not going to happen again, and if Putnam hits the ball well for the second straight round, he just has to gain a few strokes to finish in the top five. These are incredibly generous odds for one of the more competitive players to move up a few positions on a very challenging golf course.

Top-10 Finish: Justin Rose

Best Odds Still Available: +230

After three rounds, Justin Rose is tied for sixteenth place and, based on his performance, ought to be in the middle of things. Rose has taken his ball striking to Texas after a good T9 at the PGA last week, and as a result, he is presently top in the field in approach after three rounds, adding 8.1 strokes. Rose has been precise off the tee as well, but he has shockingly lost 4.3 strokes on the greens. That was sufficient to exclude him from the race during a week he probably should have won.

Rose is a great putter who enjoys playing on bent greens, so I wouldn’t bank on this performance to continue. With these favorable odds, Rose is in terrific condition to gain just one stroke and finish in the top ten, with the possible exception of weariness from a long PGA week. After Scheffler and Hovland, his form is among the strongest in this group, so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Rose may shoot a very low score for the leaders to see whether his putter fires on Sunday.