The chasing pack was formed at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, and lines up behind first-round leader Harry Hall. The Englishman cleared the gates on Thursday with an 8-under 62, and backed it up nicely with a 4-under 68 to command a three-stroke lead heading into the weekend in Fort Worth, Texas.
Despite an early hiccup, Hall seemed resolute on his second walk through Colonial, when doubt could have easily crept into the back of his mind. Dropping a stroke on the par-4 13, his fourth hole of the day, Hall rallied with five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn. Trading a bogey and a birdie from there, the former UNLV Runnin’ Rebel tries to run away from the rest of the course over the final 36 holes.
It will have its work cut out for him as Colonial will only continue to consolidate with a course revamp looming. That could play into the hands of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who finds himself a half-dozen behind after 67 straight. Enjoying a healthy diet of tee-to-green skill, the local Texan will be aiming to make amends for last year’s tournament that saw him squander a nine-place lead late Sunday.
“I feel like I played really well,” said Scheffler. “Lots of good shots, lots of good drives. Got lots of looks and made lots of good putts today. Except the greens got pretty chewed up this afternoon and the grass is dying already. I think they’re taking advantage of the fact that they are blowing up the greens on Monday, so they are pushing them as far as possible. especially when they are chewed up, but all you can do is keep them rolling well, and that’s what I did this afternoon.”
The boss
1. Harry Hall (-12)
The opening 62 will be all the headlines, but Friday’s 66 was just as impressive. Hall once again leaned into a red-hot putter gaining nearly seven strokes on the greens over the first two rounds. As Scheffler pointed out above, those greens could get even more difficult to navigate and could throw a wrinkle in Hall’s weekend plans. His short game was stellar, but in order for Hall to pick up his first career PGA Tour win and fend off the best player in the world in the process, his ballstroke will have to carry the load.
Other contenders
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 the Englishman was before he had hip surgery in 2022. The Georgia Bulldog was two years removed from a 2021 season that included two wins, a nomination for PGA Tour Player of the Year and a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team. The Englishman has competed in major championships and reached tenth place in the official world golf rankings, and is slowly but surely returning to that form. After podium finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Wells Fargo Championship, the Englishman is taking another step in that direction this week.
“Very stable today,” said the Englishman. “I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. When I had problems off the tee or around the green, I got up and down. I made good par at No. 9. Some of those holes, it’s hard to get close. I had a lot I kind of felt like 15 or 20 feet and I didn’t gain much. As long as I keep hitting the ball and keep giving myself chances, some good things are going to happen this weekend.”
Bye, bye Blockie
The man who stormed Rochester, New York will be gone into the sunset. Rounds of 81-74 gave Michael Block a two-round total of 15 for 155 and an early home flight. Block just didn’t have it in for Colonial CC, but he’ll be back in the spotlight sooner rather than later. The 46-year-old club professional will also be on the court for the 2023 Canadian Open in two weeks.
“I’ve practiced a lot in my life,” said Block. “I’ve spent so many hours on a chipping green, putting green, I can’t even explain it to you. Like years, years. If you add up all the minutes I’ve spent around the chipping and putting green at Whitmoor Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri — St. Charles, actually — that would be insane. It would take years. It would probably be 10 years. No one’s around me. No one tells me to. I loved it. I loved it, and it paid off.”
Another first for Jordan Spieth
Not a good first for the local favorite as Spieth will be sent packing early for the first time in his career at Colonial. Spieth came after finishing outside the top 15 just once out of 10 showings with one win and three runners-up to his name. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old never seemed comfortable this time around. He struggled on the greens on Thursday only to be slightly better on Friday. Spieth joins Tony Finau, Sungjae Im and Cameron Davis as notables in missing out on the weekend’s action.
2023 Charles Schwab Challenge updated odds and tips
Odds through Caesars Sportsbook
- Harry Room: 4/11
- Scottie Scheffler: 10/33
- English Harris: 9/2
- Emiliano Grillo: 8-1
- Byeong Hun An: 14-1
- Justin Rosa: 18-1
- Adam Schenk: 22-1
- Robbie Shelton: 25-1
- Max Homa: 30-1
This has the trick of a Scheffler win. He’s within earshot, leading the field in earned strokes from tee to green, and still hasn’t hit anything off his putter. That has been the case for most of the season, but expect that to change as he burned his fair share of edges late on Friday. Hall has built up quite a cushion, but Scheffler’s quality will be too much to overcome over the final 36 holes as Colonial continues to churn out and gets even more difficult. He now enters the number 1 in the world.
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