The PGA TOUR is finishing up the Texas Swing this week with a trip to Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth for the Charles Schwab Challenge. Over the next several months, the PGA TOUR will play in the northern parts of the country before returning for one more tournament in Texas this fall. With the Memorial on deck next week as a Signature Event, the field this week is missing most of the elite players, but several strong options are still in play, setting up a great week of golf on the historic course. The field offers many great options across the variety of markets available on DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s pinpoint a few of my best bets for Round 1 of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The tee times for Round 1 begin at 8 a.m. ET with players scheduled to tee off from both No. 1 and No. 10 in two waves. The weather isn’t expected to be very windy, and after Wednesday’s storms softened the course, scores could go low overall. The course will dry out and be firmer in the afternoon, but the wind doesn’t seem likely to change between morning and afternoon. It’s still Texas, though, so the weather can change quickly. Be ready to read and react to how scores are trending if you are live-betting the event.

In this post, we’ll focus on my three best bets for Round 1 of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Thursday, May 28. Let’s tee it up!

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Alex Smalley Under 69.5 Round Score – Round 1 (-136)

Smalley’s tee time is at 8:55 a.m. ET, and the 29-year-old from Duke will look to continue his momentum from the PGA Championship. After finishing T2 behind Aaron Rai’s breakthrough victory, Smalley took last week off and did not play at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

Smalley’s big week at Aronimink didn’t come out of nowhere; he ranks second in the field in Total Strokes Gained over the last 30 days and seventh in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. His flat stick has also gotten hot, and he sits in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting over the last month as well.

Over the last few months, Smalley has made 11 straight cuts dating back to the WM Phoenix Open this February. He has gained strokes on approach in 10 of those 11 events, and his recent putting surge has resulted in six straight top-25 finishes.

Before his T2 at the PGA Championship, he had a T2 at the Zurich Classic. Last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge winner, Ben Griffin, also had a big week at the Zurich last year, and Smalley will hope to follow his script and pick up his first individual win like Griffin did. He has had mixed results at Colonial in the past, with a missed cut and a withdrawal the last two years after a T27 and T40 earlier in his career.

For this prop, he only has to finish under par in Round 1. With favorable scoring conditions and his excellent form, Smalley is a great place to start your Round 1 Best Bets for Thursday.

Austin Smotherman (+148) over Matthieu Pavon and Takumi Kanaya – 3 Ball – Round 1

I love attacking three-ball matchups to get plus money odds, and Smotherman is one of my top bets for Round 1, when he tees off with Matthieu Pavon and Takumi Kanaya at 12:40 p.m. ET early in the afternoon wave.

Smotherman has made the cut in all three of his previous appearances at Colonial, highlighted by a T21 in 2023. He got off to a blistering start that year with six birdies in his first nine holes. This year, Smotherman has posted a pair of top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the Cognizant Classic. He also posted two more top-20 finishes with a T13 at THE PLAYERS Championship and a T19 at Quail Hollow for the Truist Championship. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, but was in good form before that.

Pavon did not qualify for the PGA Championship but did play last week at TPC Craig Ranch, finishing T40. He has three top-20 finishes in his last nine events, but hasn’t posted a top-10 finish since the U.S. Open in 2024. Pavon is making his debut at this event, and his putter has been holding him back from posting high finishes this season. There’s always a chance it could flip, but Smotherman’s consistent iron play should give him the edge.

Kanaya finished T17 at the Cognizant Classic behind Smotherman for his only top-20 finish of the season. The 28-year-old from Japan missed the cut at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson last week and has been struggling with his iron play, finishing with negative Strokes Gained: Approach in 12 events with ShotLink data that he has played this season. He is accurate off the tee, but Smotherman’s distinct Strokes Gained: Approach gives him a good chance to pay off this 3-Ball for Round 1 in Fort Worth.

Mark Hubbard (+184) over Max Greyserman and Kevin Streelman – 3 Ball – Round 1

I’m going with another 3 Ball for my third and final play in my Round 1 Best Bets for this week. I backed Hubbard in Round 1 last week, and he delivered a win in that 3 Ball. He should be in a good spot to deliver another plus-money victory this week against Greyserman and Streelman.

I highlighted Hubbard as a good option in my pivot plays for this week as well. He followed up his runner-up finish at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic with a solid T31 last week after posting four rounds under 70 at TPC Craig Ranch. He ranks third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last three months, and now that his putter seems to have flipped, he’s a solid play. His accuracy-focused skill set is a good fit for Colonial, as evidenced by his seven made cuts in seven career appearances since 2016. His best finish was a T9 in 2023, and he finished T28 last year.

Greyserman’s game is surging as well, after a T14 at the PGA Championship and a T9 last week at TPC Craig Ranch. He has four straight top-40 finishes, and last year he finished T22 at the Schwab. However, I think Hubbard has a good shot to go lower in Round 1 because Greyserman has been doing most of his work with length off the tee, while his accuracy has been below average. He definitely has the potential to go low, but isn’t as good a course fit as Hubbard.

The third player in this trio is Kevin Streelman. While the 47-year-old veteran posted a T8 at the Puerto Rico Open this year, he missed the cut in his last three events in New Orleans, in Myrtle Beach and at TPC Craig Ranch. He has four top-20 finishes at Colonial in his career, but his recent form doesn’t suggest he’s ready to keep up with Hubbard and Greyserman.

It should be a close and fun prop, since both Greyserman and Hubbard are solid options this week. But based on course fit and longer odds, I’m backing Hubbard for the second straight week in my Round 1 best bets.