It wasn't pretty, but it was effective for Harry Hall in the third round at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Commanding the 18- and 36-hole lead, the Englishman who hails from Las Vegas navigated his way around the tricky par 70 en route to a 2-over 72 to maintain his position atop the leaderboard alongside Adam Schenk at 10 under heading into the final day of action.
Hall hit some turbulence early in Round 3 when an ill-advised approach on the par-4 6th settled 40 yards long of the putting surface, resulting in a double bogey. Another double bogey quickly followed in the par-4 7th, and all of sudden Hall was spinning. Typically the time when an unassuming rookie searching for his first PGA Tour victory would cede center stage, the end of Saturday's play could instead prove to be a launching pad for the 25-year-old.
Two back-nine birdies catapulted Hall's back above all the rest and may push him into the driver's seat of a brand new Ford Bronco. However, in order to do so, he will need to skirt past not only Schenk, but also a resurgent Harris English at 9 under and pesky foes Emiliano Grillo and Justin Suh at 6 under.
The leader
T1. Adam Schenk, Harry Hall (-10)
Hall has his eyes on becoming the first wire-to-wire winner at Colonial since Ian Baker Finch, while Schenk has eyes on redeeming himself for his action two months ago. Schenk led after the first three rounds of play at the Valspar Championship in March when disaster struck on the 72nd hole and ultimately led to a runner-up finish outside Tampa.
Schenk has since added a new member to the family, gained some fresh perspective and also lost his form — that was until this week. The former Purdue standout has missed four of his last five cuts and will serve as the experienced member of Sunday's final pair. Despite the disparity in experience, both will be searching for more than just their first wins; major championship exemptions, a massive leap in the FedEx Cup (in a year when only the top 70 qualify for the postseason) and job security will all be on the line.
Other contenders
2. Harris English (-9)
T4. Justin Suh, Emiliano Grillo (-6)
T6. Viktor Hovland, Kevin Streelman, David Lipsky, Byeong Hun An (-5)
T10. Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, Aaron Rai, Ben Martin, Chad Ramey, Andrew Putnam (-4)
The world No. 1 has been terrific for the last year and a half, but if there is a weakness in his bag it has to be the putter. He ranked 67th in strokes gained putting out of 72 players on Saturday and has lost nearly five strokes across three rounds on the greens alone. To make matters worse, his effort at Colonial on Saturday marked his third straight poor performance on Moving Day when considering his even-par round at the Byron Nelson and his regression last week at the PGA Championship. It's probably nothing, but it's eye-catching, and his streak of 14 straight top-12 finishes may now be in jeopardy.
Hovland's 66 ages like fine wine
The Norwegian took some time to get his feet underneath him after coming into the week fresh off major disappointment at the PGA Championship. Firing the round of the day with a 4-under 66 on Saturday, Hovland slowly but surely moved up the leaderboard as the day progressed and Colonial continued to bake out. He stands at 5 under and climbed more than 30 spots into the top 10 ahead of the deciding final round despite some bad luck along the way.
2023 Charles Schwab Challenge updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Adam Schenk: 21/10
- Harris English: 12/5
- Harry Hall: 13/5
- Viktor Hovland: 18-1
- Emiliano Grillo: 22-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 25-1
- Justin Suh: 30-1
- Byeong Hun An: 50-1
- Kevin Streelman: 90-1
The PGA Tour is pushing Colonial to the brink with the course renovation looming on Monday. The course averaged more than a stroke over par on Saturday, and anything under par from the final two in Round 4 should seal the deal. However, things just get weird at this tournament. Sam Burns came back from seven strokes a season ago, and something similar could be in store given the co-leaders. With this in mind, let's take a chance on Hovland (18-1), who appears to have shaken off any signs of a major championship hangover. He is priced close to his pre-tournament odds and is more than capable of making a charge from five back.