Golf Tips: Best bets for Charles Schwab Challenge and Austrian Alpine Open

Charles Schwab tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: In-play tactics for finding a winner

Steve Rawlings: Last year, the eventual winner Ben Griffin led after rounds to and three, after sitting second after round one, Riley won wire-to-wire in 2024 and five of the last 10 winners were in front with a round to go but it's not always easy to convert from the front here and no 54-hole leader or co-leader won here between 2008 and 2016.

Being up with the pace is typically the way to go though and being on the heels of the leaders is usually the ideal place to be. The two winners that preceded Spieth's victory in 2016 were seven and six strokes adrift and outside the top-ten at halfway but that's unusual.

Prior to Adam Scott's victory 12 years ago, Rory Sabbatini in 2007 and Sergio Garcia in 2001, had been the only two winners this century to be outside the top-ten and more than four strokes adrift through 36 holes and 20 of the last 24 winners have been no more than two strokes off the lead with a round to go.

Grillo trailed by four and recent winners, Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk, trailed by three, so although it's hard to win from the front, winning from miles back is very rare but we did witness it four years ago.

Each-way Picks: Back Woodland at 35/1

Matt Cooper: When Colonial was created the owner tasked two respected architects with the project. Perry Maxwell was the first of those designers and in 2024 Gary Woodland said of Colonial: "I love the golf course. I grew up on a Perry Maxwell design, so I've always enjoyed coming here."

That year saw the unveiling of an update to the course by Gil Hanse and Woodland liked it.

"They have lowered the greens, which [means] now it really helps us, with how firm it is," he said. "If you miss the fairways, you can run it up. They did a very good job."

That year Woodland carded a second round 64, last year he was T11 and back in 2020 he was T9 having been second with 18 holes to play. The clincher is that the other designer to work on Colonial was John Bredemus and he's also responsible for Memorial Park which hosts the Houston Open that Woodland won in late March.

Course and current form stats

Course Form Pick:

Last year's winner returns to Colonial in decent form, following a 14th-place finish at the US PGA. He was third in Miami earlier this month too, so don't be surprised if he makes a decent defence this week.

Austrian Alpine Open tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Get the Germans onside

Steve Rawlings: Last year's winner, Nicolai von Dellingshausen had finished runner-up in Austria at the Euram Bank Open on the HotelPlanner Tour in July 2024, and he'd never finished any worse than 28^th in four previous visits to Austria.

The first edition of the Austrian Open was won by fellow German, Bernard Langer, back in 1990, and although von Dellingshausen was only the fourth German to take the title, three of the top five and ties were German last year and a German has finished second in each of the last three editions of the event.

Last year's runners-up, Marcel Schneider, also finished second in 2020 and Max Keiffer lost to John Catlin in extra time in the previous edition of the event in 2021. The Germans get plenty of support from just across the border and they're well worth considering this week.

Current form stats

Current Form Pick:

The Dane was tied for second, and two shots off the winner, at last week's Soudal Open. Prior to that, he missed the cut at the Catalunya Championship, but the week before in Turkey he was in the top five and could be a nice price to challenge two weeks in a row.

Now read US Open 2026: Three picks from Dave Tindall in his early look at Shinnecock