Draws and Fades: Which Round 1 co-leaders are poised for more success at Colonial?

Six players sit tied atop the leaderboard after Round 1 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Was there a common skill thread running through Ryan Gerard, Lee Hodges, Tom Kim, Matt McCarty, Andrew Putnam and J.J. Spaun besides opening rounds of 6-under par at Colonial Country Club? Together, this six-pack of 64s gained over 18 strokes on the greens and made 574 feet worth of putts.

Hogan’s Alley is a ball-strikers’ paradise, but the secret sauce between the bricks has always been the flat stick. Over the last decade, the winner has gained an average of six strokes on the field putting. The start to the 2026 edition is no different. All six of these players ranked inside the top 22 or better on the Strokes Gained: Putting leaderboard. Gerard (two), Hodges (three), Kim (four) and Putnam (five) all ranked inside the top five. Making an average of 96 feet of putts does not seem sustainable, and with 40 players within three shots of the lead, the tournament is just getting started.

Of the six men who lead after Round 1, which was briefly delayed because of inclement weather, who stands the best chance to earn the keys to that signature 1982 Schwab Scrambler that will go to the winner?

My “Draw” list starts with J.J. Spaun (+990) Ludvig Åberg (+870)

A second player of the lead six to draw up another ticket for is Matt McCarty (+1650). McCarty was second in the lead bunch SG: Tee-to-Green and is coming off four top-12 results in his last five starts. A fantastic fit for Colonial as a lefty, McCarty makes an excellent placement choice to finish inside the top 10 (+134) or, for those who love a little larger payday, a top five (+285).

Not all six will be involved on Sunday afternoon. My first-round leader fade list starts with Lee Hodges (+3000). Hodges has not finished inside the top 10 since the Sony Open in Hawaii back in January. With one top-25 finish in his last five starts, Hodges has lost strokes with his putter in four of those events. Holding onto his putter performance will not be the only challenge. He has been losing strokes around the green in every start. Since the 2023 renovation, Gil Hanse has only increased the short game skill needed to be successful. Hodges over 68.5 in Round 2 (-148) is a great prop bet, but if those odds are too short, take advantage of backing his opponents in head-to-head or three-ball matchups.

Andrew Putnam is the other fade candidate at 64. Putnam lost 1.7 strokes in ball striking to the field in Round 1. SG: Ball Striking is the combination of SG: Approach and SG: Off-the-Tee. Putnam is annually one of the shortest drivers on the PGA TOUR, so gaining strokes off the tee is nearly impossible. Losing strokes on approach is a bigger issue. The last 10 winners have gained an average of five strokes on the field with their iron game. The combination of those two attributes not firing and being completely dependent on the putter has me taking Putnam over 68.5 in Round 2 (-120).

Eighty-two players were 1 under or better in Round 1, as the field finished 163 strokes under par. Wet conditions will continue as play was suspended for nearly two hours on Thursday. Hit the second-round unders for your favorites and enjoy Friday’s action at Colonial.