The top five players in the world are playing at Colonial. Will Tiger Woods join them?
Justin Thomas is expected to make his Charles Schwab Challenge debut next month at Colonial.
Thomas committed to the event on Tuesday, tournament director Michael Tothe said. Thomas, the 2017 PGA Championship winner, is ranked No. 4 in the world.
With Thomas’ commitment, the Colonial now has the five best players in the world coming to Fort Worth along with Rory McIlroy (No. 1), Jon Rahm (No. 2), Brooks Koepka (No. 3) and Dustin Johnson (No. 5). It’s the first time Colonial has had all top five players in the field since the world rankings started in 1986.
The big question remains whether Tiger Woods will join them and return for the first time since 1997. Woods was part of the highly-rated ‘The Match: Champions for Charity’ event that raised $20 million and drew in 5.8 million viewers over the weekend. Thomas served as an on-course analyst.
Tothe said the tournament has not had any sort of communication with Woods or his representatives about playing at Colonial.
“We’ve not talked to Tiger at all. Certainly would love to have him in the field,” Tothe said. “He played really, really well in ‘The Match’ on the weekend.”
Tothe went on to joke that the tournament hasn’t been told “no” by Woods. So, techincally, the possibility lives on.
“I haven’t asked,” Tothe said, chuckling. “If you don’t ask, you can’t say no. You can’t say yes, either, right?”
Woods tied for fourth in his only appearance in Fort Worth in 1997, finishing with rounds of 67-65-64-72. He was one shot back of leader David Ogrin going into the final round, but windy conditions made it difficult scoring conditions.
David Frost ended up as the winner with a score of 15-under 265, three shots ahead of Woods (12-under 268).
Woods would be a big-time boost to the Colonial if he commits, but the field is already stacked. Thomas gives the event seven of the top 10 players, and 15 of the top 20 for now. Thomas was scheduled to make his Colonial debut in 2019, but withdrew with a wrist injury.
It does not appear that Colonial will land another top 10 player. Adam Scott, the 2014 champion who is No. 6 in the world, is not expected to make the trip from his native Australia. Tommy Fleetwood, No. 10 in the world, also backed out reportedly because of travel concerns.
And Patrick Cantlay, the No. 7 player, has told tournament officials he does not plan to play. Still, as much as those players would be welcomed, there is plenty of star power coming to Fort Worth.
The Colonial is where the PGA Tour will resume its season after shutting down in mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tournament rounds are scheduled June 11-14.
“Our field is deep,” Tothe said. “It’s really come together nicely.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 6:59 PM.
