This year’s Colonial is loaded. Here’s our pick to win the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The Charles Schwab Challenge has a loaded field with the top five players in the world coming to Fort Worth. How will it unfold? Our projections as the Colonial gets underway on Thursday —
The winner?
Justin Rose. Rose, ranked No. 14 in the world, won the Colonial in 2018 and we expect he’ll add another plaid jacket to his trophy room. The course simply fits his eye. A victory at the first PGA Tour event back amid the coronavirus pandemic would fit on Rose’s resume that includes a U.S. Open victory with a score of 1-over and an Olympic gold medal in 2016.
If not Rose, then …
1. Rory McIlroy. He’s the No. 1 player in the world for a reason. There shouldn’t be much of a learning curve as he makes his Colonial debut. He’s expected to be in the mix, but no player has won their first Colonial since Sergio Garcia in 2001.
2. Justin Thomas. He’s the fourth-best player in the world and his caddie Jimmy Johnson has helped two players (Nick Price in 2002 and Steve Stricker in 2009) win the event. Like McIlroy, this is Thomas’ debut.
3. Jon Rahm. The No. 2-player in the world is a two-time Ben Hogan Award winner who has fared well in previous Colonial starts, including a runner-up finish in 2017.
4. Tony Finau. It’s amazing to think the 16th-best player in the world has only one PGA Tour victory. Don’t be surprised if he wins his second this week after being the runner-up here last year.
5. Jordan Spieth. Spieth hasn’t won since 2017 but maybe the layoff helped get his mind and game right. Much like when he’s at the Masters, he’s always in contention when he tees it up in Fort Worth. Spieth is already second among career money winners at Colonial with $2,734,901 behind two-time champion Zach Johnson ($3,510,245).
Local touch?
Outside of Spieth, there’s plenty of area players to pull for this week.
Ryan Palmer may be the best bet, given that he’s a member at Colonial and has finished in the top 10 four times in the tournament, including a T6 in 2019.
From a TCU perspective, Tom Hoge is in the midst of a breakout season and is a dark horse this week. J.J. Henry is a fan favorite and should have less pressure (and more help with Mark Brooks caddying for him). And, even though he’s a long shot in a field this stacked, Franklin Corpening has a chance to become a feel-good story if he’s playing on the weekend.
Another local guy to keep an eye on? Colleyville resident Chad Campbell. Campbell will be playing in his 18th Colonial.
Three bold predictions
▪ Rose is paired with Dustin Johnson, the fifth-best player in the world, and Bryson DeChambeau, the 13th-best player in the world. While we pegged Rose as this year’s winner, someone from this group will miss the cut. Johnson is known for his length, but Colonial is not a course players can overpower. DeChambeau is an unquestioned talent, but has struggled on this course by missing the cut in three of four career starts.
▪ Both champions’ choices will make the cut for the first time since 2013 (Spieth and Corpening). Yes, it’s a loaded field but Tom Lewis and Tyler McCumber rise to the challenge. Lewis finished 11th at last year’s British Open, while McCumber is the son of 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber.
▪ No. 4 will finally be aced. The 247-yard par-3 is the only hole that has never surrendered an eagle in tournament history. With this field, there’s no better time than now for someone to become the first. There has been 31 hole-in-ones in tournament history with 12 on No. 13; 10 on No. 16; and nine on No. 8.
Nuts and bolts
Purse: $7.5 million ($1.35 million to the winner)
TV: Thursday (2-5 p.m. Golf Channel); Friday (2-5 p.m. Golf Channel); Saturday (11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Golf Channel; 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. CBS); Sunday (11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Golf Channel; 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. CBS)
Defending champ: Kevin Na
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
