Why a couple veteran PGA Tour rules officials decided to make Colonial their last ride
The Charles Schwab Challenge is the final event veteran PGA Tour rules officials Mark Russell and Slugger White will work together. Why did they choose the annual event at Colonial Country Club?
“It doesn’t get any better,” White said. “I said I had a chance when we did retire at the end of last year to pick the events that I wanted to go to, and this was one of the first ones I picked.”
Said Russell: “This is a very special event. It’s an invitational. The tradition, the history here, and this is an event that is put on by the club. They take a lot of pride in it. ... Ben Hogan’s place. They do a great job.”
Colonial is celebrating its 75th year this year.
Both White and Russell hold the titles of vice president of competitions and have led that department since 1999. The PGA Tour held a news conference with the two during Saturday’s third round to celebrate two long careers in the sport.
The most memorable moment for both at Colonial from a rules standpoint might have been in 2012 when eventual winner Zach Johnson forgot to replace a moved ballmark before his final putt on the 72nd hole. That’s a 2-stroke penalty.
Fortunately, Johnson had a 3-stroke lead and still ended up winning by 1 stroke.
“I said, Mark, I’m not sure, I don’t think he put his ball back after he marked it off to the side,” White said. “He didn’t, and we caught that. We caught him and thank goodness he made about a 9-footer to win by 3, and he still got a 2-shot penalty and he ended up winning. That was pretty bizarre.”
Added Russell: “I’m glad he had a 3-shot lead.”
Flyover country
The tournament will commemorate Memorial Day with a flyover featuring four military jets during Sunday’s final round.
The tournament will pause for a course-wide 40-second moment of silence at 2 p.m. followed by a flyover by the USAF 25th Flying Training Squadron “The Shooters” based at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.
This has become a Colonial tradition since it started in 2018 to honor the men and women who lost their lives serving the country.
The flyover will be broadcast during CBS’ coverage.
Hardest holes?
Colonial’s famed “Horrible Horseshoe” is continuing to stand up throughout this year’s tournament.
No. 3, a 483-yard par-4, is playing as the second-hardest hole through three rounds. Only 29 birdies have been made on it this week, including just four on Saturday.
No. 4, a 247-yard par-3, remains the only par-3 that has never been aced in tournament play. TCU product and Fort Worth resident J.J. Henry came the closest the first three rounds, sticking it to within 9 inches during Thursday’s first round.
Only 24 birdies have been made on No. 4 through the first three rounds. That’s the fewest on any hole. It’s ranked as the third-hardest hole through three rounds.
And No. 5, a 481-yard par-4, remains the hardest hole on the course. Saturday’s final pairing of Jordan Spieth and Jason Kokrak saw two bogeys made on No. 5. Only 30 birdies had been made on the hole through the first three rounds with a scoring average of 4.236.
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 5:19 PM.
