As title sponsor, Charles Schwab wants to keep building on Colonial’s ‘mythology’
The Charles Schwab Challenge is known for being a tradition-rich tournament.
Every golfer knows about Colonial’s iconic plaid jacket awarded to the champion and the Wall of Champions located at the No. 1 tee. Ben Hogan’s name is on the “Wall” a record five times and, of course, his statue by the clubhouse is a frequent backdrop when fans post pictures from the tournament.
Colonial has a new budding tradition, courtesy of its title sponsor Charles Schwab. The “Champion’s Prize” has become a centerpiece of the tournament in recent years as Schwab has restored and customized vehicles to award the champion.
In Schwab’s debut year in 2019, it presented a 1973 Dodge Challenger to winner Kevin Na, who gifted it to his caddie Kenny Harms. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 “prize” as the tournament faced uncertainty whether it’d be played.
But the prize returned last year with Jason Kokrak driving away in a 1946 Schwab Power Wagon. The tradition continues this year with a restored 1979 Firebird.
“One of the things we wanted to do when we partnered with Colonial was build upon some of the mythology that existed and create some new mythology,” said Mason Reed, managing director of acquisition and corporate marketing at Schwab. “This is part of that. We started with the Challenger car in 2019 and this year we’re coming back with the ‘79 Firebird.
“It’s really become a center point of the event.”
Reed chuckled about the first year when the security guard stationed by the car off No. 10 had to become the “de facto prize car expert” when fans asked questions.
“Now we have a QR code that people can scan and have a virtual reality experience with the features of the car,” Reed said. “Those are some of the little things we’ve learned from our first year. The ‘Champion’s Prize’ has become a real centerpiece of our activation for both the players and fans, and really even our employees.”
Reed touched on a number of other topics going into Colonial week:
On Schwab going into its fourth year as Colonial’s title sponsor (Schwab extended its title sponsorship through 2026 last year): “Colonial is a little bit unique, almost alone these days, in the fact that they’re a member-run tournament. When we started talking to them, they realized very quickly that we are a highly engaged title sponsor, which is what you want.
“We’re now really in a groove with our partners at Colonial in thinking through all the details around the tournament — what we want to keep, what to improve. I think we’re in a really good place in our fourth year of doing this tournament.”
On the tournament returning to full capacity after no fans in 2020 and limited fans in 2021: “It’s a relief. In 2020, that was a tough moment for everyone around the country. Just being able to have the tournament back even though it didn’t feel the same without fans was a small bright spot in a pretty dark time. But there is a sense of relief now and activating the tournament without any constraints. Hopefully it feels like it did in 2019.”
On different fan enhancements this year: “Outside of the traditional and obvious things like golf and sunshine … hopefully … we’ll have the Heim food truck by the driving range. There’s a new platform by the No. 9 tee and No. 8 green, which is an amazing viewing area for fans. They’ve started doing an all-inclusive food and beverage ticket. We just continue to work with them in dialing up the experience.”
On the tournament being held on Memorial Day and Charles Schwab supporting The Simpson Cup (a Ryder Cup-style tournament between injured servicemen from Great Britain and the US): “We try to find ways we can highlight veterans since it happens on Memorial Day. Each year we’re trying to find different ways we can draw attention to veterans.”
