Lack of stars in Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth has one explanation
There is always the possibility that the calendar is going to “get” a PGA Tour event, and in 2026 one of the unintentional victims is the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth.
Fans of the long-standing event have noticed the lack of familiar names at the event that begins Thursday morning with the first round. The field isn’t bad. It just doesn’t have a lot of “names.”
One top 10 player is in the field - No. 9 J.J. Spaun, who won the 2025 U.S. Open. Seven of the world’s top 20 players are featured, including Justin Thomas and defending champion Ben Griffin.
But the lack of Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth is hard to miss.
Why some of the PGA Tour pros are skipping Colonial
This year’s version of the PGA Tour schedule has two “busier” periods where the player wants to find a break around the majors. We are currently in one of those periods.
On May 14-17 was the PGA Championship followed by DFW swing - the CJ Cup in McKinney and the Charles Schwab Challenge here in Fort Worth.
Next week is Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial in Columbus, Ohio followed by the Canadian Open on June 11- 14, and then the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York the weekend of June 18-21.
As long as Nicklaus, 86, is able to attend his own event, expect the field for The Memorial to be just off that of a major. Players tend to prioritize the events where the legends call home; they were loyal to the tournament at Bay Hill in Orlando when Arnold Palmer was alive, the same for the Byron Nelson in Dallas when he was around, and Ben Hogan here in Fort Worth at what was then called The Colonial.
For this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge, the timing just fell into a hard window where an established player is apt to pick a week to take off.
Why this year’s field for the CS Challenge stings
One of the more useful tools that the Charles Schwab Challenge can use to attract players is its location in an area where a handful of Tour players live.
It’s one of the reasons why players like Spieth and Scheffler have been regulars at the event for years, and why their combined absence pops on the leaderboard. They both live in Dallas, routinely praise the event and the course, and are fan favorites. Spieth won the event in 2016, and Scheffler has finished second twice, in 2024 and 2022.
Their decision to skip this tournament has nothing to do with the event itself, and everything to do with the calendar.
Top players such as Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Justin Rose or Collin Morikawa weren’t expected to play Colonial this week, but there was another “name” who was.
Brooks Koepka, who is one of the precious few golfers that people know even if they don’t follow the sport, was originally scheduled to play in this CS Challenge.
Koepka was one of “those” who left the PGA Tour to collect a massive check to join the LIV Golf league. As that league borders on collapse, he left it in January to re-join the Tour, where he has been allowed to join under a series of provisions.
One of those includes is that he is required to play a minimum of 15 approved PGA Tour tournaments this year; he had originally been signed up to play the CS Challenge, but bailed at the last minute.
Will the field be better for the 2027 Charles Schwab Challenge?
Should be.
The 2027 PGA Championship will be held May 20-23 at the PGA headquarter’s Fields Ranch East in Frisco. The next week should be the Charles Schwab Challenge. Should.
Expect the PGA Tour to formally announce its 2027 schedule sometime in August. Some tournaments have already announced their 2027 dates, including the CJ Cup, which will be April 29 to May 2 in McKinney.
The CS Challenge will announce its dates for 2027 on Sunday, immediately after this year’s tournament is complete.
Where it falls on the calendar next year should help beef up a field that, at this for this year, lacks the names you know.
