Power Rankings: Charles Schwab Challenge

As it relates to the age-old adage that everything is bigger in Texas, even the PGA Tour contributes to this in terms of its commitment with five stops in the 2026 season. It is matched only by the Tour’s home state of Florida in most changes as host. This week’s Charles Schwab Challenge is the fourth in the series and follows the second fortnight in the Lone Star State.

As the backdrop for all 80 editions of the tournament since its inception, Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, has been presented to test the 132 participants willing to wear the tartan jacket on Sunday.

Continue reading below for a piece of dynamic trivia related to the tournament that shows you what an avid fan you are, how the colonial system works, and much more.

In addition to the Oak Anniversary celebrating 80 years as a site for the PGA Tour, the Charles Schwab Challenge has also reached a 25-year milestone of sorts. It was in 2001 when Sergio Garcia won for the first time as a debutant on the PGA Tour and in tournaments. Neither achievement has been repeated since the colonial period.

As of Monday afternoon, about a quarter of the field is made up of tournament debutants, and only four of them have at least one win on the PGA Tour, so there’s another fair-sized group in position to reset the clock at both angles. History is also not on their side in macro, as no other active tournament has gone this long without a successful champion.

On the other side of the spectrum is four-time PGA Tour winner Ryan Palmer. This is his 23rd presentation. No one else in this week’s field has had that start. The member of Colonial claims T3 is his best result in 2016. This week’s commitment is his last as the 40-year-old.

Unlike similar sorting of talent at other storied tracks, this week Palmer and dozens of others with him have experienced the harsh winds and weather of Colonial and Texas. This will be the third year since Gil Hans and Jim Wagner recently renovated the stock Par 70 as far as the course is concerned. He added 80 yards to increase it to a historic length of 7,289 yards, but the scoring was not affected. In line with its recent history, it has risen above par in one fell swoop since they completed the project. It’s a story that played out last week at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Windham Clark’s 30-under was just one stroke shy of Scottie Scheffler’s tournament record last year and Lanny Wadkins and his crew swept TPC Craig Ranch. Touring professionals always vocalize their desire for continuity. It’s done and done.

With bentgrass greens averaging only 5,000 square feet and ready to roll up to 13 feet as measured by the Stimpmeter, the Colonial perennial is one of the stingiest in providing scoring opportunities. He and the omnipresent winds usually stand side by side as originators on the 90-year-old layout. The pairing of par 4s and par 5s is also better than all the other courses used by the PGA Tour. And while no one is planning on hitting a lot of putts for par breakers on a course that has ranked among the top four most challenging in the state each of the last three years, if there is going to be any success, it will likely be due to a hot putter. Garcia was at the very beginning of his career.

Bermudagrass fairways are capped with the same type of grass in the rough – Tifftuff – which has been cut to the familiar 2½ inches. So, while depth of field is also familiarly challenging in the macro, the final variable remains controlled by Mother Nature.

Eight dozen commuters making short trips into the Dallas Metroplex over the past week will feel the warm breeze at Colonial. Daytime temperatures will easily reach the 80s and perhaps reach 90 degrees by the middle of the tournament. Rain is almost never predicted in mid-spring in these seasons, but will be hit and miss due to the heat of the day. And although it is early, the only threat of the wind picking up is for the final round on Sunday. The strange thing is that it is expected to move from the east instead of the customary south or south-west.

Once the tournament is over,

Aeon Next 10 and Aeon Swing 5 will determine the next group Those paths lead to entry into next week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. See the timeline of his contributions below. he is also active @RobBoltonGolf at XWhere you can connect with him.

monday: power ranking
Tuesday*: Imaginary Insider; Expert’s Choice*; Sleeper**
sunday: Points and Payments; qualifier