Charles Schwab Challenge

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🏆️ The PGA Championship gave us a lot of great stories, from Xander Schauffele finally winning a major to Bryson DeChambeau showing how much we miss him. There was also Viktor Hovland’s comeback and Colin Morikawa’s final-round collapse. Many will wonder how one of the nicest and most unassuming people like Scottie Scheffler can get arrested and how Rory McIlroy can separate from his wife.

Xander Schauffele

Hard to believe that this was his 28th major, and with 12 top-ten finishes, Schauffele had earned the reputation as the best active player not to win a major. But Schauffele shattered that curse, and he did it fabulously. When he opened with a 62, many went back to last year’s U.S. Open, where he opened with a 62 but shot 70-73-72 to finish T-10. Since Johnny Miller shot the first 63 in a major at the 1973 U.S. Open, there have been 41 63s and four 62s. But going low doesn’t mean winning. In 45 times, the lowest score has been shot in a major, and Xander has won 11 times. But Xander goes down as the first 62 shoot on the way to winning a major.

Xander’s victory was won in total and in the toughest of conditions. Leading for 71 holes since making birdie on his second hole, Xander was briefly caught out when he bogeyed the 10th in the final round but came back with back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 to regain control. But when Bryson DeChambeau went birdie-par-birdie, Schauffele had to come back and make birdie on the final hole. That’s pressure enough, but Schauffele didn’t realize this was a three-hole playoff, not sudden death. Playing the 18th hole, Schauffele realized that DeChambeau had made birdie and was tied with him, and he was worried that a sudden death playoff on a short par 5 was close to instant death for him going up against DeChambeau and the length of his drives. That made birdie a must, which he did with a five-footer on the final hole.

The big question is, will winning a big tournament, a major, help Xander in the future? We ask that question every time somebody wins, but in Xander’s case, it takes the monkey off his back, and I think it will open the doors for more wins in the future.

Bryson DeChambeau

I was never a big fan of DeChambeau.  When I was on tour more before the pandemic, DeChambeau was a course person. He was self-centered and someone you didn’t want to be around. He went to LIV Golf for two reasons: he was injured and didn’t know if his game was coming back. At the same time, he was offered a lot of money to join LIV golf; it was easy to take the money and run. Now that we have seen DeChambeau be a part of the two majors on Sunday this year, and he has been very gracious, we miss him. With DeChambeau’s length and great feel around the greens, he can win a lot of majors. DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were injured and didn’t know their futures when LIV Golf came calling. They got paid a lot of money and gave LIV Golf a good show. Both contracts are for three years, and since both are playing well again, they have made millions; it may be time to return to the PGA Tour. We can only hope that this is the case because we have seen that the PGA Tour missed Jon Rahm, DeChambeau, and Koepka. The next few months will be very interesting, with the big question at the end of the year being whether the Saudis will have to pay another billion dollars to keep LIV Golf afloat for a fourth year. Or they can make a deal with all the tours or just shut it all down.

Viktor Hovland

We have documented Viktor Hovland’s last nine months. After an incredible 2023, where he won the last two playoff events and the FedEx Cup, many were expecting great things from Hovland. His game was sharp, and between his swing coach, Joe Mayo, and Hovland, they fixed his weakness around the green. But for some strange reason, the two parted ways in the off-season as Hovland wanted to do some things differently than Mayo was offering. After a great Ryder Cup, where Hovland went 3-1-1, he went home and did things without Mayo, thinking he could get better. He started working with Grant Waite and Dana Dahiquist, and they had different ideas on how Hovland should swing the club. Things didn’t work out, and Hovland was completely lost and didn’t know who to trust. With stuff in shambles, Hovland picked up the phone and called Mayo, and they got back together at the Masters. Things were a little better as he had an opening round of 71 but shot 81 in the second round. But Mayo and Hovland worked things out, and with rounds of 68-66-66-66, he finished 3rd, just three shots behind Schauffele. The good news is his game is back, and he will have a great summer and be in many tournaments for the rest of the year.

Other odds and ends from the PGA Championship

I was disappointed with the way Colin Morikawa played on Sunday. He was a perfect choice for Sunday; in the past, at the 2000 PGA and 2001 British Open, Morikawa got the job done. We know about his poor putting, but he is hard to beat when he gets it going. But he was easy to beat on Sunday as he parred his first 14 holes, made a bogey at 15, and then birdied just one hole, 18, to shoot 71 and fall into a tie for fourth, six shots back of Xander. We will see more of Morikawa in the coming weeks and think he will win in 2024.

So, could things have been different if Scottie Scheffler hadn’t gotten arrested? Honestly, I feel like he was flying blind after the birth of his son, and all of this would have caught up with him. So, what does that mean for this week at Colonial? I think the course is perfect for him, and he will be good and compete on Sunday.

What about the news that Rory McIlroy is getting a divorce? It’s always a shame to hear this kind of news, especially when a child is involved. But it makes sense; Rory’s game was not sharp, and something bothered him. We now know what it is. I can tell you that in 2014, Rory struggled with his game at the beginning of the season. At the time, he was engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, and everyone thought they were the perfect couple. People were shocked when he allegedly dumped her during a three-minute phone call and called off the wedding just weeks before the big day. Shortly after the breakup, McIlroy won the BMW PGA Championship and then two months later won the British Open, the WGC-Bridgestone, and the PGA Championship in a four-week span. With all that’s happened, don’t be surprised if Rory goes on a run this summer.

Last but not least, Jon Rahm

I hope he is enjoying his $500 million, according to many people. Jon has told some people he is taking a year off from the PGA Tour. But the funny thing is that the best players in the world are creatures of habit, so they play in most of the same events and keep the same schedule year in and year out. The transition between the PGA Tour and LIV golf hasn’t been great for Rahm, and it shows. Rahm had played in 30 consecutive majors heading into the PGA Championship. Since missing the cut at the 2019 PGA Championship, Rahm has been on a roll. He won twice in 18 majors and finished outside the top 25 only five times. He didn’t play well at the Masters last month, finishing T-45th. At the PGA Championship, he started with four bogeys in the first five holes on Thursday and salvaged the round by playing the last six holes in four under for a 70. But his indifferent game showed on Friday, and he didn’t have a back nine to save him, shooting 72 and missing his first major cut in five years (in 19 starts). Since Rahm joined LIV Golf, his game hasn’t been the best; he had a couple of chances to win but didn’t produce the right shot at the right time. I think he’s uncomfortable with things; frankly, I don’t see it getting any better. I wouldn’t be surprised if he misses the cut at the U.S. Open, the British Open, or both. He looks unhappy, and I have to think, for Rahm, what is more important, winning and playing well in the majors or getting $500 million to play poorly? For most humans, that question is loaded; $500 million is life-changing, and for many, they would take the money and run. We must wait and see what happens in the next few months.

A person to consider at Colonial that nobody will see

Going into the Charles Schwab, you must think that the dark horse will be Justin Rose. He has always been a consistent player. One of the things that has held him back has been his back, which has been a problem for five years. But Rose has worked hard to figure out how to swing the club to avoid problems; he had a productive year last year. This year has been challenging, and going into the PGA Championship, Rose’s best finish in 2024 was T-11th at Pebble. But things turned around when he finished T-6 at the PGA Championship. It was his fifth top-15 finish in his last five PGA Championships. Last year, he finished T-9 at Oak Hill, the site of the PGA Championship. He flew to Dallas from Oak Hill and T-12th at the Charles Schwab. Rose won the 2018 Charles Schwab, and frankly, the course is perfect for him, so watch him.

The Charles Schwab Challenge: A Deep Dive into History and Significance

The 77th Charles Schwab Challenge, often called the Colonial National, boasts a unique history. While not the oldest PGA Tour event, it holds the second-longest record for being played on the same course, Colonial Country Club. Notably, Colonial is the only course in America to have hosted the U.S. Open (1941), Players Championship (1975), and U.S. Women's Open (1991).

The tournament's roots trace back to 1946, initiated by John Marvin Leonard, a local businessman who envisioned the world's best golfers competing on his course. Ben Hogan's consecutive wins in the first two events solidified the tournament's prestige. Hogan, nicknamed "the Hawk," would go on to win five times at Colonial, earning the course the moniker "Hogan's Alley." His legacy is honored in the Hogan Room, showcasing his career and memorabilia.

Hogan's connection to Colonial extended beyond the course. He received financial support from Marvin Leonard during his early career and later repaid the favor by offering Leonard a share in his golf equipment company. This partnership was lucrative for both men.

The creation of Colonial Country Club was the brainchild of Leonard, who sought a championship course with bentgrass greens, a rarity in the South at the time. After building the course, Leonard successfully lobbied for the 1941 U.S. Open to be held at Colonial, marking the first time the tournament was played in the South. The event's success led to the establishment of the annual Colonial National Invitational.

The Charles Schwab Challenge is renowned for its list of past champions, including numerous major winners and World Golf Hall of Fame inductees. The tournament faced a potential setback when Dean & Deluca withdrew their sponsorship, but Charles Schwab stepped in to ensure its continuation.

Course Information:

• Colonial Country Club

• Fort Worth, Texas

• 7,289 yards Par 35-35–70

Colonial is a private course with a 75.1 rating and 138 slope from the championship tees. Designed by John Bredemus and refined by Perry Maxwell, the course has seen renovations over the years, most recently in 2000.

Technology has played a role in the course's evolution. Despite its classic design, Colonial's inability to lengthen due to surrounding constraints has made it less daunting for modern golfers equipped with advanced equipment. The course's shorter length and doglegs demand accuracy and strategy rather than raw power.

Recent renovations by Gil Hansen, completed in 2023, have focused on rebuilding and reseeding the fairways and greens. The impact of these changes on the upcoming tournament remains to be seen.

Who to watch for at the Charles Schwab Challenge

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