There’s a sense of old and new at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.
On the one hand, Colonial Country Club is among the most familiar venues on the PGA Tour. It’s been used since 1946.
But ahead of this year’s event, the famed par 70 has undergone a $25m revamp courtesy of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner.
Perhaps the biggest thing to note is the new bentgrass greens, some of which have been relocated and others lowered in elevation.
New greens are often bouncier and that was a point noted by defending champion Emiliano Grillo in Tuesday’s press conference.
The Argentine said: “The greens are going to be new, they're going to be hard. If we get some rain like it's expected it's going to be playing a little bit longer, and with harder greens, so that's a tough combination.
“New reads, new contours, new everything, so I got to go out today and do my homework and pretend it's a place I've never played. I'm assuming most of the lines will be the same, it will be just playing different on the second shots and around the greens.”
Grillo won with 8-under-par last year and Sam Burns with 9-under in 2022 so, pre-revamp, this was a tough test.
Familiar Texas winds will once again have to be negotiated this week, with the forecast suggesting 20mph or more at times.
Angles to consider
1/ Strokes Gained: Tee To Green
With many of the visuals still the same from the tees and fairways, past excellence in Tee To Green at Colonial looks more trustworthy than a strong showing on the greens which will now be different. The TTG rankings of the last five winners from 2019 read 2nd, 4th, 2nd, 9th, 20th.
2/ Course/Texas form
Before winning last year, Grillo had a third and an eighth at Colonial while 2022 champ Sam Burns was a previous runner-up at the Byron Nelson and later went on to win the WGC Match Play in Austin. Those are just two examples highlighting how past Texas form has been a good pointer.
3/ Par 4 Performance
There are a plethora of dog-leg par 4s and, this being a par 70, there are 12 par 4s overall, two more than a standard par 72. Grillo ranked tied 3rd on them last year while five of the last five Colonial winners were also ranked in the top three on the par 4s.
Selections
The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected.
Jordan Spieth
Texas native Spieth has a win and three second places at Colonial and, overall, has eight top 10s in his 11 appearances. In seven of those he ranked in the top 11 for TTG. He added another top 10 at the recent Texas Open and ranks 9th for Par 4 Scoring Average this season. Spieth had strong TTG numbers for the first 54 holes of the PGA Championship before a poor back nine dropped him into midfield. Expect a bounce back in Texas.
Tony Finau
Finau, like Spieth, is strong in Texas and specifically at Colonial. He has a second, a fourth and three other top 25s at this week’s venue and his last two starts in the Houston Open show a win (2022) and a second (2024). When 18th at Valhalla last week, Finau was ranked 1st for SG: Approach and 10th in Par 4 Scoring. He has some excellent TTG numbers at Colonial.
Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai’s name flashes up when looking at all the above angles. He was fourth at the recent CJ Cup Byron Nelson, seventh in the Houston Open at the end of March and tied 12th here last year. The Englishman ranks 13th for Par 4 Scoring in 2024 and 14th Tee To Green so looks a great fit after his solid 39th at the PGA Championship.
Tips 0-3; -6.00pts
1.25pts e.w. Jordan Spieth at 22/1 (William Hill 1/5 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8) 37th
