Barely have fans had time to catch their breath after one of the most important events of the year and already the circus is rolling again.

While Justin Thomas gets a week off to reflect and bask in the spoils of his PGA victory, the rest of the golf world shifts its attention to Texas and the Charles Schwab Challenge (or The Colonial, as many still refer to it).

With strong ties to Ben Hogan (five times a winner here), the tournament is one of only five on the schedule to be granted ‘Invitational’ status meaning a smaller than usual field and more freedom in setting said field.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jason Kokrak claimed his third PGA Tour title last year with a two-shot win over local crowd favourite Jordan Spieth.

Spieth started the day a shot ahead of his fellow American but never got going and posted a three-over 73 which included bogeys on two of his last four holes.

RIGHT: Jason Kokrak denied home hope Jordan Spieth victory and the tartan jacket here in 2021. PHOTO: Tom Pennington/Getty Images.

Interestingly, though on an unrelated sidenote, Kokrak will likely be at the forefront of any expected legal action arising from PGA Tour players teeing up on the rival Saudi Golf Tour.

Kokrak is a Golf Saudi ambassador and as such seems certain to be a regular on the Saudi schedule.

 

COURSE: If you enjoyed last week’s PGA at Southern Hills then you’ll likely be in for another enjoyable week as Colonial Country Club is also a Perry Maxwell design.

Opened in 1936 by Hogan mentor Marvin Leonard, Colonial plays host to this event for the 77th time when play gets underway this week, the longest running non-major tournament to be hosted continuously at the same venue.

Like Southern Hills, Colonial is set for a makeover from Gil Hanse starting next year so at present doesn’t feature the width that was on display last week.

In fact, Colonial could be described as narrow in places with overhanging trees and doglegs demanding precision over power off the tee.

Scoring tends to be in the mid-teens under par with the tournament record 21-under set by Zach Johnson in 2010.

Much less a ‘bomber’s paradise’ compared to many Tour stops, Colonial boasts an eclectic mix of champions from Phil Mickelson (twice) and Adam Scott to Kevin Kisner and Tim Herron.

The course rewards precise iron play and favours the player capable of shaping the ball both ways.

PRIZEMONEY: US$8,400,000

PLAYERS TO WATCH: It was a poor week by his own standards at Southern Hills and normally that would rule a player out but with nine starts, one win and only two finishes outside the top-10 here Jordan Spieth has to be part of calculations.

Jordan Spieth will be hungry for success after his performance last week at Southern Hills and loves playing at home in Texas. PHOTO: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.matt

Last year will feel like a ‘should have’ victory gone begging and Southern Hills aside his form line in recent weeks. Has been exceptional with a win and runner-up in back-to-back starts.

Spieth is one of the few players who can put a poor performance behind him quickly and on a course which is like a second home he will be dangerous this week.

He will have some highly fancied competition, of course, with World No.1 Scottie Scheffler fresh after a surprising weekend off at the PGA.

That missed cut was particularly surprising for a player who had been the hottest on the planet for most of the year and may not bode well for this week.

Scheffler has only two previous starts at Colonial with a missed cut and T55 to show for it though, in fairness, he is a different player in 2022 than the past two seasons.

Scheffler and Spieth are among five of the world’s top-10 ranked golfers in the field alongside Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Sam Burns.

Burns is the only one of the five to finish top-20 at Southern Hills (T20) though whether that works for or against him will be interesting to see.

Major tournaments tend to take a lot of energy out of the players and fatigue can be an issue in the weeks following.

Outside the big names are a number of players who performed well in Oklahoma, not the least of them our own Lucas Herbert who posted his best major finish.

Sometimes wild with the driver, Colonial may actually suit the Victorian as he can take less club off some of the tees and rely on his strong iron and short game

72-HOLE RECORD: 259 (-21, Zach Johnson, 2010)

18-HOLE RECORD: 61 (Keith Clearwater, Lee Janzen, 1993, Greg Kraft, 1999, Kenny Perry, Justin Leonard, 2003, Chad Campbell, 2004, Kevin Na, 2018)

PAST AUSSIE WINNERS: Bruce Crampton (1965), Bruce Devlin (1966), Ian Baker-Finch (1989), Adam Scott (2014)

AUSTRALIANS IN THE FIELD: Cam Davis, Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee.

TV TIMES*
Round 1: Friday (Fox Sports 503 6am – 9am)
Round 2: Saturday (Fox Sports 503 6am – 9am)
Round 3: Sunday (Fox Sports 503 4am – 9am)
Round 4: Monday (Fox Sports 503 3am – 8.30am)
*AEST, check local guides