Lydia Ko considered skipping Gainbridge LPGA after surgery, but she couldn't resist a home game at Lake Nona

The FedEx Cup ends with the Tour Championship, a staggered scoring start and one winner. The change has received a lot of attention. Now, we’ll find out if it was all worth it.

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For the first time in just under three months PGA TOUR golf returns at the storied Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The home of Ben Hogan and the plaid jacket hosts the return to golf with a bumper field four your (television) viewing pleasure. Sure, some new protocols are in place during these pandemic times, but the ultimate goal of getting the ball in the hole as quickly as possible remains. It’s time for air high fives, waves and hat tips directly into the camera, and perhaps a little more broadcast interaction with players than we’ve seen before. RELATED: Featured Groups, tee times | First step into golf’s new normal | Power Rankings THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER They call it the “Horrible Horseshoeâ€� at Colonial and it usually hits you early in your round. The two longest par 4s on the course with the longest par 3 sandwiched right there in between them. It starts at the 483-yard par-4 third before hitting the 247-yard par-3 fourth and finishes with the 481-yard par-4 fifth. Since 2003 these three holes have played to a scoring average of +0.479 strokes over par. Last season it was +0.582 with the 5th, at +0. 273 the equal toughest hole on the course. Since 1983, the Horrible Horseshoe has played to a combined score to par total of 7,613-over par while the other 15 holes have played a combined 1,113-under par. Come through there without dropping a shot and you’ve no doubt made a move in the right direction up the leaderboard. LANDING ZONE Last season at Colonial Country Club the 441-yard 18th hole played fractionally under par but came after six straight holes of an above par average. If you need to make your play on the final hole you need to thread the needle down the treelined fairway to give yourself the best look at a green guarded by water on the left side. Laying back for accuracy wasn’t the best move a year ago as players who hit their tee ball 280-plus averaged under par but those who left it short of that mark averaged over par. Here’s a look at where tee shots landed in 2019. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “Dry weather is forecast all week as high pressure stalls across northern Texas. Temperatures will warm back into the upper 90s from Thursday through Sunday. Humidity levels will be low this week so it will be more of a dry heat. Breezy conditions are expected on Wednesday with lighter winds forecast from Thursday through Sunday.â€� For the latest weather news from Fort Worth, Texas, check out the PGA TOUR Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK First of all, the mission was to not shank the first seven balls I hit on the range, trying to make contact with the ball, and then slowly just try to get the rust off. BY THE NUMBERS: ISLAND GREEN EDITION 1: Rank in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green for the last two winners of the Charles Schwab Challenge. (Justin Rose, Kevin Na) 2: Number of players in the field who share the cumulative scoring record on the Horrible Horseshoe (holes 3-5) at Colonial Country Club. Since complete records began in 1983 just five players are -2 in their career on the stretch including Branden Grace and Patrick Reed who line up this week. Reed has 12 rounds, Grace just four. 4: Defending champion Kevin Na has four rounds of 63 or better at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the most of any player at the event in the last 37 years. 10: Last season Colonial CC had just 10.05percent of players make birdie or better when hitting approach shots out of the rough. This marked the third lowest Birdie or Better percentage from the rough all season. 13: The number of players who haven’t recorded a bogey or worse on the Horrible Horseshoe at Colonial CC in the last 37 years. That’s just 1.7percent of 768 total players. 75: Percentage (75.43%) of greens hit in regulation from inside 125 yards last season at Colonial Country Club. This made them the second toughest to hit on TOUR from close range. SCATTERSHOTS Floyd Tribute: As part of ongoing efforts to amplify the voices and efforts underway to end racial and social injustice, the PGA TOUR has set aside an 8:46 a.m. tee time that will feature no players. The time has been set aside at both Colonial Country Club (Charles Schwab Challenge) and TPC Sawgrass (Korn Ferry Tour Challenge), as 8:46 has become a universal symbol for the racial injustice faced by the black community. There will also be a one-minute moment of silence at that time, which will begin with three horn blasts coordinated through PGA TOUR Rules Officials. Players on site will be asked to pause for reflection as a demonstration of support for the TOUR’s commitment to addressing racial and social injustices. Star studded field: The field includes each of the top-five players in the Official World Golf Ranking and also contains FedExCup leader Sungjae Im and 44-time winner Phil Mickelson. There are 101 players in the field that have won on the PGA TOUR, making the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge the first tournament in the FedExCup era other than THE PLAYERS Championship to showcase 100 or more TOUR winners. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, No.2 Jon Rahm and No.3 Brooks Koepka will play together over the opening two rounds. “It’s hard to say anymore who’s the best in the world after not competing for three months,â€� Rahm said. “It all depends on who’s prepared the best or who’s handled the situation the best or who even handles these new rules on the PGA TOUR the best. It’s just a ranking. It’s a continuously moving thing, and since we’ve been stopped, I don’t think those numbers matter a lot anymore. I think we only can come back and prove that we deserve that spot.â€� New Normal: This week marks the first TOUR event under the new health and safety measures put in place to continue the fight against COVID-19. Played without on-site fans and with multiple social distancing and hygiene protocols the Charles Schwab Challenge marks a chance for the new “normalâ€� to be put into practice. The TOUR’s health and safety plan has been developed over the better part of three months with input from PGA TOUR medical adviser Dr. Tom Hospel, an expert in infectious diseases from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Federal Coronavirus Task Force, as well as other specialists and laboratory directors and in consultation with the other professional sports leagues. Testing protocols – including a mobile laboratory in partnership with Sanford Health – will ensure the TOUR will not take valuable resources from the communities in which it plays. While most are on the outside hoping for a look in via broadcasts later in the week, a select few are inside the grounds. Here is a firsthand account of how things went down in the lead up to the tournament. Honoring Frontline Workers: Despite a three-month break, the TOUR, its tournaments and players have not stopped making an impact including significant COVID-19 relief ($36 million) and funds for other meaningful organizations. That work continues this week as the Charles Schwab Challenge has created a charitable platform, “Rise to the Challengeâ€�, to engage golf fans at home while also raising money for COVID-19 relief and DFW charities through autographed memorabilia and one-of-a-kind experiences. Additionally, the tournament will feature names of local frontline workers alongside the players’ names. The 148 players in the Charles Schwab Challenge field will represent 148 different frontline workers from across North Texas who have been working tirelessly since the pandemic began – often at the risk of their own personal health and safety – to meet the needs of those most directly impacted in the Fort Worth area. Palmer pace setter: Colonial member Ryan Palmer has been given the honor of hitting the first shot on the PGA TOUR in nearly three months. The veteran four-time TOUR winner was chuffed when asked to be the official restart of the season after the COVID-19 break. There was a time when Byron Nelson had the same honor on an annual basis in the Charles Schwab Challenge. Colonial Country Club aka “Hogan’s Alleyâ€� dates back to 1946 and holds the distinction of being the longest-run event on the PGA TOUR to be contested on the same course.

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Here’s a look at the two players who Monday qualified for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. There was a four-for-one playoff to decide the last spot. There are two spots available at each Monday qualifier after the COVID-19 break. QUALIFIERS Kurt Kitayama (64) Age: 27 College: UNLV Turned pro: 2015 PGA TOUR starts: 10 PGA TOUR earnings: $174,249 Twitter: @Kurt_Kitayama Notes: Has played in five PGA TOUR events so far this year, making four cuts … His best finish was a T18 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am … He has 10 career starts on the PGA TOUR … He has played 31 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, making 13 cuts, with zero top 10s … Had a win on the Asian Developmental Tour in 2018 … Had two runner-ups and a fourth-place finish on Asian Tour in 2018 … At end of 2018 went to European Tour Q school and got thru all three stages, despite not ever playing in Europe prior to Q school … He then won the Afrasian Bank Open (co-sanction event with Sunshine Tour) and the Oman Open in the 2018-19 European Tour season … Ranked 1187th in world rankings at the beginning of 2018 and is now ranked 77th … Had a great career at UNLV, including top 15 scoring average in school history … Scoring averaged of 70.6 as a sophomore in high school … Was an All-Section point guard in basketball in high school both his junior and senior year. Donnie Trosper (67) Age: 23 College: Michigan State University Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 0 PGA TOUR earnings: Twitter: @DonnieTrosper Notes: This will be his first start on any of the PGA TOUR-sanctioned tours … Won in a three-hole playoff for the final spot … Lost in a playoff for the last spot in the Puerto Rico Open Monday qualifier this year … Is a 2020 Korn Ferry Tour member … Made it from Pre-Qualifying all the way to final stage at Q school … Shot every single round under par in Q school … Transferred to Michigan State after three years at Central Florida … At Central Florida, he was named conference freshman of the year and made All-conference twice … In his one year at Michigan State he set the lowest scoring average in school history (71.37) … Ranked as high 241st in World Amateur Golf Rankings before turning pro … won four American Junior Golf Association events in 2014, tying for second all-time with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson TROSPER Q&A A quick chat with Donnie Trosper after Monday qualifying at the Rocket Mortgage Classic: PGATOUR.COM: What does it mean to Monday qualify for you to get your first PGA TOUR start in your home state? TROSPER: You know, this course really set up for well for my game, it sets up really well for a fade and that is what I hit, so I was confident coming in. It just means a lot. I really can’t believe it right now. It hasn’t sunk in, I’m sure that will take some time. You always think you are going to eventually get there, but this is a really great feeling, like I said before, I just can’t believe it. PGATOUR.COM: There haven’t been many playing opportunities because of quarantine. What did you do to keep your game in shape and what were your expectations coming in to today? TROSPER: I used Dustin Johnson as some motivation, he came off of vacation and won at the Travelers [Championship], so figured I could come out of quarantine and play well. Luckily, I grew up on a golf range, so I worked really hard on game during the break and felt really good coming in. A lot of the guys here are in the same situation, without good status we all haven’t played much, so that was pretty equal across the board. PGATOUR.COM: You lost in a playoff for Puerto Rico Open. Did you learn anything from that playoff, that you were able to apply to today? TROSPER: Yes, for sure, just to not to put so much pressure on myself. I put a ton of pressure on myself in that playoff and I am sure it hurt me. I also learned a little from Daniel Berger then other day in the Charles Schwab Challenge playoff. He was on the range ripping drivers while Colin Morikawa was hitting wedges. I used that warming up for playoff, ripping some drivers really helped me get some of the tension out and loosened me up. I tried my best to enjoy myself. PGATOUR.COM: On the first playoff hole, you made a long birdie putt, but Andres Echavarria made one right after that. Is it hard to reset mentally, thinking you might have won it, only to have him make one also? TROSPER: I was really proud of that putt; I mean you dream of putts like that. And to make it was really cool. You play your whole life for a putt like that, and to make it was just awesome. But yeah, it’s disappointing for sure to have him make it right on top of me. On the walk over to the next tee, I really had to refocus. Then he made that great up and down on the second playoff hole, you just have to keep focused. PGATOUR.COM: How many times have you played Detroit Golf Club? Will you have some home course advantage? TROSPER: I just played there last week with (former Detroit Red Wing) Darren McCarty and (former Detroit Lion) T.J. Lang. It really helped me, I think, with playing it under pressure, I was really nervous playing with those guys. I really hope that helps this week. It’s so rare in golf to be able to sleep in your own bed and play in an event, let alone a PGA TOUR event. I really just can’t wait for this week. NOTES NOTABLE MISSES: Andrea Pavan 67, Andres Echavarria 67, MJ Daffue 68 STRENGTH OF TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY QUALIFIER: Combined number of PGA TOUR starts: 36 Number of players with at least 1 PGA TOUR wins: Zero Combined number of PGA TOUR wins: 0 Combined PGA TOUR earnings: Over $125K Combined Korn Ferry Tour wins: Zero Player with most PGA TOUR wins in the field: None COURSE INFO Name of course: Oakland University Katke course; 6,878 yards; rating 74.3, slope 140 2019-2020 SEASON MONDAY QUALIFIER STATS Average Medalist score: 65.2 Average last qualifying spot score: 66.8 Total number of cuts made: 10 of 48 (20.8%) Most recent results (Travelers Championship): David Pastore MC (Chase Koepka WD) Money earned: $325,518 Best Finish: Garrett Osborn, T18, Sanderson Farms NEXT MONDAY QUALIFIER July 6: Workday Open Monday Qualifier, Country Club of Muirfield Village NOTES FROM OTHER TOURS Monday Qualifier Hayden Buckley birdied his last four holes at the Utah Championship presented by Zion Bank and finished in the Top 25. Paul Peterson finished T16 at the Korn Ferry King and Bear Classic two weeks ago after Monday qualifying. That earned him a spot in the Utah Championship presented by Zion Bank. He then finished in top 25 again, earning a spot in this week’s event.

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