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.
Click here to read the full article…
