Golf Jul 07, 2026

Charles Schwab Challenge: Field, format, prize money as Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark withdraw from PGA Tour event

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Charles Schwab Challenge: Field, format, prize money as Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark withdraw from PGA Tour event

Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from this week's Charles Schwab Challenge, meaning he won't be able to qualify for next week's Signature Event at the Memorial Tournament.

Wyndham Clark, who carded a final-round 60 to , also withdrew from this week's event in Fort Worth, Texas.

No official reason has been given for Koepka's decision to pull out after the five-time major champion ended his week on 18 under and tied for 14th place at TPC Craig Ranch.

Koepka, who re-joined the PGA Tour at the start of the year from LIV Golf, needed to break into the AON Next 10 or the AON Swing 5 leaderboards with a strong finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge to secure a berth at The Memorial Tournament.

This event was first played back in 1946, making it one of the oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour circuit.

Many link the tournament to career Grand Slam winner and golfing great Ben Hogan, who won this event five times - the most of any player.

Hogan also lived in Fort Worth, near the Colonial Country Club - the host course of the tournament - and a statue in tribute to the nine-time major winner was erected here in 1994.

This year marks the 80th time the Colonial Country Club will host the Charles Schwab Challenge.

That makes this course the longest-running host venue for a regular-season PGA Tour event, outside of the majors.

Colonial has also been the site of historic golfing moments, with Annika Sörenstam becoming the first female golfer to compete in a PGA Tour event at the 2003 Charles Schwab Challenge.

This week, the golf course will play to 7,289 yards with a par score of 70. Seven pros currently hold the course record of 61, with Kevin Na being the last in 2018 to shoot the nine-under-par score. Former USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson shot the lowest 72-hole score of 21-under par when he won the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2010.

When many players think of Colonial, they think of the course's toughest stretch of holes, the third to the fifth, which are dubbed the 'Horrible Horseshoe'. Many have credited it as the hardest stretch of holes, outside of the majors, on the PGA Tour circuit.

Players are forced to navigate sharp doglegs, swirling winds and tight fairways that are bordered by the course's Trinity River. Precision is key.

Ben Griffin won this event in 2025 and will look to defend the second of his three PGA Tour titles this week at Colonial. He'll be one player to keep an eye on after his T14 finish at the PGA Championship and has been one of the best putters on tour in 2026, with his flat stick guiding him to a third-place finish at the Cadillac Championship.

Ludvig Ã…berg is back in the field and eager to finally claim a victory on the PGA Tour this season, having posted top-five finishes in five of the last seven events - including The Players and the PGA Championship.

A win at Colonial this week - on his tournament debut - would do wonders for his confidence heading into next month's US Open, live from June 18-21 on Your Site Golf.

Like Ã…berg, Justin Thomas has found a good vein of form of late without reaching the winner's circle. The 16-time PGA Tour winner impressed with a tied-fourth finish at the PGA Championship and not looks for his first win since April 2025.

Alex Smalley enjoyed a great week at Aronimink, ending his tournament tied-second with Jon Rahm. He enters this week high in confidence, finishing inside the top-25 in his last six starts.

It's been a mixed season for last year's US Open Champion JJ Spaun, but he will tee up as the highest-ranked player in this week's competition, sitting at ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

Spaun has missed six cuts on the PGA Tour this season, but has mixed those in with a win at the Valero Texas Open and a tied-fifht placing at the Truist Championship. He may have missed the cut at Aronimink, but his victory in Texas earlier this year also came after he failed to make it to the weekend at the Valspar Championship.

After last week's birdie fest at TPC Craig Ranch, Sungjae Im is another to watch out for. Despite ending tied-ninth last week, he posted an incredible card of 10-under par for his second round, which included two eagles on his final three holes.

A total purse of $9.9m (£7.33m) is up for grabs this week.

From that fund, the winner will pocket a whopping $1.78m (£1.32m), while second place will bank $1.07m (£800,000).

On top of that, the champion will receive 500 FedExCup points and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Early coverage of rounds one and two of the Charles Schwab Challenge will commence on Thursday and Friday at 1pm on Your Site+. Full coverage begins later on Your Site Golf at 5pm.

Early round three coverage starts on Saturday at 1.30pm on Your Site+, with the full broadcast beginning at 4.30pm on Your Site Golf.

Final round coverage begins on Sunday at 1pm on Your Site+, with full coverage commencing on Your Site Golf at 4.30pm.

Watch all four rounds of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Your Site. or .

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