Colonial National Invitation

"Colonial National Invitational" redirects here. For the defunct tennis tournament, see Colonial National Invitational (tennis).

The Colonial National Invitation, titled for sponsorship reasons as the Charles Schwab Challenge since 2019, is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played annually in May in Fort Worth at Colonial Country Club, which organizes the event. It is one of five invitational tournaments on the PGA Tour; the inaugural event was held 78 years ago in 1946.

Charles Schwab Challenge

Tournament information
Location	Fort Worth, Texas
Established	1946
Course(s)	Colonial Country Club
Par	70
Length	7,209 yards (6,592 m)[1]
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$8,700,000
Month played	May
Tournament record score
Aggregate	259 Zach Johnson (2010)
To par	−21 as above
Current champion
Davis Riley
Location map
Colonial CC Location in the United States Show map of the United States Colonial CC Location in Texas Show map of Texas

Overview

The tournament was founded 78 years ago in 1946,^[2] and honors the history of golf by using an official Scottish tartan plaid jacket for its champions and top committee chairmen. Another tradition feeding Colonial history is the Wall of Champions on the first tee, engraved with the name and score of each champion dating back to 1946, plus the 1975 Tournament Players Championship, 1941 U.S. Open, and 1991 U.S. Women's Open.

The tournament is unofficially associated with Ben Hogan (1912–1997), the long-time Fort Worth resident who won the tournament five times,^[3] the most of any player. One of the top players in golf history, he won nine major titles, six after a near-fatal automobile collision in 1949 that kept him hospitalized for two months. Hogan's final three major wins were consecutive in 1953; a statue of him at swing completion is near the clubhouse.^[4]

Annika Sörenstam played in the 2003 tournament and became the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years, since Babe Zaharias made three cuts as an amateur in 1945.^[5][6] Sörenstam's participation drew high media attention, but she shot 71 and 74 and missed the cut by four strokes.^[7]

In 2020, the tournament was held June 11–14 as the first PGA Tour event staged since the interruption of the regular schedule in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interests of maximum health and safety, the event had no spectators, a PGA Tour first.

Sponsors

The Charles Schwab Corporation, whose corporate headquarters relocated to the nearby suburb of Westlake in 2021,^[8] became the title sponsor of the event for a four-year deal starting in 2019.^[9]

Previous sponsors were Dean & Deluca (2016–2017), Crowne Plaza (2007–2015), Bank of America (2003–2006), MasterCard (1996–2002), and Southwestern Bell (1989–1994). There was no title sponsor in 1995 or 2018.^[10]

The event name had "Colonial" in its title through 2015, when the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial was renamed the Dean & DeLuca Invitational. Even the unsponsored 2018 event used the name Fort Worth Invitational, as opposed to "Colonial National Invitation" which was used the last time the event was without a sponsor back in 1995.

The 2018 tournament, renamed the Fort Worth Invitational, was held through the support of four local corporate supporters that had stepped-in to provide financial support after Dean & DeLuca suddenly pulled-out of a six-year sponsorship agreement. American Airlines, AT&T, XTO Energy Inc. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway agreed to help fund the 2018 tournament to allow time for the PGA TOUR and Colonial Country Club to find a new sponsor.

Invitational status

The Charles Schwab Challenge is one of only five tournaments given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently it has a reduced field of approximately 132 players in 2024 (as opposed to most full-field open tournaments with a field of 144 or 156 players). The other four tournaments with invitational status are the Genesis Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, and the Memorial Tournament. However, the 2020 event was staged with 144 players to help make up for the loss of several tournaments canceled earlier in the year.

Invitational tournaments have smaller fields (between 69 and 132 players), and have more freedom than full-field open tournaments in determining which players are eligible to participate in their event, as invitational tournaments have slightly different criteria for player eligibility in the PGA Tour Priority Ranking System. Furthermore, unlike full-field open tournaments, invitational tournaments do not offer open qualifying (aka Monday qualifying).

Field

The field consists of at least 120 players invited using the following criteria:^[11][12]

1. Colonial winners prior to 2000 and in the last five years
2. Colonial Winners in top 150 of prior year FedEx Cup points list
3. The Players Championship and major championship winners in the last five years
4. The Tour Championship and World Golf Championships winners in the past three years
5. Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial winners in the past three years
6. PGA Tour tournament winners since the last Colonial tournament
7. Playing members on the last named U.S. Ryder Cup team
8. Current PGA Tour members who were playing members on the last named European Ryder Cup team, U.S. Presidents Cup team, and International President's Cup team
9. Two players to be selected by the current and former champions of the Colonial tournament (Champions Choices)
10. Top 15 finishers and ties from previous year's Colonial Tournament
11. 12 sponsors exemptions -- 2 from among graduates of Web.com Tour finals, 6 members not otherwise exempt, and 4 unrestricted
12. Top 50 Official World Golf Ranking through the Masters
13. Top 80 from prior year's FedEx Cup points list
14. Members in the top 125 non-member category whose non-WGC points for the previous season equal or exceed the points earned by the player finishing in 80th position on the prior year FedEx Cup points list
15. Top 80 from current year's FedEx Cup points list through the tournament two weeks prior
16. If necessary to complete a field of 120 players, any remaining positions are filled from current year's FedEx Cup points list

Colonial winners prior to 2000 that are not otherwise eligible are in addition to a field of 120.

Champion's Choice tradition

Colonial has a unique PGA Tour tradition known as the Champion's Choice invitation. Each year, former Colonial champions select two deserving young players, who otherwise would be ineligible, to compete in the tournament.

Pros who made their first appearance at Colonial as a Champion's Choice include Al Geiberger, Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O'Meara, Paul Azinger, Davis Love III, and Jordan Spieth. Five Champion's Choices have eventually won the Colonial; Dave Stockton is the only Champion's Choice to win the tournament in the year selected (1967).

Course layout

Main article: Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth)

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Yards	565	389	483	247	481	406	440	199	407	3,617	408	635	445	190	464	430	192	387	441	3,592	7,209
Par	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	35	4	5	4	3	4	4	3	4	4	35	70

Source:^[1]

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse (US$)	Winner's share ($)	Ref.
Charles Schwab Challenge
2024	Davis Riley	266	−14	5 strokes	Keegan Bradley Scottie Scheffler	9,100,000	1,638,000
2023	Emiliano Grillo	272	−8	Playoff	Adam Schenk	8,700,000	1,566,000
2022	Sam Burns	271	−9	Playoff	Scottie Scheffler	8,400,000	1,512,000
2021	Jason Kokrak	266	−14	2 strokes	Jordan Spieth	7,500,000	1,350,000
2020	Daniel Berger	265	−15	Playoff	Collin Morikawa	7,500,000	1,350,000
2019	Kevin Na	267	−13	4 strokes	Tony Finau	7,300,000	1,314,000
Fort Worth Invitational
2018	Justin Rose	260	−20	3 strokes	Brooks Koepka	7,100,000	1,278,000
Dean & DeLuca Invitational
2017	Kevin Kisner	270	−10	1 stroke	Sean O'Hair Jon Rahm Jordan Spieth	6,900,000	1,242,000
2016	Jordan Spieth	263	−17	3 strokes	Harris English	6,700,000	1,206,000
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
2015	Chris Kirk	268	−12	1 stroke	Jason Bohn Brandt Snedeker Jordan Spieth	6,500,000	1,170,000
2014	Adam Scott	271	−9	Playoff	Jason Dufner	6,400,000	1,152,000
2013	Boo Weekley	266	−14	1 stroke	Matt Kuchar	6,400,000	1,152,000
2012	Zach Johnson (2)	268	−12	1 stroke	Jason Dufner	6,400,000	1,152,000
2011	David Toms	265	−15	1 stroke	Charlie Wi	6,200,000	1,116,000
2010	Zach Johnson	259	−21	3 strokes	Brian Davis	6,200,000	1,116,000
2009	Steve Stricker	263	−17	Playoff	Tim Clark Steve Marino	6,200,000	1,116,000
2008	Phil Mickelson (2)	266	−14	1 stroke	Tim Clark Rod Pampling	6,100,000	1,098,000
2007	Rory Sabbatini	266	−14	Playoff	Jim Furyk Bernhard Langer	6,000,000	1,080,000
Bank of America Colonial
2006	Tim Herron	268	−12	Playoff	Richard S. Johnson	6,000,000	1,080,000
2005	Kenny Perry (2)	261	−19	7 strokes	Billy Mayfair	5,600,000	1,008,000
2004	Steve Flesch	269	−11	1 stroke	Chad Campbell	5,300,000	954,000
2003	Kenny Perry	261	−19	6 strokes	Justin Leonard	5,000,000	900,000
MasterCard Colonial
2002	Nick Price (2)	267	−13	5 strokes	Kenny Perry David Toms	4,300,000	774,000
2001	Sergio García	267	−13	2 strokes	Brian Gay Phil Mickelson	4,000,000	720,000
2000	Phil Mickelson	268	−12	2 strokes	Stewart Cink Davis Love III	3,300,000	594,000
1999	Olin Browne	272	−8	1 stroke	Fred Funk Paul Goydos Tim Herron Greg Kraft Jeff Sluman	2,800,000	504,000
1998	Tom Watson	265	−15	2 strokes	Jim Furyk	2,300,000	414,000
1997	David Frost	265	−15	2 strokes	Brad Faxon David Ogrin	1,600,000	288,000
1996	Corey Pavin (2)	272	−8	2 strokes	Jeff Sluman	1,500,000	270,000
Colonial National Invitation
1995	Tom Lehman	271	−9	1 stroke	Craig Parry	1,400,000	252,000
Southwestern Bell Colonial
1994	Nick Price	266	−14	Playoff	Scott Simpson	1,400,000	252,000
1993	Fulton Allem	264	−16	1 stroke	Greg Norman	1,300,000	234,000
1992	Bruce Lietzke (2)	267	−13	Playoff	Corey Pavin	1,300,000	234,000
1991	Tom Purtzer	267	−13	3 strokes	David Edwards Scott Hoch Bob Lohr	1,200,000	216,000
1990	Ben Crenshaw (2)	272	−8	3 strokes	John Mahaffey Corey Pavin Nick Price	1,000,000	180,000
1989	Ian Baker-Finch	270	−10	4 strokes	David Edwards	1,000,000	180,000
Colonial National Invitation
1988	Lanny Wadkins	270	−10	1 stroke	Mark Calcavecchia Ben Crenshaw Joey Sindelar	750,000	135,000
1987	Keith Clearwater	266	−14	3 strokes	Davis Love III	600,000	108,000
1986	Dan Pohl	205[a]	−5	Playoff	Payne Stewart	600,000	108,000
1985	Corey Pavin	266	−14	4 strokes	Bob Murphy	500,000	90,000
1984	Peter Jacobsen	270	−10	Playoff	Payne Stewart	500,000	90,000
1983	Jim Colbert	278	−2	Playoff	Fuzzy Zoeller	400,000	72,000
1982	Jack Nicklaus	273	−7	3 strokes	Andy North	350,000	63,000
1981	Fuzzy Zoeller	274	−6	4 strokes	Hale Irwin	300,000	54,000
1980	Bruce Lietzke	271	−9	1 stroke	Ben Crenshaw	300,000	54,000
1979	Al Geiberger	274	−6	1 stroke	Don January Gene Littler	300,000	54,000
1978	Lee Trevino (2)	268	−12	4 strokes	Jerry Heard Jerry Pate	200,000	40,000
1977	Ben Crenshaw	272	−8	1 stroke	John Schroeder	200,000	40,000
1976	Lee Trevino	273	−7	1 stroke	Mike Morley	200,000	40,000
1975: No tournament
1974	Rod Curl	276	−4	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus	250,000	50,000
1973	Tom Weiskopf	276	−4	1 stroke	Bruce Crampton Jerry Heard	150,000	30,000
1972	Jerry Heard	275	−5	2 strokes	Fred Marti	125,500	25,000
1971	Gene Littler	283	+3	1 stroke	Bert Yancey	125,000	25,000
1970	Homero Blancas	273	−7	1 stroke	Gene Littler Lee Trevino	125,000	25,000
1969	Gardner Dickinson	278	−2	1 stroke	Gary Player	125,000	25,000
1968	Billy Casper (2)	275	−5	5 strokes	Gene Littler	125,000	25,000
1967	Dave Stockton	278	−2	2 strokes	Charles Coody	115,000	23,000
1966	Bruce Devlin	280	E	1 stroke	R. H. Sikes	110,000	22,000
1965	Bruce Crampton	276	−4	3 strokes	George Knudson	100,000	20,000
1964	Billy Casper	279	−1	4 strokes	Tommy Jacobs	75,000	14,000
1963	Julius Boros (2)	279	−1	4 strokes	Gary Player	60,000	12,000
1962	Arnold Palmer	281	+1	Playoff	Johnny Pott	40,000	7,000
1961	Doug Sanders	281	+1	1 stroke	Kel Nagle	40,000	7,000
1960	Julius Boros	280	E	1 stroke	Gene Littler Kel Nagle	30,000	5,000
1959	Ben Hogan (5)	285	+5	Playoff	Fred Hawkins	27,300	5,000
1958	Tommy Bolt	282	+2	1 stroke	Ken Venturi	25,000	5,000
1957	Roberto De Vicenzo	284	+4	1 stroke	Dick Mayer	25,000	5,000	[13]
1956	Mike Souchak	280	E	1 stroke	Tommy Bolt	25,000	5,000	[14]
1955	Chandler Harper	276	−4	8 strokes	Dow Finsterwald	25,000	5,000	[15]
1954	Johnny Palmer	280	E	2 strokes	Fred Haas	25,000	5,000	[16]
1953	Ben Hogan (4)	282	+2	5 strokes	Doug Ford Cary Middlecoff	25,000	5,000	[17]
1952	Ben Hogan (3)	279	−1	4 strokes	Lloyd Mangrum	20,000	4,000	[18]
1951	Cary Middlecoff	282	+2	1 stroke	Jack Burke Jr.	15,000	3,000	[19]
1950	Sam Snead	277	−3	3 strokes	Skip Alexander	15,000	3,000	[20]
1949	Cancelled due to flooding							[21]
1948	Clayton Heafner	272	−8	6 strokes	Skip Alexander Ben Hogan	15,000	3,000	[22]
1947	Ben Hogan (2)	279	−1	1 stroke	Toney Penna	15,000	3,000	[23]
1946	Ben Hogan	279	−1	1 stroke	Harry Todd	15,000	3,000	[2]

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources:^{[24][25][26][27]}

Multiple winners

Eleven men have won this tournament more than once through 2019.

5 wins

• Ben Hogan: 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1959

2 wins

Julius Boros: 1960, 1963 Billy Casper: 1964, 1968 Lee Trevino: 1976, 1978 Ben Crenshaw: 1977, 1990 Bruce Lietzke: 1980, 1992

Corey Pavin: 1985, 1996 Nick Price: 1994, 2002 Kenny Perry: 2003, 2005 Phil Mickelson: 2000, 2008 Zach Johnson: 2010, 2012

Notes

1. Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

1. "2015 PGA Hole Statistics - Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial". ESPN. May 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
2. "Little Ben Hogan takes Colonial golf match". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. May 20, 1946. p. 10.
3. "Ben Hogan winner in Colonial playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. May 5, 1959. p. 1C.
4. Sirak, Ron (May 17, 2011). "Spirit of Hogan remains at Colonial". Golf Digest. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
5. Ferguson, Doug (May 21, 2003). "Moment of proof". Times Daily. Florence, Alabama. Associated Press. p. 5C.
6. Lozano, Juan A. (May 18, 2003). "Babe was bigger than the game". Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Associated Press.
7. Ferguson, Doug (May 24, 2003). "Rough cut". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. B1.
8. Jones, Hannah (December 28, 2020). "Charles Schwab to Officially Move Headquarters to Denton County on Jan. 1". KXAS-TV.
9. "Charles Schwab taking over as Colonial Country Club PGA Tour event sponsor in 2019". CBS Sports.
10. "Dean & DeLuca announced as title sponsor of Colonial event". PGA Tour. February 15, 2016.
11. Colonial National Invitation Tournament - 2016 Eligibility
12. "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
13. "Vicenzo Wins Colonial Golf". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. May 6, 1957. p. 14A. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
14. "Souchak Wins Colonial Open". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. May 7, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
15. "Chandler Harper Wins Colonial Golf By Eight Strokes". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press. May 9, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
16. "Palmer Captures Colonial Golf". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. United Press. May 31, 1954. p. 10. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
17. "Ben Hogan Wins $5000 First in Colonial Golf". Nashua Telegraph. Nashua, New Hampshire. Associated Press. May 25, 1953. p. 10. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
18. "Hogan's Hot Finish Wins Colonial Golf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. May 26, 1952. p. 21. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
19. "Middlecoff Wins Colonial Golf Title". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. United Press. May 28, 1951. p. 22. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
20. "Snead Wins Colonial Golf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. May 29, 1950. p. 15. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
21. "Flood Washes Out Colonial Golf Date". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. Associated Press. May 27, 1949. p. 21. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
22. "Heafner Cops Colonial Golf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. May 31, 1948. p. 27. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
23. "Hogan Wins in Colonial National". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Associated Press. May 17, 1947. p. 11. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
24. 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Media Guide - p. 114
25. Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial – Winners – at www.pgatour.com
26. Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial – Winners Archived 2014-05-22 at the Wayback Machine – at golfobserver.com (1970–2009)
27. Johnson, Sal; Seanor, Dave, eds. (2009). The USA Today Golfers Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-302-8.

External links

• Official website
• Coverage on PGA Tour's official site

32.7170°N 97.3728°W / 32.7170; -97.3728