Colonial Country Club, that absolute legend of a course, a PGA Tour staple since 1946 and the circuit’s longest-running non-major, is staring down an absolutely wild, unclear future. Reports are flying around that its epic run as a Tour venue might be wrapping up. Can you even imagine that?
The Bid That Didn’t Make the Cut
This whole mess centers on the PGA Tour’s dramatically remade 2028 schedule, which is splitting events into a Championship Series (tier one, big money) and a Challenger Series (tier two). Charles Schwab, who’s been hosting the event at Colonial since 2019, threw their hat in the ring for a Championship Series spot. But here’s the kicker: their bid reportedly didn’t meet the going market rate. We’re talking more than $30 million annually, with escalators built in. Tour CEO Brian Rolapp even said back in August that there’s more demand for Championship Series sponsors than there are actual opportunities. Ouch.
And to make it sting even more for Colonial faithful, a report on Golfweek.com says only one tournament in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is getting a Championship Series nod. And guess what? CJ, the title sponsor for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, apparently came in with a better offer than Charles Schwab. That’s a brutal pill to swallow, right?
Challenger Series? Maybe Not, But the Tour Has a Date
So, if Colonial isn’t in the top tier, what then? The Golfweek report hinted that Colonial would probably pass on hosting a Challenger Series event. But hold up, sources talking to GolfChannel.com are saying that assessment is “premature.” Classic back-and-forth, you love to see it. It definitely makes you wonder what’s really happening behind the scenes.
The Tour’s got a big date circled on the calendar, though. They plan to drop the entire 2028 Championship Series schedule on Feb. 22 on Golf Channel. Before that huge announcement in February, we’re actually expecting a bunch of Challenger Series events and their sponsors to be confirmed. So, some answers are coming, but maybe not the biggest one until later.
A Remade Tour And Where Schwab Could Go Next
This whole situation is happening because the PGA Tour’s competitive model is getting a massive overhaul starting in ’28. We’re talking 24 Championship Series events, including the majors, The Players Championship, and international team events. There’s even a two-event postseason with match play at iconic venues. It’s a whole new ball game. Nine of those Championship Series events have already been announced, by the way: the RBC Heritage, Truist Championship, Cadillac Championship at Doral, Travelers Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial, The Sentry at Torrey Pines (Calif.), The GO by Raymond James (formerly the Wyndham Championship), and a new Sompo-sponsored event set for 2027 in Napa, California.
As for Charles Schwab, if their main Tour presence at Colonial doesn’t work out, they do have options. They’re already the umbrella sponsor for the PGA Tour Champions season-long points race and its postseason, so they could totally pivot to the over-50 circuit. We’ve seen it before: the Sony Open, a PGA Tour stop for decades, is becoming the Champions Tour’s opening event next year. This highlights how much is shifting in the golf world right now.
This whole situation is absolutely wild, especially for a place with so much history like Colonial. Will this legendary course remain part of the PGA Tour’s main show, or is a new era dawning without it? You know everyone will be glued to that Feb. 22 announcement on Golf Channel. It’s crunch time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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