Colonial Country Club ‘Demands Every Part Of Your Game,’ Says CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis

The Charles Schwab Challenge invited back the PGA Tour from its three-month COVID respite in 2020. This year it goes back to its late-May area on the calendar following the PGA Championship.

As a result of last year’s reshuffling, the Charles Schwab will follow the significant for just the second time given that the Tour revamped its routine for the 2018-19 season.

This year marks the 75th wedding anniversary of the occasion by welcoming a strong area to Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Three of the world’s top-10 players and also 10 of the top-25 will be on hand. That includes world number two Justin Thomas, who will certainly be looking to get rid of last week’s missed out on cut. It also features last year’s runner-up and also globe number 5 Collin Morikawa. Daniel Berger, rated 16th worldwide, returns to defend the title he won in a playoff over Morikawa in 2015.

Some big stories lay outside the leading 25. Phil Mickelson jumped from 115th to 32nd in the positions on the toughness of his shock PGA Championship win. He will certainly intend to continue that newfound energy in an event he’s won two times. The initial of those victories happened in 2000, when Morikawa was three years of ages. The second can be found in 2008, just a little much less than forever back.

” As all of us know with Phil, you never count that male out,” says CBS Sports golf press reporter Amanda Balionis. “I assume it would certainly be extremely hard, taking into consideration the physical and also emotional path you take to win a significant. Particularly doing it at virtually 51 years old. You saw that scene on Sunday, and also it resembled that all week for him. It is draining pipes having thousand and thousands of followers yelling your name as well as having to concentrate. I don’t understand how you do that the extremely next week as well.”

Jordan Spieth will likewise be wanting to extend his rebirth. The Texas native is placed 28th on the planet after beginning the year 82nd. He has his very own win at the Charles Schwab in 2016, bookended by 2 second-place coatings. Spieth has likewise located some success in his home state of late. He won the Valero Texas Open in early April and linked for 9th at the AT&T Byron Nelson a pair weeks earlier.

” An individual like Jordan Spieth needs to be a large storyline,” according to Balionis. “Historically he plays so well in the state of Texas and also has finally gotten over that hump that we’ve seen him fight via for almost four years. And also I think coming off of a week where he could have completed the Career Grand Slam. Couldn’t quite get it going sufficient on the weekend break. I think he’s mosting likely to return and try to put some focus on maintaining that energy going today.”

Unlike at Kiawah Island, size isn’t a huge challenge at Colonial Country Club. The training course measures 7,209 yards and eases players into the par-70 track with an inviting start. The opening holes provide birdie opportunities to gamers that don’t obtain also greedy. The very first opening is a par-5 dogleg right that extends a manageable 565 backyards. The 2nd is one more dogleg right, a shorter par-4 that only measures 389 backyards. Both environment-friendlies are flanked by shelters created to consume a brief approach.

After that points get intriguing.

The Horrible Horseshoe– Colonial’s third, 5th and 4th holes– consistently rank amongst the hardest three-hole stretches on the PGA Tour. And also it’s easy to see why. The 3rd hole, a lengthy dogleg left par-4 at 483 lawns, requires precision off the tee. The fourth hole is a straight 247-yard par-3 to an elevated eco-friendly. Gamers that survive three as well as 4 are entrusted to encounter the hardest opening on the course, a 481-yard par-4 with a tough strategy. On a shot-maker’s training course, loaded with tree-lined fairways, this collection of openings can determine the victor.

Past the Horrible Horseshoe, Colonial offers a wonderful mix of openings that can test gamers throughout the spectrum, from bombers to shot-makers.

” You need to be exceptionally accurate,” Balionis stresses. “It actually demands every part of your video game. It’s a second-shot golf links. Your irons have to be totally dialed in. If you’re not exact, you can get yourself into a ton of trouble. And afterwards we discussed those small eco-friendlies, it’s a little target. So, if you do not have your iron game where it needs to be, this is the program that can eat you up, despite the fact that it’s not a long program. Just a terrific suggestion that strategy is an extremely vital part of the video game.”

Right here are the favorites:

Jordan Spieth (10-1)

Spieth has finished in the leading 10 in seven of his 11 Tour events this year and also often tends to play well in his house state of Texas. At the familiar Colonial, he’s positioned in the leading 10 in six of his eight appearances, including a win and two runner-ups. Spieth has a solid short video game, which helps profoundly on a program such as this.

Justin Thomas (12-1)

Thomas hasn’t done a lot considering that his win at the Players Championship two months earlier. However the world’s second-ranked gamers remains an excellent ball-striker, 3rd on Tour in Shots Gained: Approach The Green. He put 10th last year in his only appearance at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Collin Morikawa (14-1)

Morikawa is coming off a tie for 8th at the PGA Championship. The Tour’s finest when it pertains to Shots Gained: Approach The Green, he can prosper at a program like Colonial. Morikawa lost a playoff to Berger to end up second in 2015 at the Charles Schwab.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *