The 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge opens May 28 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The par 70, 7,289-yard course is one of the longest-running venues on the PGA Tour and has hosted the event for 80 years since its inception in 1946 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Ben Griffin enters as the defending champion after his first PGA Tour individual victory at the 2025 event [1, 2, 5, 3, 6]. He will face stiff competition from favorites including Ludvig Aberg, who holds the top betting odds ranging from +950 to +1000 [1, 2, 5, 6]. Other contenders listed with strong odds are Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Hideki Matsuyama [2, 5, 6, 4].
Justin Thomas carries odds around +2000 to +2500 but has drawn some expert skepticism. Golf analyst Brady Kannon said, "I believe the price is way too short this week on Justin Thomas... this golf course is much more like a U.S. Open than it is a PGA Championship," adding Thomas has struggled on Bentgrass greens similar to Colonial and missed the U.S. Open cut the last three years in a row [5]. However, other sources still consider Thomas a strong outsider [2, 4].
The Colonial course rewards precision and smart course management despite modern power hitting trends, making accuracy crucial for contenders [1]. The winner will receive a payout of $1,782,000 from the total prize purse [6].
Notably, top players Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth are absent from the 2026 field [6, 4]. The tournament runs through Sunday with coverage on Golf Channel, CBS, Paramount+, and live streaming [3].
