The field is loaded — one of the best, if not the best, ever for the Charles Schwab Challenge, which starts Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
And not only will the world’s top golfers need to contend with a high level of competition at Colonial Country Club, they’ll also be battling another foe — the heat.
A combination of a later-than-normal start (the event was moved from May 21-24 to this week due to the coronavirus pandemic) and above-average heat in the Dallas-Fort Worth area could make the first PGA Tour event after the break a difficult one.
Also, players have been training, but aren’t in the same routine because of the hiatus, meaning walking through the intense heat for four days could take its toll.
The temperature has yet to hit 100 in the DFW Metroplex this year, but it could flirt with triple digits through this week. The forecast for both Saturday and Sunday is for high temperatures of around 98 degrees with a full dose of Texas sun.
In all, 101 of the players in this week’s field have won on the PGA Tour, the most winners in a field outside of the Players Championship during the FedEx Cup era.
The Charles Schwab Challenge is the first PGA Tour event since the Players Championship, which was canceled March 13 after the first round. Eleven tournaments with more that $90 million in purse money have been canceled.
