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Pre-Tournament Information – 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial CC, Fort Worth, TX
Player Interviews (all times local – CT)
Tuesday, May 26 – 1 p.m Alex Smalley
Wednesday, May 27
After 9:10 a.m. (9-hole) Pro-Am – Justin Thomas
1:30 p.m. – Ben Griffin
*Visit pgatourmedia.com for the latest interview schedule
Ben Griffin
- Seeks to join Ben Hogan (1946-47, 1952-53) as the only back-to-back winners of the Charles Schwab Challenge
- Will make his fourth start in the Charles Schwab Challenge (T52/2023, MC/2024, Won/2025)
- All three career wins came in 2025: Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with teammate Andrew Novak), Charles Schwab Challenge, World Wide Technology Championship; went on to finish a career-best 10th in the FedExCup standings
- Currently No. 36 in the FedExCup with two top-10 finishes in 15 starts (T10/Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 3rd/Cadillac Championship); finished T14 in his most recent start at the PGA Championship
- En route to winning in 2025, became just the fourth player on record (second at Colonial) to eagle the first hole in the final round and win on TOUR, joining K.J. Choi (2006 Valspar Championship), Phil Mickelson (2009 Genesis Invitational) and Chris Kirk (2015 Charles Schwab Challenge)
Justin Thomas
- 16 PGA TOUR is the most wins of any player in the field
- Most recent victory came at the 2025 RBC Heritage
- 2017 FedExCup champion is currently No. 38 in the FedExCup standings
- Making his ninth start of the season after undergoing microdiscectomy surgery in November; has two top-10 finishes, including a season-best T4 in his most recent start at the PGA Championship where he closed with a 65; closing with a 65; additional top-10 finish came at THE PLAYERS Championship (T8)
- Will make his fourth start in the Charles Schwab Challenge (T10/2020, T40/2021, MC/2022)
Alex Smalley
- In search of his first PGA TOUR victory in his 142nd start
- Most recent of his four career runner-up finishes came in the PGA Championship; after sharing the 18- and 36-hole lead, the outright 54-hole leader closed with a final-round 68 to finish T2 and three strokes behind champion Aaron Rai
- Additional runner-up finishes: 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship, 2023 John Deere Classic, 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with teammate Hayden Springer)
- Currently No. 15 in the FedExCup standings, with 13 made cuts in 14 starts
- Enters the week with top-25 finishes in his last six starts, including both starts in Texas:
- T21 – Texas Children’s Houston Open
- T14 – Valero Texas Open
- T2 – Zurich Classic of New Orleans
- T7 – Cadillac Championship
- T17 – Truist Championship
- T2 – PGA Championship
- Will make his fifth start in the Charles Schwab Challenge (T27/2022, T40/2023, WD/2024, MC/2025)
Additional Player Notes
- World No. 9 J.J. Spaun is the highest-ranked player in the field and is set for his seventh appearance at the Charles Schwab Challenge; his lone top-10 finish (T6/2025) came three weeks before winning the U.S. Open
- Eight-time PGA TOUR winner Keegan Bradley will make his fourth start at the Charles Schwab Challenge, with his T2 in 2024 the most recent of his 11 career runner-up finishes on TOUR
- Playing this week on a sponsor exemption, Colonial Country Club member Ryan Palmer will make his 23rd straight appearance at the event, beginning in 2004 (MC); best of four top-10 finishes came in 2016 (T3)
- Tony Finau’s T6 at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson marked his first top-10 on TOUR since the 2025 Genesis Invitational (T5)
- Conditional TOUR member Jackson Suber (111-125 in 2025 FedExCup Fall standings) finished a career-high solo fourth at last week’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson and received a sponsor exemption to compete at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge; at No. 4 in the Aon Swing 5 standings entering the week, Suber is in position to qualify for his first Signature Event at next week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
- Georgia Tech sophomore and Sweden native Albert Hansson won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational presented by Charles Schwab at Colonial in September in a five-man playoff, earning him a spot in the field for his PGA TOUR debut
Charles Schwab Challenge notes:
- The PGA TOUR makes its fourth of five stops in the Lone Star State during the 2026 Season, with the final stop being the Good Good Championship scheduled in Austin, Texas from November 12-15 as part of the FedExCup Fall
- The Charles Schwab Challenge returns to Colonial Country Club for the 80th time since 1946, the longest-running host venue for a non-major on TOUR
- In addition to the Tartan Jacket and a spot on the Wall of Champions near the first tee, the champion of the Charles Schwab Challenge drives away in a one-of-a-kind prize car, a tournament tradition that began with Charles Schwab’s title sponsorship in 2019; this year’s prize car is a 1982 Jeep Scrambler
- Field headlined by seven of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking: No. 9 J.J. Spaun, No. 12 Russell Henley, No. 13 Ludvig Åberg, No. 15 Robert MacIntyre, No. 16 Justin Thomas, No. 17 Ben Griffin, No. 20 Hideki Matsuyama
- Additional field features:
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- 10 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, led by No. 6 Ludvig Åberg, No. 10 Akshay Bhatia, No. 15 Alex Smalley and No. 19 Rickie Fowler
- Five past champions: Chris Kirk (2015), Kevin Kisner (2017), Emiliano Grillo (2023), Davis Riley (2024), Ben Griffin (2025)
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- Three past FedExCup champions: Brandt Snedeker (2012), Billy Horschel (2014), Justin Thomas (2017)
- Four PLAYERS Championship winners: Matt Kuchar (2012), Rickie Fowler (2015), Webb Simpson (2018), Justin Thomas (2021)
- Sponsor exemptions: Zac Blair, Albert Hansson, Nick Hardy, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Palmer, Webb Simpson, Jackson Suber, Camilo Villegas
- Champions’ Choice selections: Nick Dunlap, Mason Howell
- Colonial will continue to challenge players with its difficult three-hole stretch of Nos. 3-5 dubbed the “Horrible Horseshoe” by legendary late golf writer and Texas native Dan Jenkins
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