PGA Tour scrambles to save Colonial after LIV Golf collapses

The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, has been a PGA Tour staple since 1946.

It is the circuit's longest-running non-major event.

But its place on the dramatically remade 2028 schedule is now uncertain.

Sources familiar with the situation told Golf Channel that the Tour is actively working to keep Colonial in its ecosystem.

That effort comes despite reports that Colonial's status as a Tour venue may be nearing an end.

The PGA Tour's new competitive model begins in 2028.

It will feature 24 Championship Series events — the top tier — and a second tier called the Challenger Series.

Championship Series events include the four majors, The Players Championship, and international team competitions.

The series will also include a two-event postseason with a form of match play at iconic venues.

Nine Championship Series events have already been announced: the RBC Heritage, Truist Championship, Cadillac Championship at Doral, Travelers Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial, and The Sentry at Torrey Pines.

Charles Schwab, which has sponsored the Colonial event since 2019, submitted a bid for a Championship Series slot.

According to sources, that bid did not meet the going market rate.

The estimated annual cost for a Championship Series sponsorship is more than $30 million, with built-in escalators.

Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said at the Tour Championship in August that there is more demand to sponsor Championship Series events beginning in 2028 than there are sponsorship opportunities.

That means some current events will be left out.

According to a report on Golfweek.com, only one tournament in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be chosen for the Championship Series.

The same report said that CJ, the title sponsor for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, submitted a better offer than Charles Schwab.

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson is held at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, about 30 miles north of Fort Worth.

Golfweek's report also said Colonial would likely pass on hosting a Challenger Series event.

But sources told GolfChannel.com that assessment is premature.

The Tour plans to announce the entire 2028 Championship Series schedule on Feb. 22 on Golf Channel.

A number of Challenger Series events and sponsors are expected to be confirmed before that February announcement, according to sources.

Charles Schwab has options beyond the main Tour.

The company is also the umbrella sponsor of the PGA Tour Champions season-long points race and its postseason.

It could pivot to the over-50 circuit, following a path similar to the Sony Open.

The Sony Open spent decades as a PGA Tour stop before becoming the opening event of the PGA Tour Champions schedule starting next year.

Colonial Country Club itself has a long and storied history in professional golf.

Ben Hogan, a Fort Worth native and one of the greatest players in the game's history, was a longtime member.

The course has hosted the event since its inception in 1946, originally as the Colonial National Invitation.

It has been known as the Charles Schwab Challenge since 2019.

The uncertainty around Colonial comes against the backdrop of LIV Golf's shutdown.

Saudi-backed LIV Golf, after five years of trying to challenge the PGA Tour, is winding down operations.

LIV Golf abandoned plans for a player-owned relaunch and announced it will cease operations.

The league's collapse leaves players like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau facing uncertain futures for the 2027 season and beyond.

DeChambeau's LIV Golf contract expired after the 2026 season.

He has expressed hope that LIV 2.0 would move forward, but that no longer appears possible.

He has also suggested he could focus on his popular YouTube channel.

Any return to the PGA Tour for former LIV players is not immediate.

Under current PGA Tour policy, former LIV golfers must serve a one-year suspension before becoming eligible to return.

That was the route taken by former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who became eligible to compete in PGA Tour events as a non-member in August after leaving LIV Golf following the 2025 season.

DeChambeau is scheduled to play on the DP World Tour in December for the first time in six years.

His management team has been in contact with DP World Tour officials about more appearances.

Performing well on the DP World Tour is a path to earning PGA Tour membership for the 2028 season.

However, DeChambeau has yet to apply for DP World Tour membership.

The deadline to do so is Nov. 16.

Rory McIlroy, one of LIV Golf's most outspoken critics, took a final jab before the league folded.

"They turned professional golf into an arms race," McIlroy declared earlier this week.

LIV Golf changed how the PGA Tour had to conduct business and divided the sport into competing tours.

Now, with LIV shutting down, the world's best golfers could soon play in the same tournaments again outside of the four majors.