Tag: 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge

How much money each player won at the Charles Schwab Challenge

Jason Kokrak took home a big payday for his win, but check out what the rest of the field banked.

Jason Kokrak managed to hold off Jordan Spieth coming down the stretch at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, to win the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday. That makes Kokrak, who started the 2020-21 wraparound season with a win at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek, one of few multi-time winners this season.

Kokrak fired a final-round 70 to finish at 14 under, two shots ahead of Spieth, arguably the favorite in his home state of Texas.

For winning, Kokrak cashed a nice payday. Check out what the rest of the field banked for a week’s work at Colonial, too.

Charles Schwab Challenge: Leaderboard | Photos | Winner’s bag

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Jason Kokrak -14 $1,350,000
2 Jordan Spieth -12 $817,500
T3 Charley Hoffman -10 $366,094
T3 Patton Kizzire -10 $366,094
T3 Sebastian Munoz -10 $366,094
T3 Ian Poulter -10 $366,094
7 Troy Merritt -7 $253,125
T8 Emiliano Grillo -6 $196,875
T8 Lucas Glover -6 $196,875
T8 Adam Hadwin -6 $196,875
T8 Brian Harman -6 $196,875
T8 Kyle Stanley -6 $196,875
T8 Brendon Todd -6 $196,875
T14 Gary Woodland -5 $125,625
T14 Abraham Ancer -5 $125,625
T14 Collin Morikawa -5 $125,625
T14 Doug Ghim -5 $125,625
T14 Kramer Hickok -5 $125,625
T14 Talor Gooch -5 $125,625
T20 Adam Long -4 $68,438
T20 Daniel Berger -4 $68,438
T20 Wyndham Clark -4 $68,438
T20 Vincent Whaley -4 $68,438
T20 John Augenstein -4 –
T20 Corey Conners -4 $68,438
T20 Justin Rose -4 $68,438
T20 Maverick McNealy -4 $68,438
T20 Kevin Streelman -4 $68,438
T20 Tony Finau -4 $68,438
T20 Erik Compton -4 –
T20 Sergio Garcia -4 $68,438
T32 Rafa Cabrera Bello -3 $40,125
T32 Kevin Na -3 $40,125
T32 Nate Lashley -3 $40,125
T32 Ryan Palmer -3 $40,125
T32 Zach Johnson -3 $40,125
T32 Cameron Tringale -3 $40,125
T32 C.T. Pan -3 $40,125
T32 Harold Varner III -3 $40,125
T40 Billy Horschel -2 $29,625
T40 Carlos Ortiz -2 $29,625
T40 Justin Thomas -2 $29,625
T40 Kevin Kisner -2 $29,625
T40 Danny Lee -2 $29,625
T45 Cameron Davis -1 $22,335
T45 Hudson Swafford -1 $22,335
T45 Richy Werenski -1 $22,335
T45 Robert Streb -1 $22,335
T45 Pat Perez -1 $22,335
T50 Brandt Snedeker E $18,325
T50 Tyler McCumber E $18,325
T50 Joaquin Niemann E $18,325
T50 Matt Kuchar E $18,325
T50 Henrik Norlander E $18,325
T50 Byeong Hun An E $18,325
T56 Brice Garnett 1 $17,325
T56 Brian Stuard 1 $17,325
T56 Matt Wallace 1 $17,325
T59 Will Zalatoris 2 –
T59 Doc Redman 2 $16,875
T59 Robby Shelton 2 $16,875
T62 Andrew Landry 3 $16,425
T62 Nick Taylor 3 $16,425
T62 Sung Kang 3 $16,425
T65 Adam Schenk 4 $16,050
T65 Jason Dufner 4 $16,050
T67 Scott Stallings 5 $15,750
T67 Rory Sabbatini 5 $15,750
T69 Camilo Villegas 6 $15,300
T69 Jhonattan Vegas 6 $15,300
T69 Mark Hubbard 6 $15,300
T69 Chris Kirk 6 $15,300
73 Xinjun Zhang 9 $14,925
74 J.J. Henry 11 $14,775
75 D.A. Points 13 $14,625

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Winner’s Bag: Jason Kokrak, Charles Schwab Challenge

A complete list of the golf equipment Jason Kokrak used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge.

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The golf equipment Jason Kokrak used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas:

DRIVER: TaylorMade SIM2 (8 degrees), with Accra TZ5 85 M5 proto shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade SIM2 (15, 21 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 80X shafts

IRONS: PXG 0311 T GEN4 (4-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

WEDGES: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy (52 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Onyx S400 shafts

PUTTER: Bettinardi Studio Stock 38

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

GRIPS: Golf Pride MCC (full swing) / SuperStroke Pistol GTR 1.0 (putter)

Jason Kokrak crashes Texas party, tops Jordan Spieth at Charles Schwab Challenge

Somebody forgot to hand Jason Kokrak the script.

FORT WORTH, Texas — After a lengthy break caused by the pandemic, the Charles Schwab Challenge marked golf’s return in 2020, but without fans, the vibe was predictably subdued.

This year, those who attended the 75th anniversary of this event were looking to let a year of pent-up emotions loose in celebration of native son Jordan Spieth, who grew up less than an hour from Colonial Country Club.

The story was all but written on Saturday — Spieth held a one-stroke edge after 54 holes and, aside from one single competitor, it looked like he couldn’t be caught.

But somebody forgot to hand Jason Kokrak the script.

The jovial Ohioan got a little riled early, but then bounced back and put on an impressive display of big drives, solid putting and resilience, grabbing his second PGA Tour title by finishing at 14 under for the four-round event. Spieth was second at 12 under.

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Kokrak — a Xavier University product who calls the Cleveland suburb of Hudson, Ohio, his hometown — took the lead on the front nine while Spieth struggled through the three-hole Horrible Horseshoe, a tricky area that circles the driving range. Spieth made bogey on two of three while Kokrak dropped a curling 23-foot putt on No. 5 to jump in front.

But it looked like the wheels might fall off for Kokrak on No. 7, when he needed two tries to get out of a greenside bunker, then angrily heaved his ball into nearby trees — perhaps sensing he’d missed an opportunity while Spieth was misfiring.

Instead, Kokrak settled down, got back on top with a birdie on No. 11 — one of only two par 5s at Colonial — and watched as Spieth made par.

Kokrak posted bogeys on both Nos. 15 and 16, giving Spieth life as the lead was cut to one, but he made a huge 7-foot putt on No. 17 to maintain the lead. On 18, Spieth found the water with his second shot, taking the pressure off the two-time Ohio Amateur champion, who two-putted his way to victory.

Kokrak has been better than ever on the greens since caddie David Robinson suggested a move to a longer putter, one with a 36-inch shaft, and the results have been astounding. He picked up his first PGA Tour win last October at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas and has only continued to gain steam, earning five top-25 finishes in his last eight starts before coming to Colonial.

Kokrak, who uses a Bettinardi putter, spent some time at the company’s Illinois camp and has seen dramatic results — he’s jumped to seventh on the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting this season. He was 10th in the field in that stat this week to go with No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.

Meanwhile, despite falling, Spieth is still enjoying a renaissance of sorts. During a stretch of four Texas PGA Tour events in nine weeks, Spieth has all top-10 finishes — including a victory at the Valero Texas Open.

Five swing bays and four Ben Hogan putters — is the Fan Experience at Colonial the best?

The Colonial Country Club site has five hitting bays and a contest that allows you to “borrow” one of four putters used by Ben Hogan.

FORT WORTH, Texas — With a massive tent, an endless parade of patrons and too many beverages flowing due to all-inclusive 75th-anniversary tickets, one could make the case that the fan experience — or Schwab Performance Center as it’s properly listed on the building behind the practice putting green at Colonial Country Club — is something dreamt up by P.T. Barnum.

The massive site has five hitting bays along with a contest that allows you to “borrow” one of four putters previously used by Ben Hogan.

It’s similar to other fan experiences seen on Tour, although this one has a few more bells and whistles, according to Adam Stowe of Golftec events, a Denver-based operation.

“We’re kind of the traveling circus with the Tour,” Stowe said. “We have something like this on many of the Tour stops. But this is our biggest activation, by far. This is special, for sure.”

Adam Stowe of Golftec Events stands in front of three simulation bays at the Charles Schwab Challenge. (Photo by Tim Schmitt)

Like other Golftec experiences, the master tent at the Schwab features a pair of swing capture bays, where video of a patron’s golf swing is taken with cameras from a front view angle.

The video is shipped off to a PGA of America-certified coach, who then creates a web lesson that’s sent back to the patron. The process takes between a week to 10 days and those who take part receive a full 5- to 6-minute lesson in their email inbox.

Using one of Ben Hogan’s putters, donated by the Ben Hogan Foundation, patrons at the Schwab Performance Center can hit a short putt and win a commemorative medallion. (Photo by Tim Schmitt)

A similar setup was constructed for the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, although a special closest-to-the-pin simulator and additional wedge bay was added for the Schwab.

Also new, those on hand can win a commemorative medallion using one of Ben Hogan’s putters, which have been donated by the Ben Hogan Foundation.

One of four authentic Ben Hogan putters, donated by the Ben Hogan Foundation, which patrons can use at the Schwab Performance Center in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tim Schmitt)

But how does this massive complex come together? Jeff Seme, a former Golftec employee, is the one in charge of setup and tear down. He built the entire simulation structure in Denver, renting a Crossfit complex to make sure all the pieces fit together. He then tore the structure down, and rebuilt it in Fort Worth.

Seme arrived on-site at Colonial just after the Byron Nelson ended in nearby McKinney and had about nine days to construct the facility, handling most of the work himself.

“I always say it’s about a fifth of the time it takes to put up to break it down,” Seme said. “So it takes … let’s just to call it 40 hours to build. To take it down, you’re looking at about eight hours.”

All told, a few thousand people streamed through the complex each day during the Charles Schwab Challenge, a number that made Stowe and Seme happy, especially due to COVID concerns.

“It’s been great,” Stowe said. “And it’s great to see people enjoying it.”

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How this PGA Tour pro kept a tradition alive with a lemonade stop at Colonial Country Club

FORT WORTH, Texas – When life gives you lemons – or in this case, a strict COVID-limited crowd on the 75th anniversary of one of the most traditional PGA Tour events – you make lemonade adjacent to the historic Colonial Country Club. That’s exactly …

FORT WORTH, Texas — When life gives you lemons — or in this case, a strict COVID-limited crowd on the 75th anniversary of one of the most traditional PGA Tour events — you make lemonade adjacent to the historic Colonial Country Club.

That’s exactly what longtime Colonial neighbors/members Michelle and Scott Marlow and their talented kids corps have done for more than a decade, and they weren’t about to let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them.

“This is our 12th year, and every year, the kids pick out the local charity to contribute all the proceeds to along with our local sponsors. This year our goal is $50,000 for Breakthrough Fort Worth and we’re going be very close to making it,” Michelle Marlow said during Saturday’s third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Marlow’s two-story house sits a good
driver-pitching wedge from the first tee at Colonial.

She enlisted her four sons, George, 22, Thomas, 20, Henry 18 and William, 14, to run the stand, which also offers lemon cookies, along with neighbor Julie Diamond, who contributed daughters, Sidney, 21, and Jordan, 18.

J.J. Henry chats with Michelle Marlow after the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 29, 2021. (Photo by Art Stricklin/contributor)

The kid-run lemonade operation is stuff of local tournament legends, with Colonial winner Phil Mickelson and others often making a stop here, buying a cup of lemonade and paying with a $100 bill, saying they don’t need any change.

Fort Worth PGA Tour veteran J.J. Henry continued the tradition Saturday afternoon, even after a disappointing third-round 74.

He pulled his black luxury vehicle to the curb, got out to greet the kids, and pulled out a crisp bill to drop into the money jar.

“I’m paying with a $100 bill, so this better be really good lemonade,” Henry said with a smile.

The children of PGA Tour pro J.J. Henry grab a lemonade during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 29, 2021. (Photo by Art Stricklin/contributor)

“Really, it’s so cool to see the kids doing this to help out with local charities,” he added. “That’s one of the things that separates Colonial as a neighborhood event versus most of the tournaments we play, which are just corporate.”

Even with the changing times, the local stand and the causes it serves have endured. When police closed off the neighboring streets for security, the kids organized golf carts rides from far away lots to Colonial, for a donation and a stop at the lemonade stand.

Through the years, the lemonade stand and the Marlow house have become ground central for off-course player entertainment. Jim Furyk once gave an impromptu chipping lesson in the Marlow backyard.

Matt Kuchar came in for a piano lesson.

A photo of Phil Mickelson outside the home of Michelle Marlow during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 29, 2021. (Photo by Art Stricklin/contributor)

“It’s good we can help out,” said George, “but it’s cool to meet the players as well.”

Every year, Marlow said the crew gathers for a Saturday night dinner, exhausted, but happy to continue the local charity tradition.

“I always think this is going to be the last one, but these players have become part of our family.”

Ian Poulter had his best day ever at Colonial, and he’s within striking distance

Poulter had birdies on four of his first six holes, rolling to an impressive 64 that was his best ever in 29 rounds at Colonial Country Club.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Ian Poulter didn’t have much time to think about the way he finished Friday’s round at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Maybe that was best.

After dropping three shots on the final six holes at Colonial Country Club, Poulter barely had time to do anything before heading to bed — a lengthy rain delay pushed his second round back, meaning he didn’t get off the course until after 8 p.m. local time. The Englishman did squeeze in time for an Instagram post, and proclaimed that he’d be “super aggressive” over the weekend.

He wasn’t lying.

Poulter responded with birdies on four of his first six holes on Saturday, rolling to an impressive 64 that was his best ever in 29 rounds at Colonial.

“I know we had a bit of a rain delay and that was frustrating. I feel I’m playing really good. I’m hitting my lines. I feel like I’m rolling the ball really well on the greens. So to drop three last night from being Top 15 is really frustrating,” he said. “So I wanted to come out fast today. I wanted to make a few birdies. Continue to put some pressure on the course and see how low one under we can go and 6-under is a pretty good round.

“I left a couple out there, but you know, if we can go again pretty hard tomorrow, stay aggressive and see if we can run up the board again.”

Poulter’s year has been a rollercoaster ride of sorts — he missed a pair of cuts in March in his current home state of Florida, but responded with a solid week in nearby Austin for the WGC-Dell Match Play and also finished T-26 at the Masters.

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So he’s eager to inch up near the top of the leaderboard, but he knows it will take a similar effort on Sunday to do that at a place he’s long enjoyed visiting.

“I’ve always liked this venue. I’ve always liked the golf course. It sets up with only two par 5s, two par 5s that I can reach … 11 is kind of within reach if it’s downwind, but good putting surface. Tricky tee shots on a number of holes and a course where I feel quite comfortable,” he said.

“The golf course isn’t going to dry out too much today. So I would expect quite a few birdies from the guys in front, and it’s going to put me quite a few behind. So I have to have a run tomorrow. I need to go clean through the fives, and just see if we can get close.”

Charles Schwab Challenge: This week’s player disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard is…

Scott Piercy was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. He would’ve missed the cut anyway, but here’s why it still matters.

It’s starting to become a weekly occurrence on the PGA Tour. In three of the last five tournaments, a player has signed an incorrect scorecard and been disqualified as a result. This week’s culprit at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas was Scott Piercy.

He would’ve missed the 36-hole cut, which came at 1-over 141, anyway, having shot a pair of 72s, but this is becoming “a thing” on the Tour and it’s not a good look. Last week, Y.E. Yang was guilty of the same mistake at the 103rd PGA Championship, signing for a 4 on the par-4 10th when he actually made a 5. A few weeks before that, Scott Harrington would have been several shots too many in order to stick around and play on the weekend at the Valspar Championship.

It continues to be confounding why signing an incorrect scorecard (Rule 3.3b) is still treated as if it’s the early 20th century when in today’s day and age every shot is measured by ShotLink and most likely recorded. It’s almost equally hard to explain why players continue to make scoring mistakes. These circumstances where a player knows he’s going to miss the cut is a sign of disrespect to the game and one of the bedrocks of the game – keeping an honest scorecard and attesting to it at the end of the round. Take a minute, check the math and sign for the correct score. This isn’t rocket science but as long as it remains a Rule it should be treated as such. None of these three players made an attempt to play fast and loose with the Rules, but that doesn’t make their actions acceptable.

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Charles Schwab Challenge: Phil Mickelson leads the list of players missing the cut

Phil Mickelson, the freshly minted PGA champ, tops the list of players headed home early from the Charles Schwab Challenge.

What a difference a week makes – a bogey at the last at Colonial Country Club sent freshly minted PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson home as the most notable casualty of the 36-hole cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Mickelson made a special emphasis on focusing and slowing down his routine last week at the 103rd PGA and it worked wonders. He may have been running on a low battery this week after exhausting all his energies to get to the house and hold off Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen and win his sixth major title at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.

When Mickelson, who became the oldest man to win a major at age 50, was asked to describe his disappointing opening-round 73 on Thursday, he said, “Yeah, I didn’t play well. I shot 3-over. But I won the PGA, so…”

Laughter ensued. He didn’t go down without a fight on Friday. Despite an opening-hole bogey, Mickelson rebounded to make three birdies in a four-hole stretch beginning at No. 6 and was back to even par for the tournament after a 10-foot birdie at 15. He was a stroke within the cut line, but then he bogeyed 16. He managed a par at 17 and hit his tee shot into the fairway at 18. But his approach from 139 yards found the left green side bunker and he failed to get up and down.

“I love this tournament and I’m sad I will not be here for two more days,” Mickelson said.

Instead, he can head home and recharge the batteries and previously said he plans to spend the next two weeks prepping for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Seventy-five golfers in all made the cut at 1-over 141, with Matt Kuchar and Abraham Ancer among those who straddled the right side of the cutline. Joining Mickelson on the wrong side of the line were several notables, including a bunch of European Ryder Cup stars of recent vintage and American hopefuls Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler.

Jordan Spieth for mayor? He’s ruling again in Texas, this time at the Charles Schwab.

Jordan Spieth might not be looking to get into office, but he’s certainly been ruling Texas golf with an iron fist of late.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Just a few days remain until this Texas city’s mayoral runoff election takes place, so many of the homes in the neighborhood between Texas Christian University and Colonial Country Club are adorned with political signs urging voters to cast their ballots for either Mattie Parker or Deborah People.

Both are looking to replace outgoing mayor Betsy Price, who is leaving after a decade at the helm.

But one home down Alton Road, a pristine stretch that backs up to TCU’s football stadium, has shunned both candidates and instead has a large photo of the 2016 champion of the nearby golf tournament accompanied by the words “Jordan Spieth for Mayor.”

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Spieth might not be looking to get into office, but he’s certainly been ruling Texas golf with an iron fist of late.

In a stretch of four Texas tournaments in nine weeks, Spieth has three top-10 finishes — including a victory at the Valero Texas Open — and now owns the 36-hole lead of the Charles Schwab Challenge after he followed Thursday’s opening-round 63 with a 66 on Friday to maintain a one-shot lead heading into the weekend.

Spieth saved one of his best magic tricks for last, botching a 100-yard approach on the final hole — in which he said aloud, “oh my goodness, I just hit the equator” immediately after his swing — but then buried a 16-foot putt from the fringe to save par and keep the solo lead.

“I told Michael even before that hole started I was starting to lose focus and was kind of just making swings, going through the motions and kind of not really as sharp the last three or four holes,” Spieth said after posting a 34 on the back. “And sure enough, right after that, I bladed a sand wedge, which I don’t think I’ve ever done in competition. And luckily that one went in to really not kind of hurt me there, and … dinner will taste a little better.”

Through 36 holes, Spieth has yet to bogey a hole at Colonial, and although he wasn’t spectacular on Friday, he put himself in great position to earn the tartan jacket for a second time. The Dallas native has six top-10 finishes at Colonial, including two runner-up showings.

Still, he wasn’t thrilled with his performance on Friday, certainly not as he was after Thursday’s 63. Spieth leads Jason Kokrak by one shot.

“I didn’t swing it as well. I wasn’t really completing it and it wasn’t feeling great. I knew I was going to kind of have to manage my way around the golf course a little bit, and fortunately did a really great job of that. It’s nice if you play a bogey-free round,” he said. “I’m in a good spot at a familiar place, and just going to have to go check on the weather and set a goal for the weekend.”

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A longer putter has made all the difference for Jason Kokrak (who shot another 65 on Friday)

While some players continue to tinker with longer drivers, Jason Kokrak knew this wasn’t an area he needed to focus on.

FORT WORTH, Texas — While others — cough, cough, Bryson and Phil — continue to tinker with longer drivers, Jason Kokrak learned through a decade of booming tee shots that this wasn’t an area on which he needed to focus his attention.

A top-five ball striker on the PGA Tour last season, the Xavier University product and resident of the Cleveland suburb of Hudson has seen his putter hold him back from lasting success. Sure, he’s had moments, including three second-place finishes in more than a decade on Tour, but consistency has eluded him, with his work on the greens the main cause. Before this season, Kokrak had cracked the top 100 in Strokes Gained: Putting just one time, when he finished 53rd in 2013.

But a suggestion from his caddie, David Robinson, has made all the difference in the career of a player who’s gone from the middle of the pack to near the top of more leaderboards.

Robinson suggested that Kokrak go to a longer putter, one with a 36-inch shaft, and the results have been astounding. He picked up his first PGA Tour win last October at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas and has only continued to gain steam, earning five top-25 finishes in his last eight starts.

Kokrak, who uses a Bettinardi putter, spent some time at the company’s Illinois camp and has seen dramatic results — he’s jumped to seventh on the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting this season.

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“I went to their studio and learned what my tendencies were. I went up in loft a few years ago, four or five years ago, more than I was comfortable with,” Kokrak said. “But then about two years ago, my caddie saw that I was holding the putter kind of in the base of my palm here, and both hands weren’t completely on the putter. He said, ‘Don’t change anything, just go to a 36-inch putter,’ and that’s made all the difference.

“I’m able to stand up a little bit taller, I’m more comfortable and it’s working. And it helps that D-Rob is reading the greens for me.”

This week, Kokrak has found the perfect mix — he’s first in driving distance yet has continued to keep his putter hot. The combo has translated to the scoreboard and on Friday Kokrak posted his second straight 65, giving him the lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge after the early wave of players in the second round.

He was predictably pleased with his performance at the tournament’s halfway point at Colonial Country Club, a place where he had struggled for years before finishing third in 2020.

“You know, the ball-striking was there today. I may be didn’t drive it quite as good as I did yesterday but irons were on top form. A couple miscues, one bogey. I hit the tree and got a bad lie in the bunker. It was plugged so I didn’t really have a play about there, but a nice save there, and I birdied No. 4,” he said. “I’m giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities. If I can eliminate some silly mistakes, the bogeys will vanish.

“But other than that, I’m happy with the way I’m hitting the ball, getting more comfortable on the greens and just giving myself as many opportunities around this golf course as I can.”

Due to his showing, Kokrak is destined to play in one of the later groups on Saturday, especially since a rain delay held up play during Friday’s second round.

Known as one of the more fun-loving players on Tour, would he relish the opportunity to sleep in?

“Yeah,” he said, “that would be nice.”

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