The PGA Tour was back in Texas for the final time in 2024 for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. A week following his adventurous time in Louisville, Kentucky, which included an arrest, Lone Star favorite Scottie Scheffler, tied for second but finished five shots back.
The winner was Davis Riley, who routed the field after finishing 14 under, making Sunday of a coronation. It’s also his first solo title on the PGA Tour as his first win was at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the team event.
Riley is taking home a first-place check good for with $1.638 million out of the $9.1 million purse, along with 500 FedEx Cup points.
“I’m not a very patient person and I think that’s gotten me in trouble in a lot of times in my career.”
While Xander Schauffele’s victory at the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville marked the end of a lengthy and sometimes frustrating road to becoming a major champion, Jordan Spieth’s career path was far more front-loaded, with the Texan owning two pieces of golf’s Grand Slam by the time he was 22 and three before his 24th birthday.
But Spieth’s results have been widely scattered since he hoisted the Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017, with just two PGA Tour victories and some stretches that have seen him plummet in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Spieth has dropped to No. 25 in the world, and had a spell in which he missed the cut four times in six starts. Not exactly what most envisioned when he took the golf world by storm in 2015 with five victories, including a green jacket and a U.S. Open.
The Dallas native is hoping that another home game, this one at Colonial Country Club in nearby Fort Worth, will kickstart the second half of the season as he tries to put the pieces back together again.
This led to an interesting question on Wednesday in advance of the Charles Schwab Challenge when Spieth was asked if — unlike Schauffele, who had to keep grinding before securing his first major — he’d been a victim of his own success at such a young age.
“Yeah, certainly. But I think the healthy way to do it is that being of my own expectation, right, not of anyone else’s. But, yeah, absolutely. Once I know what I’m capable of, I want to obviously stay there,” Spieth said. “If you fall from that even a little bit it frustrates you, and then if you fall quite a bit from that you can be wondering what in the world is going on. It can overtake you, and it did for me for a little while. I think I have a better perspective now, but at the same time the drive to get to where I know my ceiling is at has never been higher.
“So every day that I’m not there it’s still, I still walk away, if I feel like I progressed towards it, I walk away really, really pleased with my day. But some days I feel like I didn’t and instead of being okay with that — back to this patient talk — you know, I lose a little patience because I know what I am capable of and not sustaining that every year is something that I’m not okay with personally. So, I think it’s something that I wouldn’t change anything that has ever happened to me, I’ve accomplished most all the goals that I had in golf, albeit, you know, in a short period of time, but the nature of sustaining that is something that I would like to have another opportunity at and I’ll continue to work towards.”
Jordan Spieth of the United States and Xander Schauffele of the United States stand on the 17th green during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 4, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
If there’s a place for Spieth to continue that work, a refurbished Colonial seems appropriate for the job. His record at the course, which is unveiling a new look thanks to renowned designer Gil Hanse, is stellar, as he won the title in 2016 and has three second-place finishes in 11 appearances. Spieth has only finished outside the top 10 three times in his long run at Colonial.
And Spieth admitted he can take some inspiration from Schauffele, who has worked hard behind the scenes in a quest to finally win a major title. Spieth said he’s noticed the extra effort the San Diego native has delivered.
“I’ve been playing with Xander for seven, better part of seven years now, and if you asked me, is there any doubt in your mind that he would win major championships I would say … I don’t know a weakness in his game, so it’s just a matter of time, so it’s not surprising at all,” Spieth said. “Am I inspired? Yeah. I mean, one thing that he’s been doing that’s been different is he’s looked to add speed, but did it like very methodically, very quietly, very in the dark. It’s been amazing watching him go after tournament rounds, like on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and he’ll go to the workout trailer and hit a heavy gym session after the round. It’s not common out here. There’s a few guys that will do it, but it’s still not common. Everybody goes before now. 10, 12 years ago half the field went before, now everybody does. But he’s going after and hitting these heavy workouts with a goal in mind that he thought would gain a slight advantage.
“The way he approached that patiently is extremely inspiring.”
Meanwhile, the impulsive Spieth, known for his creativity and boyish approach to the game, admitted that the composure shown by Schauffele has been impressive, and it’s possible the big victories might come fast and furious for the eight-time PGA Tour winner.
“I’m not a very patient person and I think that’s gotten me in trouble in a lot of times in my career, as far as the process. Like trusting the process and giving it time and not having to have results right away,” Spieth said. “He didn’t seem bothered by close calls. He had to answer a lot of questions regarding Sundays or whatever, and I remember having those for a year or two as well and then, you know, I was more patient back then because I was playing consistently better, so it was easier to be more patient. Once it goes your way, then you start thinking they’re all going to go your way, and then they do.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the beginning.”
The purse at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge is $9.1 million with $1.638 million going to the winner.
After the year’s second men’s major championship at Valhalla Golf Club, the PGA Tour is back in Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler highlights a loaded field that includes Lone Star State legend Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im and Brian Harman, among others.
Colonial Country Club is a par-70 track measuring 7,289 yards.
The purse at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge is $9.1 million with $1.638 million going to the winner. The champion will also receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge. All times listed are ET.
Scheffler in unsure if he must attend arraignment scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET in Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Those who followed Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the 2024 PGA Championship were served an excellent round of club with a side of open mic night at the Louisville Comedy Club off Main Street.
Yells of “Free Scottie!” and variations of “Look out! There are two police officers right there” or “He’s the man in blue, get him, officer!” were heard on every hole out at Valhalla Golf Club in the final round of the second men’s major of the year. The officers who have walked with Scheffler inside the ropes the last few days have been able to brush off the amateur jokers, while Scheffler claims he hardly heard any.
“I think when you’re out there inside the ropes, I don’t really hear too much of it. It’s nice to hear your name. I heard a lot of “Scottie” chants. I didn’t hear too many of the “free Scottie” chants, but I definitely heard a lot of “Scottie” chants,” said Scheffler, who must be able to block out the word free. “Like I said, it’s great to have the support of the fans. Being able to play out here in front of them week in, week out is one of the greatest joys of my life for sure. So being able to do that this week and play another major championship, it was fun. Obviously the results weren’t what I was hoping for at the beginning of the week, but overall I’m proud of how I fought this week.”
After a 2-over 73 on Saturday, his first over-par performance in 42 rounds so far this year, Scheffler bounced back with his best showing of the week, a superb 6-under 65 that featured just one bogey on the first hole. Scheffler walked off the course at 13 under for the tournament, T-8 on the leaderboard.
“It was obviously not what I was hoping for going into the week, but overall I’m proud of how I fought this week, and excited to get home and get ready for next week,” he said. But how soon will he be able to get back to Texas? Following his wild arrest on Friday morning before his second-round tee time that led to four charges, including a felony, Scheffler has an arraignment set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET. He’s also scheduled to play next week’s 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club near his home in Dallas.
“I think it’s all up in the air. I’m not really sure what the next days have in store,” Scheffler said of his sticky situation. “I think I’m able to get home tonight, but we’ll see when I leave here. I haven’t really had much chance to assess the situation off the course. I signed my card and then came straight over here. So we’ll see, but hopefully we’ll be able to get home tonight.”
For a 27-year-old with a clean history and laid back, private life, Scheffler has handled this week as well as could be expected. Four hours after his Friday arrest he shot a 5-under 66 and birdied two of his first three holes fresh out of a cell. His Saturday 73 could have easily been chalked up to the gravity of his situation finally setting in after the adrenaline wore off, or the fact he was without his caddie and good friend Ted Scott, who left the tournament for a day to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. When asked what was different between Saturday and Sunday, Scheffler didn’t take the easy out.
“I think I would attribute it mostly to a bad day. I think when you come out here to compete, you’re out here competing, you’re doing what you can throughout the course of the round to post a score and I wasn’t able to get that done yesterday,” he explained. “Did I feel like myself? Absolutely not. Was my warm-up the way it usually is and the distractions were they normally are? Absolutely not. But I’m not going to sit here and say that’s why I went out and played a bad round of golf yesterday.”
“Yesterday obviously was quite frustrating and a bit of a different day, but overall proud of how I fought this week,” Scheffler added. “Was fortunate to be out here competing, doing what I love.”
If Scheffler thought he had fan support this week, just wait until his fellow Texans rally around him in Fort Worth. That is, assuming he’s able to tee it up. No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg reported Sunday morning that Jefferson County prosecutors are planning to drop the charges against Scheffler early next week.
