Charles Schwab Challenge
The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club has some of the best traditions on the PGA Tour.
That’s what happens when you’re the longest-running tournament played at the same venue. This year’s tournament is the 76th, all of them played at Marvin Leonard’s celebrated Colonial Country Club along the Trinity. She is splendid in every way.
A new tradition has sprouted in recent years: In addition to the prize money, the Leonard Trophy, and plaid jacket (where do I get one of those?), the Charles Schwab Challenge champion is also presented a fully restored and modernized classic car.
It began in 2019. Kevin Na tore out of here (that’s all license on the part of the writer) in a 1973 Dodge Challenger. In 2021, Jason Kokrak loaded up all his championship bling in a 1946 Dodge Power Wagon. And last year, as if beating Scottie Scheffler in a playoff wasn’t enough, Sam Burns drove home in a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, evading the pursuing Sheriff Buford T. Justice all the way to the next PGA Tour stop. (I’m going with this because I’m told the Trans-Am is always a Firebird, but the Firebird is not always a Trans-Am, unless, of course, it identifies as one.)
This year might be the best yet, according to one opinion (mine).
On Tuesday morning, at the firm’s 70-acred campus in Westlake, home to its corporate headquarters, Schwab showed off this year’s beauty, which pays homage to its founding 50 years ago.
The winner is getting a 1973 Ford Bronco. Insert whatever your preferred expression of approval, like “huzzah,” here.
“We are honored, once again, to play a role in the tradition of this celebrated tournament in Fort Worth and be part of its longstanding support from the metroplex community,” said Jonathan Craig, managing director and head of Investor Services at Charles Schwab. “The Challenger prize has now become a tradition in its own right. As we enter our fifth year as title sponsor, we wanted to recognize Schwab’s 50-year legacy of helping our clients get where they want to go, no matter what comes their way. And there’s no better vehicle to embody that than a 1973 Schwab Bronco.”
Charles Schwab & Co. initially signed on as title sponsor of the annual event at Colonial for the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge. That agreement has been extended through 2026.
The firm says the 1973 Bronco commemorates how Schwab “challenged the status quo on behalf of investors and has helped make investing more accessible for 50 years.”
The car was customized by Bryan Rood of Classic Ford Broncos. The Bronco features a Ford 2023 Gen 3 Coyote 5.0L engine with 465 horsepower, a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission paired to Ford's push-button four-wheel drive system, custom machined door handles, mirrors, knobs, and hand-stitched interior upholstery with, as could be expected, Colonial Tartan Plaid trim.
The tournament is on its usual Memorial Day weekend date, May 25-28. The biggest names in golf will be there, along with emerging stars we can’t wait to write about, all competing for a purse of $8.7 million, including a first-place winner’s check of more than $1.5 million and a place on the coveted Colonial Wall of Champions.
Golf’s best names, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and, of course, Ben Hogan, have all won here.
The total prize money in the tournament’s first year, 1946, was $15,000. That’s more than $232,000 today. You can be certain that Ben Hogan was pleased to take home his $3,000 winner’s share for the first of his five Colonial championships.
Want tickets? Here is what’s available and how to get them.
