Colonial Country Club
The Charles Schwab Challenge is still scheduled for May 18 – 24 at Colonial Country Club, though tournament director Michael Tothe says, “We’re also planning for what potentially could be canceled.”
Things are even quieter on the green these days, with the PGA Tour canceling or postponing all tournaments leading up to the PGA Championship — which means, assuming social distancing guidelines are lifted by then, the first tournament that’ll take place post-coronavirus will be the Charles Schwab Challenge. (Or, as the Fort Worthians like to call it, simply, “Colonial.”)
The tournament is still scheduled for May 18 – 24 at Colonial Country Club, though tournament director Michael Tothe says, “We’re also planning for what potentially could be canceled.”
But let’s say it doesn’t get canceled. Should the tournament still take place, Tothe says organizers are investing in more hand sanitizers and hand washing stations “than we’ve ever had before.”
“It’s just a responsibility,” he says. “It’s now on us to make sure that if we are playing, that the environments are safe.”
The current challenge, Tothe says, is figuring out which event tasks should move forward — something organizers are tackling week by week. For example, the building of grandstands and other temporary structures typically would have begun by now. The tournament has also held off on advertising.
Still underway, however, are the event’s charitable programs and volunteer recruitment. The tournament also continues to sell tickets.
Even so, Colonial is readying for the scenario that the tournament does get canceled. Tothe says the main complication would be dealing with refunds, and he hopes charity money earned through the tournament can be recouped in some way.
He says there have been no conversations about rescheduling if the Charles Schwab Challenge gets postponed. Ultimately, the decision would be up to the PGA Tour.
“We’re not going to take the decision to play or not to play lightly,” Tothe says. “Given the opportunity to host it, we’ll be ready like we always are, but it’s going to be a safe environment.”
