Colonial Country Club Set to Leave PGA Tour After 80-Year Run

The iconic Colonial Country Club has served as the longest-tenured host on the PGA Tour schedule, but 2027 is reportedly set to terminate that 80-year streak.

The prestigious course in Fort Worth, Texas, currently hosts the Charles Schwab Challenge, yet Golfweek reports the tournament will not appear in the new PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028.

Citing insider sources, the report indicates that only one Championship Series event will be held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson having submitted a more substantial bid.

Colonial officials are reluctant to downsize to host a second-tier Challenger Seires tournament; instead, leveraging their current sponsors, the expectation is that the course will aim to become the new host for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.

Also known as Hogan’s Alley after Ben Hogan secured five victories at the venue, Colonial has hosted a PGA Tour event for the past 80 years, marking the longest-running tournament on the schedule outside of the Majors.

There remains some hope for a late reprieve, though officials at both Colonial and Charles Schwab are not entirely pleased about the prospect of missing out on a top-tier event after so many years of supporting the PGA Tour.

Brian Rolapp is demonstrating a more cutthroat approach in recent times, and financial considerations will likely dictate the allocation of the new coveted Championship Series events.

Could the PGA Tour Champions become a more attractive proposition?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Colonial would not be the first course to transition from the PGA Tour to the senior circuit—the Sony Open in Hawaii has made the same move—and PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady notes that other interested courses have been in contact regarding similar shifts.

With numerous household names now joining the seniors, tournament sponsors and hosts believe the PGA Tour Champions may offer a superior opportunity compared to staging a second-tier Challenger Series event, particularly if it clashes with a Championship Series featuring all the top PGA Tour stars.

This is especially relevant when considering that Tiger Woods is being tipped to compete on the seniors circuit upon his return, which helps explain why the PGA Tour Champions is viewed as a more appealing option.

If Colonial does leave the PGA Tour schedule, it will end a run that began in 1946 and saw some of golf’s biggest names join Hogan on the club’s iconic Wall of Champions, including Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Arnold Palmer, and Sam Snead.

There may be some challenges associated with Colonial bidding to make the switch, but its long-standing association with Charles Schwab, a primary sponsor on the seniors circuit, could be a deciding factor.

It will still be a sad day when the PGA Tour’s finest cease to make a stop at Hogan’s Alley.