Venue: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
Par: 70 Yardage: 7,289 yards
Architect: Perry Maxwell (restored by Gil Hanse in 2023)
Defending Champion: Ben Griffin (2025)
Purse: $9.9 million (Winner: $1.782 million)
VENUE & COURSE CONDITIONS — COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB
Colonial is one of the PGA TOUR’s most historic stops — often called “Hogan’s Alley” — and remains a shot‑maker’s course that rewards precision over power. The 2026 event marks the 80th playing at this venue.
Course Characteristics
- Par 70, 7,289 yards — short by TOUR standards but extremely strategic.
- Restoration completed in 2023 by Gil Hanse:
- Lowered, more receptive greens
- Reworked par‑3s
- Infrastructure improvements
- Return to original Perry Maxwell design intentions
- Demanding tee‑to‑green test emphasizing accuracy, shaping shots, and controlling trajectory.
- Driving accuracy is historically one of the strongest predictors of success here.
WEATHER FORECAST (FORT WORTH, TX)
Early forecasts call for warm, humid conditions typical of late May in Texas:
- Highs near 88°F (31°C)
- Mostly dry, but 25% chance of scattered storms heading into the weekend
- Light-to-moderate winds expected These conditions should firm up the fairways but keep greens receptive due to humidity.
STARTING DATE & TIME
- Round 1 begins Thursday, May 28, 2026
- Tee times released via PGA TOUR media schedule (Round 1–4).
FIELD STRENGTH & KEY PLAYER MATCHUPS
While several top stars (Scheffler, Spieth, Koepka) withdrew due to schedule compression, the field remains strong with seven top‑20 OWGR players.
Top Contenders
- Ludvig Åberg — Betting favorite; averaging nearly +3 strokes gained per round over last 3 months; six top‑10s in last seven starts.
- Russell Henley — Elite accuracy profile ideal for Colonial.
- Justin Thomas — Coming off a T4 at the PGA Championship; first Colonial start since 2022.
- Rickie Fowler — Three straight top‑10s before PGA; strong tee‑to‑green form.
- Ben Griffin — Defending champion; trending upward with T14 at PGA and solo 3rd at Cadillac Championship.
- Hideki Matsuyama — Long‑shot value pick with strong ball‑striking.
Other Notables
- Robert MacIntyre, J.J. Spaun, Akshay Bhatia, Alex Smalley, Keegan Bradley, Gary Woodland — all in the field.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Recent winners:
- 2025 — Ben Griffin
- 2024 — Davis Riley
- 2023 — Emiliano Grillo
- 2022 — Sam Burns
Colonial historically rewards repeat strong performers, and Griffin attempts to become the first back‑to‑back winner since Ben Hogan in the 1950s.
RECENT PLAYER FORM
Ludvig Åberg
- Six top‑10s in last seven starts
- T4 at PGA Championship
- Best statistical profile in the field (SG: Total)
Rickie Fowler
- Three straight top‑10s before PGA
- Ranking top‑40 in driving accuracy — crucial at Colonial
- Strong tee‑to‑green metrics
Alex Smalley
- Six straight top‑25 finishes
- Two runner‑ups (Zurich Classic, PGA Championship)
- Elite tee‑to‑green form (Top‑10 in field)
Ben Griffin
- Trending upward after slow start to 2026
- T14 at PGA, solo 3rd at Cadillac Championship
- Defending champion with strong course fit
