The PGA Tour will be back next Thursday with a stellar field in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, but Tiger Woods won’t be there.
Woods, who teamed with Peyton Manning to beat Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady recently in “The Match II: Champions for Charity,” has not indicated when he might play again.
Top-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (pictured) , No. 2 Jon Rahm of Spain, No. 3 Brooks Koepka, No. 4 Justin Thomas and No. 5 Dustin Johnson will be there, as 17 of the top 20 players in the World Golf Rankings committed by the Friday deadline to the first event since the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the PGA Tour after before the second round of the Tour Championship in March.
Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, Calif., will be back to defend his title.
“Our field is deep,” Michael Tothe, tournament director of the Charles Schwab Challenge, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s really come together nicely.”
The tournament originally was scheduled for May 21-24, but was moved to June 11-14 after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a number of cancellations and postponements of PGA Tour events.
There will be no spectators allowed on the course, but it will be televised on Golf Channel and CBS.
Mickelson, who claimed Colonial’s plaid jacket in 2000 and 2008, will be there.
“This is the best shape that I’ve been in,” Mickelson said recently on the Dan Patrick Show. “I feel like I’ve had a really good last few months to get my game back and be sharp. I’m excited to go play.
“The thing that I’m excited about seeing the PGA Tour return is what this could do for the game of golf. … The courses where I’m playing in San Diego and Arizona, they’re packed because people are wanting to get outside, they want to do sports, (and) they want to hang with their friends. And the only place to do it safely is on the golf course.”
Na shot 8-under-par 62 in the second round en route to claiming the third of his four PGA Tour victories last year by four strokes over Tony Finau. Na also captured the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open later in the year.
 , No. 2 Jon Rahm of Spain, No. 3 Brooks Koepka, No. 4 Justin Thomas and No. 5 Dustin Johnson will be there, as 17 of the top 20 players in the World Golf Rankings committed by the Friday deadline to the first event since the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the PGA Tour after before the second round of the Tour Championship in March.){kind=link}