Fort Worth (US), May 27 (PTI) Indian origin golfers Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala could spring a surprise when they tee off at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The event will be held at the Colonial Country Club, one of the longest-standing TOUR venues.
Three-time PGA Tour winner Bhatia, has one win this year, but Theegala, a one-time winner from 2023, is searching for a second career win.
The two players have been knocking on the doors, and could well open it this week. Also in the field is the self-taught Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju, who had a Top-10 at the PLAYERS.
Bhatia has not done anything great at this event as he has just one top 25 in three starts. Though his form has also dipped, he has won a signature event just a couple months ago and could contend again.
Meanwhile, Theegala and Yellamaraju have time and again impressed, and it could well be a week they get a shot at the title.
However, the field of the Charles Schwab Challenge is full of established stars and also stars who are ready to win one of the TOUR’s well-known events.
This week marks the final chance to qualify for the Memorial Tournament via the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10.
Ludvig Aberg returns to action on TOUR after finishing T4 at the PGA Championship. He has notched six top-10 finishes on TOUR so far this season and all six have come in his last seven weeks, including three in a row.
There are seven golfers in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking who are teeing it up at Colonial including Aberg, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama and last year’s winner Ben Griffin.
Griffin is looking to become the first golfer since Ben Hogan all the way back in the 1950s to successfully defend his title at Colonial.
This edition also marks Thomas’ return to the Charles Schwab Challenge for the first time since 2022, when he missed the cut. Thomas comes into the week after a T4 at the PGA Championship.
Alex Smalley is also back on TOUR after his dream-like run at Aronimink Golf Club, where Smalley was in the final group for both Saturday and Sunday.
Smalley has recorded six top-25 finishes in a row heading into this week including two T2s – at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the PGA. PTI COR APA APA
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