Bolton: Why you should look past potential first-time winners at Colonial – PGA TOUR

With a robust array of classifications for tournaments this season now including Signature Events, it can be easy to forget that a good ol’ invitational like the Charles Schwab Challenge hasn’t changed. This means that the field is closed. There isn’t an open qualifier, so top 10s since the last open, which was the Myrtle Beach Classic, do not gain entry until the next open, which is next week’s RBC Canadian Open. It’s why none of the golfers who’d otherwise crash the field of 132 at Colonial via a top-10 exemption are in on one. For example, PGA TOUR rookie Jorge Campillo (T4, Myrtle Beach) has a tee at Colonial this week via his position in the FedExCup (121st) through Myrtle Beach (and the concurrently contested Wells Fargo Championship). He was second alternate at the commitment deadline but gained entry with the early withdrawals above. This means that non-member Alistair Docherty (T2 at Myrtle Beach), Ryan McCormick (T4; 156th in the FedExCup) and Patton Kizzire (T10; 133rd) can use their top-10 exemptions next week in Canada.