Charles Schwab Challenge: How do the big guns perform the week after a Major?
- Dave Tindall
- 25 May 2022
Five of the world’s top 10 are taking part at Colonial Country Club this week but does history suggest they’re ready to shine when playing straight after the PGA Championship?
Much is made of how the top golfers perform the week before a Major championship.
Is there a danger that they could peak too early? Would they be better taking the week off and getting to the Major venue early.
Even the most experienced pros haven't worked out the should I play/shouldn't I play dilemma although it was interesting to see Justin Thomas win the PGA Championship after - rarely for him - teeing it up the week before.
But how about the week after?
If players are trying to peak for the Major, does it make sense that their games are still sharp a week later?
Or is it more a case of after the Lord Mayor's show, the adrenaline has gone and they're rather going through the motions as they wind down from the week before?
Five of the world's top 10 are taking part in this week's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Texas.
So, stretching back to 2017, Planet Sport looks at how each player has performed when keeping the engine running and playing the week after a Major.
2021 US Open (7th) - Travelers Championship (47th)
2021 US PGA (8th) - Charles Schwab Challenge (MC)
Scheffler has played just twice the week after a Major and, although the evidence is limited, it hasn't gone well.
He'd performed well at the Major both times so perhaps the World No.1 will have more energy - and perhaps a point to prove - after missing the PGA Championship cut at Southern Hills.
2022 The Masters (MC) - RBC Heritage (Win)
2021 PGA Championship (30th) - Charles Schwab Challenge (2nd)
2020 PGA Championship (71st) - Wyndham Championship (72nd)
2019 Open Championship (20th) - St Jude Invitational (12th)
2019 US Open (65th) - Travelers Championship (MC)
2019 PGA Championship (3rd) - Charles Schwab Challenge (8th)
2019 The Masters (21st) - RBC Heritage (54th)
2018 US Open (MC) - Travelers Championship (42nd)
2017 US Open (35th) - Travelers Championship (Win)
If any one of the leading lights is to lift the trophy this week, it's Spieth.
Since 2017, he's teed it up the week after a Major nine times and twice he's won.
The second of those came at the RBC Heritage last month while he was also runner-up at this week's event, the Charles Schwab Challenge, after last year's PGA.
Spieth was 30th in the PGA 12 months ago while he was 34th at Southern Hills on Sunday so he's heading back to his native Texas on the back of a similar performance.
2022 The Masters (8th) - RBC Heritage (35th)
2021 PGA Championship (MC) - Charles Schwab Challenge (40th)
2019 Open Championship (11th) - St Jude Invitational (12th)
2019 US Open (MC) - Travelers Championship (36th)
2018 US Open (25th) - Travelers Championship (56th)
2017 US Open (9th) - Travelers Championship (MC)
Quite how Thomas will perform after winning last week is hard to assess because it's new ground: he took the week off after capturing the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
But if it plays out as usual, don't expect anything great.
Since 2017, Thomas has managed just a single top 30 on the six occasions he's played the week after a Major so history says he won't be at his best.
Collin Morikawa
2022 The Masters (5th) - RBC Heritage (26th)
2021 PGA Championship (8th) - Charles Schwab Challenge (14th)
2021 The Masters (18th) - RBC Heritage (7th)
2019 US Open (35th) - Travelers Championship (36th)
Morikawa didn't play the week after he won his two Majors - the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open.
When the Californian has got straight back on the horse, he's played solidly without pulling up any trees.
Viktor Hovland
2021 US Open (WD) - BMW International Open (Win)
2019 US Open (12th) - Travelers Championship (54th)
Keep a close watch on Hovland too.
In last year's PGA, he pulled out with an eye problem after getting sand in it at Kiawah Island.
A week later he was celebrating victory in the DP World Tour's BMW International Open after jetting back to Germany and scoring a two-shot win with 19-under.
