PGA Tour: could Ryan Palmer shock field at Colonial?

The PGA Tour returns this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Texan Ryan Palmer is hoping to ride local knowledge to a big finish

As the PGA Tour gets underway again this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the field is loaded with the top five players, and 16 of the top 20 in the world ready to tee it up at venerable Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. However, a player with lots of experience and local knowledge, someone like Ryan Palmer, could potentially spoil the fun for everyone else.

The tour’s return, after three months without play due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be a welcome change for players and fans alike. And Colonial Country Club is the perfect site for the tour’s return, having hosted an event every season for more than 60 years.

More from Pro Golf Now

• Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
• Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
• Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
• Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
• Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament

The names in the field this week are a who’s who of today’s golf world

Rory McIlroy is in the field, along with Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. Former champions are also in the field, including Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and defending champion Kevin Na.

There will be a number of players in the field this week who have never played in a tournament at Colonial or have only played there a few times. For those players, coming back from a long layoff to a course where they don’t have a lot of local knowledge could be a serious disadvantage this week.

Then there’s Palmer. The 43-year-old is making his 17th appearance in the event and he couldn’t feel more at home. Literally. Palmer is a member at Colonial Country Club and has likely played the course more than any other golfer in this week’s field.

Palmer has never won the PGA Tour event at Colonial, although he has been in contention several times. He has four career top 10s in this event, including a tie for sixth last season.

Palmer is having a good year on the PGA Tour so far this season. He has started nine times and made eight cuts, with six top 25s and two top 10s. He tied for fourth at the Sony Open in January and tied for 10th at the Zozo Championship in October.

The odds are certainly against Palmer winning this week, especially with all of the firepower in the field. However, if someone were going to stun this star-studded field this week, it would be someone who is completely comfortable with his surroundings and who can use local knowledge to his best advantage. On this particular week, that’s Ryan Palmer. It’s not likely that Palmer will win, but it would be no surprise to see him in contention yet again at Colonial.