Scheffler Eyes Historic Three-Peat at Colonial After PGA Championship Win
Scottie Scheffler isn’t taking a victory lap at Colonial this week. The world No. 1 made that crystal clear.
“I didn’t just show up here to Fort Worth to just walk around and celebrate last week,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “I’m here for a reason, and that’s not to just play a couple of ceremonious rounds and then ride off in the sunset. I’m here to compete.”
Fresh off his PGA Championship victory, Scheffler has a chance to make history at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He’s looking to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive PGA Tour starts. The 28-year-old won his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson before capturing his third major championship at Quail Hollow.
While he’s skipping some of his usual preparation this week to focus on recovery, Scheffler’s competitive drive remains intact. That’s bad news for the field, considering his recent form at Colonial – he’s finished in the top three with two runner-up showings in the past three years.
“I think any time I can sleep in my own bed and play a golf tournament, it’s a nice thing,” Scheffler said. “I love the golf course here. I think it’s a great test. That’s also one of the big reasons I try to come to this event each year.”
This Texas swing has been particularly kind to Scheffler. At the Nelson, he tied the PGA Tour scoring record of 253 while winning by eight shots. Now he’s aiming to join Ben Hogan (1946) as the only players to win both Dallas-Fort Worth area tournaments in the same year.
Davis Riley enters as the defending champion after his breakthrough individual victory last year. He’s riding momentum of his own after tying for second behind Scheffler at the PGA Championship.
“It was really firm because it was brand new,” Riley said of Colonial’s conditions last year following renovations. “It softened up. I think the fairways are… maybe a little bit softer, more grown in. I would say the rough is a little bit up, but I think the greens, the quickness and the firmness will be very similar as to what we saw last year.”
The 7,289-yard, par-70 Colonial layout has a rich history, made famous by Hogan, who remains the only back-to-back winner in Fort Worth (1946-47 and 1952-53).
Jordan Spieth, the other hometown favorite alongside Scheffler, missed the cut at the PGA Championship but has his own history at Colonial. The fellow Texas alum won here in 2016, and his name adorns the wall of champions along the No. 1 tee box.
Scheffler’s recent run puts him in elite company. He’s joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players with 15 victories before turning 29. This is his fourth chance at a three-peat since 2022.
When asked if his rare display of emotion – slamming his cap on the green after winning the PGA – was his version of a football spike, Scheffler laughed it off.
“When I played football, I didn’t score very many touchdowns, so I wasn’t too experienced in that,” he said. “I think I just kind of let my emotions out a little bit, and I guess that’s where my brain decided it wanted to go at the time. I really have absolutely no explanation for it at all.”
The question now is whether he’ll have reason to celebrate again on Sunday at Colonial.
