Colonial Calls Potential 2028 Demotion "An Insult" as PGA Tour's Longest-Running Venue Faces the Axe

Colonial Country Club is facing the end of an 80-year relationship with the PGA Tour, and those inside the Fort Worth club are not hiding their anger. According to a Golfweek report, Colonial and title sponsor Charles Schwab are unlikely to secure a place in the tour's new Championship Series when the restructured 2028 schedule takes effect, with the Charles Schwab Challenge instead offered a spot in the second-tier Challenger Series — an option the club reportedly has little interest in accepting. One source told Golfweek that club leadership considers the prospect of such a downgrade after eight decades of commitment "an insult". The event, running since 1946, is the longest-running non-major on the PGA Tour, and Colonial and Schwab remain hopeful of landing a Championship Series place. Under chief executive Brian Rolapp's restructuring plan, the schedule will be split into a Championship Series, featuring leading players and minimum purses of 20 million dollars, and a Challenger Series, with four Championship Series positions still undecided after bids closed on September 30. If the reported demotion becomes official, Colonial is expected to reject the Challenger Series and explore a move to PGA Tour Champions, possibly hosting the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The tour declined to comment, and the full 2028 schedule is due to be unveiled on February 27, though Rolapp speaks in Dallas on November 11, fuelling talk of an earlier announcement.