It’s the week after a very tough major, making this week, with the Charles Schwab Challenge being half a continent away from last week’s Long Island venue, maybe a good week to catch a breather. But no, not a bad field. Three of the top 10 from this week’s Hawley Ratings and eight of the top 20 have found their way to Texas. The top three are defending champion and defending FedEx Cup winner Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, who probably rates as the favorite, and Rickie Fowler. The next group includes Xander Schauffele, the 2017 FedEx Cup champion.

Rahm at least has the advantage of two extra days off after his missed cut at the PGA. After a six-month run that included 11 top-10 finishes, including the win in last December’s World Challenge and a runner-up finish less than a month ago in the Zurich, Rahm came up empty in the PGA and missed the cut after a second-round 75.

According to the Hawley course fit statistics, shots gained putting and shots gained in the approach are the two individual stats most closely correlated with success at the Colonial Country Club over the past eight events. Sand saves also correlates well, a bit lower. Rose is no. 1 in the field in the degree to which his game aligns with those stats. He’s in the top quarter in SG putting, in the top 15 percent in SG approach, and top five percent in sand saves. Among other easily recognizable players who should find the course to their liking are Ian Poulter, Brandt Snedeker, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Francesco Molinari, Graeme McDowell, and Schauffele.

There also are some lesser-knowns who might have the same pleasant experience. Perhaps Talor Gooch; he’s in the top half in SG putting, top two percent in SG approach, and top 10 percent in sand saves. Others who fit statistically include Andrew Putnam, Dominic Bozzelli, Michael Thompson, and Vaughn Taylor.

Rose didn’t do much in the PGA either, finishing 29th. He’s been up and down this year, with the win at the Farmers and two other top-10s but four finishes outside the top 30. It’s the same story for Fowler, who was 36th in the PGA. Earlier in 2019 he won at Phoenix, had three other top-10s, and finished outside the top 30 four times.

More interested in someone who’s been steady? Rory Sabbatini has three top-10s and a top-20 in his last four appearances. Some others who have been inconsistent but with a rating trending upward are Seamus Power, Scott Piercy, and Matt Every. Power had back-to-back top-10s in April. Piercy was runner-up at the Nelson and third at the Heritage. Every was runner-up at the Nelson and fifth in the Zurich.

Two guys who should be in their primes but have been dropping through the ratings recently are Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau. DeChambeau has no top-10s on the PGA Tour in 2019 and Finau has a fifth in the Masters to go with four finishes 60th or worse in his last five appearances.

There’s a simple explanation for the fact that the Schwab name doesn’t have much of a ring to it as a mid-spring Tour event. The Charles Schwab Challenge is the same event that has been running at the Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth TX for decades, just with a new sponsor. Last spring, Charles Schwab & Co. signed a four-year agreement that takes effect this year to assume title sponsorship of the event.

It’s been somewhat of a challenge to keep the event going in recent years. Bank of America was the sponsor back around the turn of the century. Crowne Plaza sponsored from 2007 through 2015. Dean and DeLuca had their name on it starting in 2016 but informed the Tour in late 2017 that it was pulling out, two years into its six-year contract. The tournament was called the Fort Worth Invitational in 2018. According to forbes.com, companies such as AT&T, American Airlines, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and XTO Energy Inc. helped underwrite much of the required $12 million in funding for the 2018 event, with Colonial Country Club offsetting the remainder of the costs.