Russell Henley uses late charge, holds off Eric Cole in playoff to win Charles Schwab Challenge
· Yahoo Sports
FORT WORTH – Russell Henley completed a late-round charge with a five-foot birdie putt in a sudden-death playoff to defeat Eric Cole and win the 80th Charles Schwab Challenge in mid-90-degree heat Sunday afternoon at Colonial Country Club.
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“I was as nervous as I’ve ever been over a putt in my whole life,’’ said Henley, 37, now a six-time winner on the PGA Tour. “The longer you play this game, the more you want success. I just fought really hard through the end and it felt really good to see an awesome result.’’
Needing a miracle finish, Henley came alive, sinking birdie putts on the final three holes: a 15-footer at the par-3 16th, another 15-footer on 17 and a 17-footer on the final hole.
“When the putt went in on No. 17, I knew that I had a chance to put on a little pressure if I played 18 well,’’ Henley said.
The birdie run propelled Henley to a 67 and 12-under-par total, matching Cole, who had been in the lead all afternoon and still had one hole to play after Henley finished.
When Cole could only make par on No. 18, the 14th playoff in the Charles Schwab Challenge was assured.
Both Henley and Cole hit solid drives on No. 18, the playoff hole. Henley faced a longer approach of 135 yards and his shot settled five feet right of the hole. From 107 yards, Cole’s approach fell a little short, leaving him a 13-foot right-to-left breaking putt. Cole overplayed the break slightly and narrowly missed on the right side.
“I hit a good wedge, but I think it just spun back a little bit too much or something,’’ Cole said. “The putt was good, I hit it pretty much where I was aiming, I just kind of misread it. I thought it might start breaking left a little earlier.’’
Henley played his approach for 115 yards after seeing how the wind carried his approach in regulation. “We were playing a yardage that was 20 yards short because it was so hot and the ball was going,’’ Henley explained. “Then I was able to hit a decent putt under those circumstances.’’
The putt for his fourth consecutive birdie earned the title along with a $1.782 million check.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 31: Russell Henley of the United States celebrates after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge 2026 at Colonial Country Club on May 31, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Cole was the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2023 at age 35. Since the PGA Tour began the award in 1990, those selected have combined for 277 wins and every one of those choices, with the exception of Cole, has at least one career victory. He was very close to ending that distinction.
“I was proud of the way I played and it's disappointing but I still feel good and happy,’’ said Cole, who closed with a round of 70.
Cole saw a two-stroke lead disappear at No. 9 when he dumped his 120-yard approach from thick rough into the pond that fronts the green.
But he steadied after the mishap and maintained the top spot until Henley caught him on the last hole.
Dallas’ Mac Meissner was a study in consistency in his final-round 69, which landed him in a three-way tie for third at 11-under along with Ben Griffin and Alex Smalley.
It was the fourth consecutive round in the 60s for Meissner, a 27-year-old former SMU Mustang. He made two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars. A birdie at the par-3 16th brought him to within one stroke of the lead, but he could get no closer, scrambling for well-earned pars on the final two holes.
Not since Ben Hogan defended his title in 1953 has the Charles Schwab Challenge had back-to-back champions.
Griffin, the 2025 winner, emerged as a threat to repeat with a sizzling 5-under-par 30 on his opening nine. The 30-year-old Floridian, playing five holes in front of the final pairing, made a costly bogey at the par-5 No. 11 when his second shot landed in a fairway bunker requiring two more shots to reach the putting surface. He settled down with six pars and a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to post a target score of 11-under. Griffin’s 65 shared low round of the day with Steven Fisk.
“It was awesome to make a charge there especially on the front nine, kind of cooled off on the back, but nonetheless, I was proud of the way I finished,’’ Griffin said. “Just got out of my rhythm and game plan a little bit on 11. But other than that, I hit some really high-quality shots.’’
Notable: Michael Kim of Dallas eagled the opening hole and went on to shoot a 68 for a top-20 performance of 6-under…Pierceson Coody of Plano closed with a 69 and finished at 5-under…Former SMU Mustang Austin Smotherman finished in red figures at 1-under after a final round 72…Dallas transplant Tom Kim, who shared the lead after the first round, finished at even-par after a final-round 74...Holes 3, 4 and 5 at Colonial, known at the Horrible Horseshoe, rank as the top three Colonial holes in difficulty all-time. No. 5, a 476-yard par-4 along the Trinity River is by far the most difficult historically and it was no different this year, playing .240 over par. The 248-yard par-3 fourth hole ranked No. 2 for this tournament at .148. Since the course renovation two years ago, the first leg of the Horseshoe, No. 3, has dropped to tenth in difficulty. Hole No. 7, a par-4 lengthened to 480 yards in the re-work, ranked as the third-hardest hole.