Russell Henley rallies late to win Charles Schwab Challenge

Russell Henley finished the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge at 12 under, surged with birdies on his final three holes in regulation, and then beat 54-hole leader Eric Cole with a birdie on the first playoff hole at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Wit

Sunday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, didn’t start like a championship script for Russell Henley. He was three strokes behind Eric Cole when he walked onto the 16th tee. Then, from nowhere to the winner’s circle, Henley made the kind of run that leaves a leaderboard no place to hide.

Henley finished the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge at 12 under, thanks to birdies on his final three holes in regulation. He converted birdie bids from 16 feet on No. 16, 16 feet on No. 17, and on the par-4 finisher—where he played in 2 under in regulation throughout the course of the tournament. The end of regulation turned Cole’s lead into something fragile.

Extra holes followed. Henley found the fairway. found the green in regulation. and converted again—this time on the first playoff hole—to defeat Cole and claim the trophy. Henley’s walk off the course was a quiet kind of relief: the kind that comes after a rally that keeps squeezing the margin until there’s no margin left.

The win pushed Henley up to No. 11 in the FedEx Cup standings. It was also just the second time in his PGA Tour career that he could say he won in back-to-back seasons—after winning the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He has not accomplished that since his rookie and sophomore campaigns in 2013-14. Three wins have come in the last four seasons as well.

Cole had looked built for the closing stretch. After firing a 7-under 63 on Saturday to position himself atop the leaderboard with 18 holes to play. he entered Sunday holding the lead at 12 under. But scoring turned difficult at Colonial. Birdies were few and far between on a day when the course punished chances.

Henley wasn’t perfect early. He opened his final round with an eagle and a birdie to pull within one stroke of Cole. but then “The Horrible Horseshoe” shifted momentum hard against him—three straight bogeys on Nos. 3-5. He answered with a birdie on No. 11 and then bided his time, letting the hole-by-hole pressure mount until it was time to strike.

Cole, too, had a story of control—and then missed timing. During Henley’s climb, Cole maintained his lead at 12 under. Ben Griffin. the defending champion. surged into contention with a 5-under 30. posting a clubhouse lead at 11 under while Henley stood as he walked up the final hole. Henley’s birdie on the par-4 finisher knocked out Griffin and set the date for extra holes with Cole.

In that first playoff, Henley picked up where he left off: fairway, green in regulation, birdie to seal the deal.

Henley’s late conversion came down to one stark sequence. Cole stayed at 12 under until the finish threatened his advantage. and when Henley turned the final stretch into a birdie run—16 feet on No. 16, 16 feet on No. 17, and then the par-4 finisher—the lead was no longer enough. The same calm that Cole tried to preserve in regulation didn’t survive the first playoff hole.

Grade: A+

Here are the rest of the notable names on the leaderboard at the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge.

Eric Cole (-12): It was almost a fairytale type story for Cole, who played everywhere around the U.S. from the minor league circuits to the big leagues. Cole put on a great show and steadied the ship after a bad double bogey on the par-4 9th with a birdie on the par-5 11th to return to 12 under. He parred in from there, missing scoring chances on Nos. 17-18, which he ultimately needed. Grade: A-T3.

Ben Griffin (-11): Griffin wasn’t on the forefront of minds for most of the week. but a Sunday surge put him in a position to create history and join Ben Hogan as the only other player to successfully defend a title at Colonial. Griffin turned in 5 under and arrived at the par-5 11th with a chance to continue his momentum but instead slipped and carded his lone bogey of the afternoon. He bounced back with a 25-foot birdie bid on his penultimate hole, which ultimately was not enough. After a sluggish start to his year. Griffin is in gear for this summer with four top 15s in his last five tournaments. Grade: A.

J.J. Spaun (-10): The reigning U.S. Open champion had chances to take control of the tournament. He sandwiched two bogeys around the turn after a fast start saw him put three birdies on his scorecard across his first eight holes and touch the lead. Spaun’s putter proved to be the main culprit as he missed three putts from inside 8 feet on his back nine alone. leaving him a couple strokes off the eventual winning number. His game remains in sturdy shape following his win in San Antonio. and if the putter turns around slightly. a second win in 2026 will come with it. Grade: A-T.

Justin Thomas (-8): A frustrating week for Thomas came despite brilliance from tee to green. He couldn’t find his stroke on the greens. Even with his new Scotty Cameron in the bag. Thomas’ week was upended by one too many scoring chances falling by the wayside. He played the par 5s in even par for the week. exchanging two birdies for two bogeys while manhandling the rest of the golf course. That is now four straight top-25 finishes for Thomas in his return from offseason back surgery. Grade: B+.

Ludvig Åberg (-6): Åberg got his tournament to 8 under with a birdie on his first hole on Sunday. but then the slow bleed began. He entered the week with an ideal opportunity to get of the schneid and reenter the winner’s circle for the first time in over a year. and his new putter was cooperating early and often. During a week where missed greens in regulation became. well. regular. his short game was too unreliable to make a final-round run. The result marks another quality one amid a string of contention runs. Grade: C+.

Rickie Fowler (—): After opening with a 70 on Thursday. Fowler looked to have found his stride Friday morning as he made four birdies in his first six holes to climb into red figures. Then he started to go in the wrong direction. closing with a 7-over 42 and ending his chances of grabbing his first win in a few years. The early exit may seem like a surprise given Fowler’s form this season. but it marks the third in his last seven tournaments. Grade: F.

Russell Henley Eric Cole 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge Colonial Country Club FedEx Cup standings Ben Griffin J.J. Spaun Justin Thomas Ludvig Åberg Rickie Fowler