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Return to Golf: Golf Digest's exclusive images from the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial

June 13, 2020
FORT WORTH, TX - June 14:  2020 Charles Schwab. Challenge, final round. Photographed at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, TX, on June 14, 2020. Photograph ©2020 Darren Carroll

After a three-month layoff due to the coronavirus, the return of the PGA Tour this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge promises to be an experience unlike any other. Tour officials have gone to great lengths to re-imagine what it means to host a golf tournament that’s safe for all those involved, and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth is the first attempt at putting their plan for a scaled-down event into motion. There are no fans but plenty of sanitizing stations, as players, caddies and volunteers enter this brave new world. Throughout the week, photographer Darren Carroll will be chronicling the tournament for Golf Digest, honing his camera to give readers a detailed look at this historic event. —Ryan Herrington

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Daniel Berger enjoys the spoils of victory, claiming the trophy and the winner's tarten after beating Colin Morikawa in a playoff.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Berger's swing comes with a few quirk.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Berger showcases his swing off the tee.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jordan Spieth watched stunned that this putt in the final round didn't drop.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Collin Morikawa looked dejected after his playoff loss to Daniel Berger.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Brendan Grace tries to get into a groove with his driver.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The 18th green is frighteningly empty early on Sunday morning.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The media center is transformed to bulid social distancing accomodations.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The PGA Tour's health and safety instructions are prominently displayed for players, caddies and officials.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

There was plenty of solitude for players and caddies alike on Sunday at Colonial.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The one benefit of an early tee time in the final round: beating the Texas heat.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

By Day 4 at Colonial, new routines are becoming more routine for caddies and their sanitizing wipes.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Those who made the cut faced another warm day in Fort Worth on Saturday as they began the third round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

It's the third day of competition at Colonial, but there's still hard to get used to the quiet and solitude of a tournament without fans.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The pained look on Rory McIlroy's face hints that he wasn't entirely happy with this drive.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

If Jordan Spieth could have gotten this chip from off the 18th green to fall, he would have held a share of the 54-hole lead at Colonial. Instead he had to settle for starting Sunday one stroke back.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Colonial's famed Wall of Champions has a spot open for the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge winner.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jordan Spieth makes quite the splash from this bunker during the third round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

If you didn't know any better, you wouldn't realize this was a PGA Tour event.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

A volunteer sanitizes the golf carts used by the players to go back and forth from the driving range to the first tee.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

This scoreboard operator near the 18th green can't help but try to get a glimpse of the action on Saturday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

An official tries to beat the third-round heat with some water.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Bryson DeChambeau gets help breaking down his putting stroke from a member of his team on Saturday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Harold Varner III and Jordan Spieth exchange smiles after finishing out their third round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Early groups get underway on Friday at Colonial.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Players get in some work on the practice putting green ahead of Round 2.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jordan Spieth works to knock off the competitive rust of a three-month layoff as he plays his way into contention on Friday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Fans from a balcony outside the ropes cheer on Bryson DeChambeau.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Health officials prepare a scaning station at a volunteer entrance. As part of the PGA Tour's health and safety protocols, everyone entering Colonial must pass a thermal temperature scan and fill out a questionnaire to be cleared.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Justin Thomas plays a tricky punch shot.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The trophy that Sunday's winner will claim was on display at the first tee Friday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

They're playing a PGA Tour event here, but the emptiness of the course gave Colonial the feel of casual Friday at any club in America.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Matt Fitzpatrick walks down the 10th hole to begin his second round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

A tour official provides Denny McCarthy his scorecard ahead of his morning tee time.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

A caddie handles the flagstick with care … and a sanitizing wipe.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jon Rahm doesn't appear to like this tee shot very much.

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Jim Furyk and Mike (Fluff) Cowan have gotten the hang of the recommended social distancing between player and caddie.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

The “crowd” around the 13th tee is far different this week than in past tournaments.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Phil Mickelson's sunglasses couldn't hide the fact that his game appeared rusty, as he would miss the cut.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jim Furyk doesn't let this awkward sidehill lie get to him.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Justin Rose watches this drive anxiously.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Residents around the neighborhood at Colonial offer their support to the players and caddies.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Patton Kizzire heads down the fairway as he begins his opening round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan watches the start of the first round Thursday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jhonattan Vegas practices his putting ahead of his first-round tee time.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Ryan Palmer, a member at Colonial Country Club and a Texas native, plays away in front of the club's famed Wall of Champions after getting the honor of hitting the first official shot of the tournament.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

A handful of players grab breakfast at Colonial on Thursday morning.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

A volunteer helps sanitize the media center, where work stations have been spread out for proper social distancing.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

At 8:46 a.m. on Thursday, the PGA Tour held a minute of silence to remember George Floyd and highlight racial injustice.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Who said there were no fans at Colonial? Onlookers from behind a chain-link fence catch a glimpse of Jordan Spieth on Thursday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy mirror each other's poses as they stand not far from a manual scoreboard.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Rickie Fowler plays away while paired with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on Thursday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Brooks Koepka follows a drive anxiously during his first round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy explore a little course strategy as they wait on the tee during the first round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

CBS commentator Dottie Pepper was happily back on the job reporting during the Thursday broadcast.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Dylan Frittelli plays a perilous shot from beside the 18th green.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

There might not be any fans inside Colonial Country Club, but players like Brian Harman were still showing emotions after good and bad shots during Thursday's opening round.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Todd Montoya, caddie for Brian Stuard, has been as vigilant as an looper in following the PGA Tour's requests on wearing masks and social distancing.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

It was bombs away for Phil Mickelson off the tee on Thursday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Dustin Johnson, too, wasn't holding anything back in his swing.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Jordan Spieth blasts out of a fairway bunker during his opening round.

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Darren Carroll

The emptiness of the course is best described with images like this.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Wednesday is usually Pro-Am day at PGA Tour events, but there was only the hustle and bustle of players getting in some last-minute practice this week.

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Darren Carroll

Volunteers made sure to protect the statue of Ben Hogan at Colonial.

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Darren Carroll

Defending champion Kevin Na gets interview by local media on Wednesday.

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Darren Carroll

Old habits die hard as Matt Kuchar gives a friend a fist bump after seeing him on Wednesday.

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Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Hand sanitizing stations are dotted throughout the course with players and caddies encouraged to clean their hands often.

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Darren Carroll

Even camera operators isolated in TV towers are encouraged to protect themselves while on the job.