$15 Million Golfer Withdraws Just 2 Days Before Charles Schwab Challenge

Bud Cauley
Getty
$15 million golfer withdraws just 2 days before Charles Schwab Challenge.

The field for the Charles Schwab Challenge keeps thinning. After Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark, a few others have chosen not to tee off at the Colonial Country Club.

Bud Cauley, 36, has joined the club recently. The PGA Tour announced the news on Tuesday. His place will be filled by Patrick Fishburn, the 33-year-old golfer from the United States. No reason was stated for Cauley’s withdrawal.

Cauley, who has earned close to $15 million in prize money through his 67 starts on the Tour, has yet to win a trophy. He came close to one four times in his career and ironically, it was at Colonial last year. He finished solo third with a score of 9-under. All other instances were also third-place finishes.

Cauley has played 13 events this season and has made the cut in 11. His most notable performance came at the RBC Heritage, where he finished solo seventh, taking home more than $650,000.

He ranks 57th in the FedEx rankings as of now, owing to his active participation this year.

Bud Cauley

GettyBud Cauley of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.

Cauley’s 2026 PGA TOUR season has been built more on steady ball-striking. He ranks 41st in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green at 0.336, 71st in Greens in Regulation at 66.21%, and 85th in scoring average at 70.33. He also sits 88th in driving distance at 303.4 yards.

The biggest issue in Cauley’s stat line has been the putter. He is listed 134th in Strokes Gained: Putting at -0.383, a number that helps explain why his tee-to-green work has not produced more standout results on the leaderboard.

Even so, he has still put together a respectable overall season so far, including an average Strokes Gained: Total mark of 0.175


Purse, Payout and Other Details

This week’s purse is $9.9 million, with the winner collecting 500 FedExCup points and a two-year exemption on the Tour. Using the PGA Tour’s standard payout split, that means the champion earns 18 percent of the purse or $1.782 million. Second place pays 10.8 percent, which comes to $1,069,200. Third place pays 6.8 percent, or $673,200.


How and Where to Watch?

Rickie Fowler

GettyRickie Fowler of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.

Ben Griffin returns as the defending champion after winning the 2025 edition. The field also includes Ludvig Åberg, Justin Thomas, J.J. Spaun, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Robert MacIntyre and Russell Henley.

Television coverage is split between Golf Channel and CBS. The Tour’s current schedule lists Golf Channel for Thursday and Friday from 4-7 p.m. ET. Then Saturday from 1-3:30 p.m. ET before CBS takes over from 3-6:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday follows the same pattern with Golf Channel from 1-3 p.m. ET and CBS from 3-6 p.m. ET. PGA Tour LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+, while PGA Tour Radio is carried on SiriusXM and free at PGA Tour.

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$15 Million Golfer Withdraws Just 2 Days Before Charles Schwab Challenge

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