The Charles Schwab Challenge has one of the best winner's prizes in golf: a restored sports car. It's become a bit of a tradition for the event since Schwab took over the title sponsorship of the Colonial event in 2018.
For 2022, the champion in the Texas-based event will win a fully restored and modernized 1979 Pontiac Firebird. The car, dubbed the Schwab Firebird, recognizes a significant year in the firm’s history, investing in mainframe computer technology that proved critical to building their wealth-management business.
Customized by Steve Strope and Pure Vision Design, the 1979 Trans Am Firebird features a General Motors Crate LS3 Small-Block V-8 engine putting out 430 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque and Baer racing brakes with 13-inch rotors. The interior has Porsche Panamera power seats, Dakota Digital gauges and a Kicker audio system.
Kevin Na won the first vehicle prize in 2019, earning a 1973 Dodge Challenger. In 2021, Jason Korkak won a 1946 Schwab Power Wagon.
The winner will also continue receiving the traditional Colonial Leonard Trophy and a Scottish royal tartan plaid jacket.
Country music singer Jake Owen also recorded a new take on “Eastbound and Down” in anticipation of the event.
The 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge is set for May 26-29 at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas.