If golf does restart as scheduled in June at the Charles Schwab Challenge the field might be the best ever at Colonial.

Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member as well as a member of the PGA Tour’s players advisory council, said he’s optimistic play can restart in June and when it does he anticipates an impressive turnout.

“I expect a strong field, if not the best field Colonial has ever had,” Palmer said.

The PGA Tour paused its season after Round 1 of The Players Championship in March. With at least a three-month break between events, some of the world's top-ranked players, who might normally skip the Fort Worth event, could be itching to compete at Colonial.  And with the European Tour in flux, that could add an international flavor to the Texas tournament.

Tommy Fleetwood, No. 10 in the world, is currently committed to play the event for the first time in his career, along with Rafa Cabrera Bello and Erik van Rooyen, who would normally be playing the European Tour during the Colonial stop but have adjusted their schedules because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Palmer also said he doesn’t have any concerns about travelling whenever the Tour restarts and is confident officials will take the necessary safeguards to protect everyone involved.

“I had a lot of conversations with the folks at Colonial; as far as the testing and protocols, we are in the talks right now. In the next week or 10 days they are going to lay out the guidelines,” Palmer said. “If we are all given the go, Colonial will do the right thing.”

If play does restart in June at Colonial, Palmer said he plans to play the first three events back and is considering taking his family to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the RBC Heritage, even through the event is scheduled to be played without fans.

“It will be like a little vacation," he said. "They won’t be able to come watch [the tournament] but they can spend some time at the beach."