-
Rory McIlroy hopes to win his third title at the Wells Fargo Championship. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
• COURSE: Quail Hollow Club, 7,575 yards, par 72. The 1961 George Cobb design, with upgrades from Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio, continues to grow in status since its return to the PGA TOUR schedule in 2003. Not only has Quail Hollow become a favorite among players, but the course will become a major championship venue as host of next year’s PGA Championship. The Presidents Cup also will come to the site in 2021. Quail Hollow was the original site of the Kemper Open (1969-79) and later the World Seniors Invitational (1980-89) before Fazio was brought in to redo greens and add yardage. Quail Hollow’s final three holes, dubbed the “Green Mile,” are considered perhaps the toughest closing stretch on tour.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points.
• CHARITY: Teach For America Charlotte, the local arm of a national initiative to support recent college graduates who commit to two years of teaching in low-income public schools. In 2015-16, nearly 200 Teach For America members work in greater Charlotte.
• FIELD WATCH: Defending champion Rory McIlroy and FedExCup leader Adam Scott head a lineup that features eight entrants among the top 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking. That list also includes No. 5 Rickie Fowler, No. 6 Henrik Stenson and No. 8 Dustin Johnson. … Drilling down a little further, the roster includes 14 of the world’s top 25. … Jim Furyk, sidelined since September with wrist problems that led to surgery, will make his season debut at Quail Hollow. His ranking has slipped to No. 24 during the layoff. … Bryson DeChambeau and Ollie Schniederjans are in the field on exemptions.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 267, Rory McIlroy (2015).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Rory McIlroy (3rd round, 2015).
• LAST YEAR: Fueled by his Saturday 11-under-par 61, McIlroy turned the final round into a victory lap as a seven-shot romp made him the event’s first two-time winner. Three shots off the pace at the midway point, McIlroy turned in a front-nine 31 on Saturday and birdied six of his first seven after the turn to put a possible 59 in his sights. Though a par/par finish left him short of that milestone, the 61 broke his own course record in the final round of his 2010 win. It also sent McIlroy into the final day with a four-shot lead, which he methodically expanded while shattering the tournament’s 72-hole scoring mark by five strokes. Patrick Rodgers, playing on a sponsor invitation, and Webb Simpson were the distant runners-up. McIlroy’s victory was his second in three weeks, having won the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play Championship two weeks earlier.
• STORYLINES: McIlroy seeks a third crown at a venue where he clearly feels comfortable, holding the 72-hole scoring record and two best 18-hole scores. He has three other top-10 finishes at Quail Hollow, including a playoff loss to Rickie Fowler in 2012. … Phil Mickelson tries once again for his first Wells Fargo victory, despite 10 top-12 finishes in 12 previous visits. The World Golf Hall of Famer was runner-up to McIlroy in 2010, beaten out by the youngster’s closing 62. … Simpson, a Quail Hollow resident who lives about a mile from the clubhouse, again seeks a home-turf victory. In addition to last year, he held the 54-hole lead in 2012 before stumbling.
• SHORT CHIPS: Five other Charlotte residents join Simpson in looking for a hometown win: Brendon de Jonge, Jason Kokrak, Martin Laird, Kyle Reifers and Johnson Wagner. … Five of the previous six defending champions have not been around on Sunday at Quail Hollow. Derek Ernst is the lone exception, tying for 30th in 2014; Fowler was a Saturday MDF victim a year earlier. … Three entrants have never missed a start at Quail Hollow – J.J. Henry, Charles Howell III and Rory Sabbatini. … 2011 champion Lucas Glover remains the only man to post all four rounds in the 60s at Wells Fargo. McIlroy came close last year, opening with a 70.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes).
• RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
Now we arrive at Quail Hollow ( can you believe it is May)
congratulations again to back to back winner Bobcat for his win at The Zurich
with a low scoring week, no shake up at the top, DFS with the lead
Good Luck to everyone this week
