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Wells Fargo Championship Preview
Affinity for a course suggests that Rory McIlroy should be cast in the role of favorite this week at Charlotte. Unfortunately for the 2013 PGA champion, 2010 Wells Fargo Championship winner and 2012 runner-up, his current form repudiates any such assertion. McIlroy’s last contest was The Masters, where a wretched, third-round 79 condemned him to a 25th-place tie. The defending champion (Rickie Fowler) has yet to play out of a similar malaise (t-38 finish in Augusta,) placing 32nd last week in New Orleans.
Looking beyond the two media darlings offers an unlikely yet unavoidable third consideration. D.A. Points, the other non-winner (at McIlroy’s side) in last year’s playoff, is a winner this year (Shell Houston Open) on the PGA Tour and is listed in the top 30 for both FedEx Cup points and official money. Points is quite unpredictable, having missed the cut in seven of 13 Tour appearances in 2013, with one other finish (beyond the victory) in the top 35: his runner-up last week in New Orleans. In other words, he is an all-or-nothing pick. In four previous appearances at Quail Hollow, Points missed each 36-hole cut three times. That he led the field in successful scrambling (getting up and down for par 85 percent of the time) might have been the key to his near-miss.
Another cast for a victor might reel in former WFC winner Lucas Glover. Although his form has been inconsistent in 2013, he might have found the needed balance last week in New Orleans, where he placed fourth. Phil Mickelson would normally make the “A List” of contestants, as his record at Quail Hollow, resplendent with top-10 finishes, lacks only a title. The state of his game, though, advocates for caution. Other than a win in Phoenix and a tie for third at Doral, Lefty has no other top-10 finishes this season.
Less-likely trophy-grabbers but certainly under consideration for a variety of reasons are Bill Haas and Webb Simpson (regional comfort and familiarity), Ricky Barnes and Kyle Stanley (talented golfers awaking from a slumber) and the winner last week in the Crescent City, Billy Horschel. While it’s quite rare for players to win back-to-back events, Horschel has shown that he can play well on any course. His first appearance in Charlotte could produce fireworks.
Missing this year is Tiger Woods, the 2007 champion. Woods would certainly have featured among the pre-tournament favorites. He is the only current professional for whom a top-five finish at a major is considered a disappointment. Despite the hullabaloo that surrounded his penalty at Augusta, Woods endures as favorite in any event for which he registers.
The Course
Six par 4s listed beyond 450 yards in length, including four beyond 475. Par 3s that extend to 250 yards and par 5 holes that fall in the 550-600 yard category. Quail Hollow might be dismissed as long-hitter’s paradise, save for the fact that players like David Toms, Joey Sindelar and Jim Furyk have hoisted the winner’s chalice on Sunday. The Charlotte club will host its first major championship, the 2017 PGA, affirming that the course is laden with strategic decisions and reputable architecture. A win at the Wells Fargo Championship elevates the player’s stature nearly to that of a major champion. It is one of an elite handful of Tour events that transcends its “regular-class” definition.
Despite the closing stretch of water-logged holes (paid due respect later), the dominant natural feature of Quail Hollow is its mature trees. Far from the open, links or heath style of course that is currently the darling of world golf, Quail Hollow remains true to its parkland heritage. Pines, oaks, maple, holly, dogwood and spruce frame fairways and enclose corridors from elevated tees to sunken greens (and vice-versa.)
There are few courses without a signature stretch these days. If it didn’t begin with the “Amen Corner” at Augusta, that triad certainly churned the waters with its notoriety. The Quail Hollow club is no exception to this trend and its “Green Mile” begins on the 16th tee. After the statistically-simple, par 5 No. 15 (rated easiest hole in the 2012 playing,) the 4-3-4 closing triumvirate demands middle-iron selections, if not more, on all approach shots. No. 16 doglegs to the right, around an immense bunker tucked on the inside corner of the fairway. From there, the hole flows in serpentine fashion to a large, rugged putting surface. Safe arrival in regulation is no guarantee of par, as the undulations, knobs and rumples of the green make it quite challenging to negotiate.
The penultimate hole is a one-shot affair, nearly 220 yards across an inlet of the lake first seen on No. 14. The green exposes more than half of its circumference to the water, while leaving no margin to the timid who play dryly to the right. If the winds awaken on Sunday, as they have for past celebrations, the hole transforms into a survival mission. Successful reconciliation of Nos. 16 and 17 might leave the player a bit unaware of the hazards that await on the final stretch of the “Mile.” A narrow stream runs the length of the hole on the left, precisely the direction in which players err to avoid the fairway bunker up the right perimeter. Like most George Cobb greens, No. 18 offers a healthy host of hole locations, given its gargantuan size. The need to pound a driver up a narrow, well-guarded fairway with the tournament on the line is a sought-after skill. To follow it up with an accurate approach of no small distance and a solid putt or two is the mark of a select player.
Viewing
Tickets for the 2013 playing of the Wells Fargo Championship are sold out. The event will be broadcast on the Golf Channel on Thursday and Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., and again on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.. CBS will take over coverage on both weekend days, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Verdict
After 10 playings of the tournament and four playoffs, extra holes are somewhat likely. The ability to protect a lead down the closing sequence of holes, even in the best players, is suspect and unlikely. Seven third-round leaders gave up their advantage on Sunday, losing the tournament to final-day climbers. None was more dramatic that Rory McIlroy in 2010. The Ulsterman signed for a tournament-record 62 (10 under par) to scorch past a host of golfers and earn a four-stroke victory. Odds don’t favor the third-round leader, but it’s the predicting which follower will play his best on Sunday that proves difficult.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Ronald Montesano
May 4, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Writer’s Confession: Billy Horschel took the week off and did not tee it up at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Ronald Montesano
May 3, 2013 at 6:10 am
Hey, Golflaw…interesting comment. Can you be more specific about the problems? Are they patchy? Thatchy? I know that the winter in the Carolinas has been topsy-turvey and sometimes green conditions suffer. Word is that they want to go back to Bermuda from Bent. Have you heard that? What about the resodding of #8 and 3#10 greens, just prior to the tournament?
Golflaw
May 2, 2013 at 9:21 pm
The greens at that golf course are abominable.if that happened et my club the members would be looking to fire the greens keeper. It wouldn’t happen absent a misapplication of some chemical or some fungus.