Wells Fargo Championship Preview

The PGA Tour is in North Carolina this week for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club. Rory McIlroy defends a title he won in some style last season.

Rory McIlroy defends
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The PGA Tour is in North Carolina this week for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club. Rory McIlroy defends a title he won in some style last season. An extremely strong field has assembled for this event with five players in the top-10 on the World Ranking teeing it up. They are, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey and last week's winner in New Orleans Bubba Watson. In addition, seven of the players currently in the top-10 on the FedEx Cup race are on the start sheet. As such, this tournament carries significant world ranking points and will provide a good chance for those looking to climb the list to make progress. Founded by James J. Harris in 1959, Quail Hollow is a private member's club, but it has been host to this tournament since 2003. There's been an illustrious line of winners in the event, formerly known as the Wachovia Championships. David Toms came out on top in 2003 and, since then, Joey Sindelar, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim and Sean O'Hair have been victorious. Last season Rory McIlroy fired one of the rounds of the year on day four of the championship. He carded a sparkling 62 to rip through the field and win the tournament by four strokes from Phil Mickelson.

Venue: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina Date: May 5-8 Course stats: par 72, 7,442 yards Purse: $6,500,000, Winner: $1,152,000 Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy (-15)

TV Coverage: Thursday 5 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm Friday 6 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm Saturday 7 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm Sunday 8 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm

Player Watch: Phil Mickelson - "Lefty" was runner-up in this event last year and he has a superb record in the tournament - he's never missed the cut and has finished in the top-12 on six of seven starts.

Martin Laird - The Scot is proving himself to be one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He has already won this year and has four further top-10 finishes. He's one of the longest hitters on the circuit and that will be a big advantage on this course.

Nick Watney - This is a course that suits Watney - he's made the cut every time he's started here. He's stepped up a level in self-belief following his WGC victory and will look to build on that here.

Key holes: 17th. A par-3 of 217 yards where the ball must be carried all the way to the green over water. When the pressure is on, this hole is bound to produce some drama.

Holes 16-18 here are known as "The Green Mile," with the 18th the pinnacle of the challenge. It's one of the hardest finishing holes on the PGA Tour, a 478 yard par 4, uphill with a creek on the left and bunkers on the right.

Skills required: Playing the par-5s. It's imperative here to make the most of the four par-5s on the course. It's a tough layout and there are few "gimme" birdies out there. The winner will play the long holes well and pick up some shots. To do that they will have to drive the ball well. Where Next? European Tour: Open de Espana preview

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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