Quail Hollow Inside Track

Our man Stateside Harry Emanuel previews this week’s Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina.
Quail Hollow Championship
Course: Quail Hollow Club
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Since: 2003
Yardage: 7,442
Par: 72
Low winning total: 272 (-16) Anthony Kim
Course Record: 64 Kirk Triplett (2004) Bo Van Pelt (2006) Rory Sabbatini (2007)
Field: 156
Cut: Top 70 plus ties after two days
Tee Off: 13:00 GMT Thursday
Overview
This week is the halfway point of the PGA Tour regular season (16 weeks into the year) and the tour heads to North Carolina for the Quail Hollow Championship.
Formerly known as the Wachovia championship, the tournament has been held at the Quail Hollow Club since 2003.
There may been no headline sponsor but there is no shortage of top golfers. Seven of the world’s top ten players are in attendance, the winners of 14 tournaments so far this year on the PGA Tour and 19 major champions with a combined 40 major victories.
Last Time Out
In 2008 Anthony Kim earned his first PGA Tour title, taking a four-stroke lead into the final round and rolling to a five-stroke victory over Ben Curtis.
Kim finished with a tournament record 16 under par 272 and was the youngest winner on the PGA Tour last year aged 22 years, 10 months and 15 days.
Course
Quail Hollow is a demanding golf course and ranked 20th most difficult course on tour in 2008 and 11th in 2007. It is an old fashioned style tree lined golf course with narrow fairways and multiple doglegs.
A combination of narrow tree lined fairways and tricky slopey greens make Quail Hollow a tough all round test of golf. No player has recorded four rounds in the 60’s.
Fairways
At 7,442 yards Quail Hollow is only three yards shorter than Augusta but driving distance is not a prerequisite to victory. In fact last year only three players ranked in the top 20 for driving distance finished in the top 10.
The course rarely plays its full yardage and the organisers often move the tees forward notably at the 4th and 14th making them drivable par fours.
With wet weather forecast, which will soften up the fairways, and less rough than in previous years the wayward off the tee will be less penalised but the narrow tree lined nature of the course makes this more a test of accuracy than power.
Greens
The greens are some of the most slopey the players will ever come across and their putting strokes will undergo a rigorous examination on the bentgrass greens.
Although wet weather may soften the greens they have a built in SubAir system which controls the moisture so the organisers should be able to provide fast greens.
They said
They want to see a lot of birdies, so they cut all the rough down, which is going to be optimum for scoring – Anthony Kim
There’s a few greens out there that are maybe a little too undulating for my taste, and I’m sure if you asked a lot of the players they would say the same thing – Todd Hamilton
17 and 18 are two of the toughest holes you’ll ever see, and to put them back to back is very difficult. You can make up ground, though, on the lead, but you’ll most likely do it through pars and having the leaders make mistakes”- Phil Mickelson
Horses for Courses
Jim Furyk, who won the Quail Hollow Championship in 2006, has almost all or nothing success at Quail Hollow.
In five appearances at the event he has missed the cut twice, finished tied for second in 2005 and seventh in 2008 to go with his win.
In 16 career rounds at this event he has only shot over par twice. Seven of his 16 rounds have been in the 60s.
Key Holes
The 17th, ranked the most difficult hole, is the signature hole at Quail Hollow. The tee shot requires a 200 yard carry over water and the green slopes back to front and right to left. It was the toughest par three hole on the PGA Tour in 2008 (average score 3.418).
The 18th, ranked the second most difficult hole, has a creek that meanders along the left hand side of a narrow fairway. There is a hazard on both sides of the deep slopey green. Last year it was the fourth toughest finishing hole on the PGA Tour (average score 4.367).
Weather
There is an unsettled outlook for the week with rain and the possibility of thunderstorms on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon continuing into the weekend.
Conclusion
With less rough than in previous years and rain forecast players will need to make a lot of birdies to win. Three of the last six winners have been major champions so expect the highest ranked players to feature at the top of the leaderboard.
Latest
-
News
Golfers warned of further sanctions if they continue to play in LIV breakaway
The DP World Tour has issued fines of £100,000 and tournament bans to its members who played in the inaugural LIV Golf event earlier this month
-
European Tour
DP World Tour hits members who played inaugural LIV series with £100,000 fines
They have also been banned from several forthcoming tournaments including the Scottish Open.
-
News
Rory McIlroy not impressed as Brooks Koepka becomes latest big name to join LIV
The world number two labelled the players who have joined the new series as “duplicitous” for the way they have handled their breakaway.
-
The Open
R&A confirms LIV Golf Series players will be allowed to compete at Open
The 150th Open Championship will get underway at St Andrews in three weeks’ time.
-
US Open
Matt Fitzpatrick turns to other major winners for advice on dealing with fame
Fitzpatrick won the US Open on Sunday.
-
News
Brooks Koepka set to join Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series
Koepka’s brother Chase played in the opening event at Centurion Club earlier this month.
-
US Open
Gary Player urges Matt Fitzpatrick to avoid ‘poison’ of modern-day coaching
Player tells US Open champion Fitzpatrick to learn from mistakes of recent major winners, saying: “The teaching today is the worst it has ever been.”
-
US Open
Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie Billy Foster ready for ‘long party’ after US Open win
Foster won his first major after a 40-year career which includes spells working for the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke.
-
US Open
Matt Fitzpatrick backed to become a dominant force after winning first major
The Englishman claimed his first major title at Brookline.
-
US Open
Matt Fitzpatrick: A Blade with plenty of support who can really cut it
The Sheffield golfer landed his first major – and first professional win in America – at Brookline on Sunday.