Five Things to Know ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship
The PGA TOUR returns to the historic Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina this week for the 21st playing of the Wells Fargo Championship.
The PGA TOUR returns to the historic Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina this week for the 21st playing of the Wells Fargo Championship. A staple stop on the TOUR calendar, let's look at everything you need to know about the Championship, tournament field and host venue.
A Major Championship Test
While Quail Hollow Club has long been a venue synonymous with the PGA TOUR, having previously hosted the Kemper Open from 1969-1979 before returning in 2003 as the host of the Wells Fargo Championship (then named the Wachovia Championship), the Charlotte club has garnered increased attention since its Major Championship debut at the 2017 PGA Championship. The 14th playing of the Presidents Cup was held at Quail Hollow in 2022 and the site is scheduled to once again play host to the PGA Championship in 2025.
The final stretch of holes 16 (L), 17 (M) and 18 (R) might be the most difficult collection of closing holes on the PGA TOUR.
The "Green Mile" will be even more difficult in 2024
The finishing stretch at Quail Hollow Club, dubbed - "The Green Mile" - is well regarded as the most difficult final three-hole stretch on the PGA TOUR, and it's not getting any easier.
An already difficult hole, the Par 4 16th has been lengthened by 30 yards ahead of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, and now plays as a 536-yard dogleg-right with a lake that runs down the entire left side of the hole. A cross bunker sits to the right of the fairway and forces golfers to play their tee shot to the fairway that slopes to the left towards the water. Players will then have a mid-to-long iron approach shot into a green protected by water long and left, and a bunker to the right.
The "fun" continues on the 17th hole - a 223-yard Par 3 that plays into a green carved into the pond. The bailout area to the right of the green requires a delicate chip shot off a sloping hill, making for a very difficult up-and-down - particularly with pin locations on the right of the green.
Finally, the 494-yard Par 4 18th marks the final test of "The Green Mile". A small creak weaves along the entirety of the left-side of the hole with bunkers and trees to the right. Rickie Fowler, who won his first career PGA TOUR event at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship probably summed up the closing stretch best: "You just have to buckle up and survive."
Groupings and starting times for the first and second rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship pic.twitter.com/CSxfPzOdG8
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) May 7, 2024
World #1 Scottie Scheffler is not in the field for this week's Wells Fargo Championship
Scottie Scheffler out on "Baby Watch"
The #1-ranked player in the world has been on a tear recently with wins in 4 of the last 5 events he has played in. However, with Scottie and his wife, Meredith, expecting the birth of their first child any day now, the 27-year-old has decided to stay home this week with his family.
In total, this week's Wells Fargo Championship field will comprise 15 former Major Champions and 18 of the top 20 players of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). With its elevated status as one of the eight "Signature" events on the PGA TOUR calendar, the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship field will comprise 69 players and is a no-cut event.
Wyndham Clark is your reigning Champion
2023 was a breakout year for Wyndham Clark, and it started at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship. Clark shot 63-68 over the weekend at Quail Hollow to defeat Xander Schauffele by four shots and take home his first career PGA TOUR victory. His finishing score of -19 was the lowest total score in the tournament's histroy.
The win helped to put Clark on the map, and he followed a few weeks later with his first Major Championship, holding off Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy to win the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Now ranked as the #3 player in the World, Clark already holds one PGA TOUR win in 2024 (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) and is one of the favorites heading into Quail Hollow.
Play along with the VR Wells Fargo Championship on GOLF+
Fans can experience all that Quail Hollow Club and the Wells Fargo Championship have to offer as the GOLF+ TOUR heads to Charlotte this week for the VR Wells Fargo Championship!
Take on the "Green Mile" and immerse yourself into an actual PGA TOUR event - all while competing against thousands of other GOLF+ players and earning season points toward your ranking.
This week, all players to complete both rounds of the VR Wells Fargo Championship - regardless of tier - will be entered to win a Wells Fargo Championship prize pack!
