Tournament Preview: The 2013 Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Hole 7. Photo by @wellsfargogolf

A number of notables will be returning to the field after being absent since the Masters, as the tour returns to the site of Rickie Fowler’s first PGA TOUR victory for the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship. Phil, Rory, and Bubba will all be back in action to take on other hot handed stars like Jimmy Walker and D.A. Points at the illustrious Quail Hollow Golf Club.

Many changes have been made to the property since the last tournament here 2012. A complete rebuild of the green at the 12th hole has made putting a bit easier for this year. While the par 4 12th still reads 456 yards on the scorecard, the measurements of 10 other holes have been altered just a bit.

The greens at the par-4 eighth and par-5 10th holes required freshly laid sod to resolve issues related to the failure maintaining the grass properly in the off season.  This will all change in 2014 when all 18 greens will be replaced with Bermuda grass in advance of next year’s tournament. It’s a conversion that was originally scheduled for 2015 to prepare for the PGA Championship two years later.

The difficult close known as “The Green Mile” (holes 16, 17 and 18 which is a par 4-3-4 finish) should garner most of the attention this week. Although The Green Mile always presents players with a challenge, overall the par-72 track has played under par for two straight years with a scoring average of 71.84.

Of all the courses on the PGA TOUR Quail Hollow’s fairways are ranked among the hardest hit, which added to the track’s rank of third-lowest in driving accuracy for the third straight year in 2012.  With that said, players know that hitting the fairways will certainly be key to victory this week.

Temperatures will dip a bit in Charlotte this week with high temperatures topping out at 70 degrees.  There is a low chance of rain, while winds are forecasted to be moderate for all 4 days.

Be sure to check out our Fantasy Golf Predictions page for more on the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship, including our top 5 picks and player odds for this exciting event.

(Cover Photo Credit)