Caddie Confidential: Gripes behind the scenes about Quail Hollow
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Drew Nesbitt led the way at open qualifying for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, carding 6-under 64 on Monday at Cattail Creek CC in Glenwood, Maryland, to secure a tee time Thursday at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm outside Washington, D.C. This year’s Wells Fargo Championship has relocated to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm from its typical Quail Hollow Club site in Charlotte, as Quail Hollow will host this year’s Presidents Cup. Also advancing into this week’s field were Norman Xiong (65), Nicholas Thompson (66) and David Lingmerth (68). Lingmerth advanced via a 4-for-1 playoff against Steve Marino, Brett Stegmaier and Lee Detmer. For all scores from the Wells Fargo Championship qualifier, click here. Here’s a capsule look at the four Wells Fargo Championship qualifiers … DREW NESBITT (64) Age: 27 Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Alma mater: N/A PGA TOUR starts: 4 Cuts made: 1 Best PGA TOUR finish: 83rd; 2019 The Honda Classic Notes: Has competed on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica since 2018, making 19 cuts in 25 starts, highlighted by a victory at the 2019 Mexico Open (60 Abierto Mexicano de Golf) as well as two-runner up finishes in the 2020-21 season. Finished No. 7 on 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit to earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status in 2022; has yet to make a career Korn Ferry Tour start … Gained social media fame by going shirtless to hit a shot from the water at the 2019 Honda Classic, en route to saving par … Grew up playing hockey in winter and golf in summer … Turned pro at age 18, moving from Canada to Florida to compete on mini-tour circuits … Became the first player on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica history to record a sub-60 score, carding a second-round 59 at the 2018 Brazil Open (65 JHSF Aberto do Brasil). NORMAN XIONG (65) Age: 23 Hometown: San Diego, California (born in Guam) Alma mater: University of Oregon PGA TOUR starts: 10 Cuts made: 2 Best PGA TOUR finish: T26; 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship Notes: Will make his first PGA TOUR start since the 2021 3M Open, into which he also Monday qualified … Monday qualified into this year’s LECOM Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he channeled his inner Nesbitt and went shirtless to hit a shot from the water … As a sophomore at Oregon in 2017-18, received both the Fred Haskins Award as nation’s most outstanding collegiate golfer and the Jack Nicklaus Award as top NCAA Division I men’s collegiate golfer … Set an Oregon record with six wins in a season (2017-18), in which he recorded a 69.05 stroke average … Represented United States in 2017 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup … Goes by the nickname “Panda.” NICHOLAS THOMPSON (66) Age: 39 Hometown: Plantation, Florida Alma mater: Georgia Tech PGA TOUR starts: 228 Cuts made: 114 Best PGA TOUR finish: T2; 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic Notes: Has played seven full TOUR seasons, most recently in 2014-15. Career-best FedExCup showing is No. 41 in 2008, a season in which he recorded 11 top-25s in 36 starts … Has made 188 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, highlighted by a victory at the 2007 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship … Was a three-time all-ACC player at Georgia Tech and represented United States on 2005 Walker Cup team … Siblings Curtis (PGA TOUR) and Lexi (LPGA) also play professional golf. DAVID LINGMERTH (68; advanced via 4-for-1 playoff) Age: 34 Hometown: Tranas, Sweden Alma mater: University of Arkansas PGA TOUR starts: 188 Cuts made: 107 Best PGA TOUR finish: Win; 2015 the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday Notes: Returns to comfortable turf outside Washington D.C., as Lingmerth won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2012 Neediest Kids Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, finishing 8-under total across a chilly, windy October week … Played six consecutive full PGA TOUR seasons from 2013 to 2017-18, highlighted by a No. 37 finish on the 2014-15 FedExCup, with 10 top-25 finishes in 28 starts including his playoff victory at Muirfield Village … Avid hockey fan; Washington Capitals (NHL) are his favorite pro team.
There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned Texas showdown and some of the PGA TOUR’s best stars are lining up to take their shot at glory at TPC San Antonio for this week’s Valero Texas Open. Trying to imagine some of our modern stars as characters in the old west … you’d have to say Jimmy Walker would probably hold his own as a sheriff or lawman … he already looks pretty decent in a pair of cowboy boots. What about Billy Horschel? He strikes us as someone who would be up for a scrap … and someone you’d want in your corner in a shootout. And Jhonny Vegas? He could be one scary hombre. Then there is Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler who provide some serious star power to the event this week … but as far as old west characters … we reckon they’d more likely be the clever card sharps than the sharp shooters … finding the most efficient ways towards a goal without getting their hands too dirty. Here’s a look at some of the Featured Groups (FedExCup ranking in parenthesis). HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (GC), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6 p.m. (featured holes). Fans can watch via Twitter window from 8:30 a.m. ET to approx. 9:30 a.m. Thurs/Fri and 10:30 a.m. ET to approx. 11:45a.m. ET Sat/Sun There will be a fan vote on Twitter Thursday to determine second Friday Featured Group. International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 12:30 to 23:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 15:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). Billy Horschel (53) – Former FedExCup champion who boasts top four finishes at TPC San Antonio in the past and was T11 last year. Hasn’t missed a cut in eight months. Jordan Spieth (177) – Former FedExCup champion with 11 PGA TOUR wins including multiple majors returns to TPC San Antonio for the first time since he was runner up in 2015. Was 10th the year prior. Jhonattan Vegas (54) – Third at THE PLAYERS recently. Last nine rounds have been par or better. Round 1 tee time: 1:40 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 8:50 a.m. ET J.B. Holmes (18) – Winner at the Genesis Open in February, Holmes has three top 15s at TPC San Antonio. Adam Long (28) – Winner at the Desert Classic Long is continuing his push for Rookie of the Year honors. Graeme McDowell (42) – Fresh off his fourth PGA TOUR win at the Corales PuntaCana Resort and Club Championship. Round 1 tee time: 1:50 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 9:00 a.m. ET Rickie Fowler (10) – The Waste Management Phoenix Open winner earlier this season stumps up for his first time playing at TPC San Antonio. Andrew Landry (166) – The defending champion at TPC San Antonio looking for some positive vibes to kick start his FedExCup challenge this season. Jimmy Walker (180) – Winner in 2015 and four other top-16 results at TPC San Antonio including fourth place last season. Just the place Walker needs to reinvigorate his season. Round 1 tee time: 8:50 a.m. ET, Round 2 tee time: 1:40 p.m. ET Tony Finau (26) – Was T3 in 2017, his last start at TPC San Antonio. Has top 25s in his last three stroke play starts. Jim Furyk (21) – The veteran and former FedExCup champion has found a purple patch of form and will be looking to add to his two previous top-10s at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar (1) – The FedExCup leader smarting from his championship loss to Kevin Kisner at WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play. Two-time winner this season and has yet to miss a cut in seven starts at TPC San Antonio where he was T4 in 2014. Round 1 tee time: 9:00 a.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 1:50 p.m. ET
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Viktor Hovland won again on the PGA TOUR, this time without a clutch finish. The Norwegian star was too dominant to give anyone else a chance Sunday in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Hovland seized control with three birdies on the front nine, and never let Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas or anyone else get closer than three shots the rest of the way. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot lead over Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, making him the first repeat winner since Mayakoba began in 2007. Hovland won last year with a birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory. He also made birdie on his last hole when he won the Puerto Rico Open in the spring of 2020. There was no need for that this time. For the final two hours, everyone was playing for second. “I wish I could putt like I did today more often,” said Hovland, who made 28 birdies for the week at El Camaleon. “It was just a blast all week.” Hovland finished at 23-under 261 and moved to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings and No. 10 in the world ranking. Ortiz made a 30-foot par putt after a plugged lie in the bunker on the 18th for a 66 to finish alone in second, a difference of $144,000 if he had two-putted for bogey and tied with Thomas, who also saved for on 18 for a 69. Thomas had an early bogey and didn’t make as many birdies to make up a three-shot deficit on Hovland, especially the way Hovland was putting. “I just didn’t drive it well, didn’t get off to a good enough start to really put any pressure on Viktor,” Thomas said. The strongest challenge came from Scheffler, who starred on the final day in the Ryder Cup and is hopeful his first PGA TOUR victory is around the corner. Sunday wasn’t the day. Scheffler missed a pair of short-range birdie putts only to ram in an 18-foot birdie on the 12th to get to within three shots. Hovland answered with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and the lead was back to four shots. Scheffler’s chip just right of the 13th green hit the pin and bounced about 5 feet away, which he made for eagle. Hovland made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 11th moments later. Scheffler blinked first. His tee shot on the 14th peeled to the right into the mangroves. After a penalty drop, he did well to get it up near the green, only to pitch over the back on to the collar and make double bogey. Scheffler shot 66 and finished alone in fourth. “Viktor’s playing some good golf so he’s obviously going to be tough to catch,” Scheffler said. “I had to make a few more birdies towards the end and wasn’t able to do that.” Matthew Wolff, the 36-hole leader who fell out of the mix with a 74 in the third round, bounced back with a 65 on Sunday to tie for fifth with Joaquin Niemann (66). Hovland is the fifth consecutive foreign-born winner on the PGA TOUR, a streak that began with Sungjae Im of South Korea winning in Las Vegas. He was followed by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Lucas Herbert of Australia.
