How to Watch Wells Fargo Championship, Round 2: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

Tiger Woods shot a second-round 67 on Friday in the Memorial Tournament despite poor putting and a weather delay.

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True, the on-ramp will arrive earlier and the exit number will be altered, but competitors will have no problem next year recognizing a familiar mile marker when they make their way along the Quail Hollow Club for the 2021 Presidents Cup. Danger and treachery are impossible to disguise. Especially when you’re talking about a stretch of three holes as heralded as those that conclude your round of golf at Quail Hollow. “Just great, great golf holes,� said Mark Russell, the PGA TOUR’s Vice-President of Rules, Competitions and Administration. So great, in fact, that when the match-play format of the TOUR’s biennial team competition was taken into consideration, there was unanimous agreement that “they are such a supreme challenge, we’ve got to get them into the mix,� said Johnny Harris, the president of Quail Hollow. In other words, it was imperative to get next year’s Presidents Cup matches to these demanding tests – the 16th, a par 4 of 506 yards; the 17th, a white-knuckle par 3 of 223 yards over water; and the 18th, a 494-yard par 4 that is guarded entirely on the left by a small creek that looks wider than the Atlantic Ocean. The Green Mile is the nickname that has stuck for 16-17-18 since it was born on a radio talk show live from the playing of the 2004 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow more than 15 years ago. A caller suggested it was like the Stephen King novel turned into a Tom Hanks movie by the same name, a tale about that final walk from death row. A bit grim, perhaps, but the Green Mile has since remained part of the dialogue on annual trips to Quail Hollow. Sadly, the visit was bypassed this year as this week’s Wells Fargo Championship was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. But when it returns to the PGA TOUR landscape in 2021, Quail Hollow will bring all its glory to the Presidents Cup, albeit with a different routing so that players get the full package of pressure and fans the complete complement of entertainment. (Next year’s Wells Fargo Championship will be played at TPC Potomac as Quail Hollow prepares for the Presidents Cup.) Thanks to the new routing, the Green Mile (annually, 16-17-18 rank the three toughest holes at the Wells Fargo Championship) will play as Nos. 13-14-15, and if you’re looking for the definition of “no-brainer,� consider this: At the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, all 30 matches reached the 15th hole at Royal Melbourne, but 18 of them failed to get to the 18th. “It was probably part of our first conversation with the TOUR and Adam (Sperling, executive director of the Presidents Cup) and his team,� said Johno Harris, Johnny’s son and chairman of the 2021 Presidents Cup. “Everyone was on board and it was an easy conversation to have; we were all thinking that we wanted 16-17-18 to be in play.� (After playing the Green Mile as holes 13-14-15, the adjusted routing will take you to 16-17-18 – what is currently the par-5 10th, then the par-4 11th, then over to the par-4 ninth.) For all the passionate care he pours into Quail Hollow, Johnny Harris concedes that “it was almost by accident� that the re-routing will be seamless for the 2021 Presidents Cup. When players complete the short, dogleg right par-4 eighth hole, rather than turn left and head to what is the ninth tee, they’ll proceed to what is presently the tee box at the par-4 12th and close out their outward nine at a very tight driving hole that features a demanding approach to an elevated green. (The par-3 13th will serve as the 10th hole.) The path that is roughly 80- to 100-yards long meanders behind what is the 11th green and sets up beautifully. While making No. 12 the ninth hole will accommodate the desire to get 16-17-18 earlier into the mix, there is significantly more to the back than the Green Mile. The fun really starts when players step into a unique amphitheater beginning with the tee shot at the par-4 14th, which will be the 11th hole for the Presidents Cup. It’s a 344-yard par 4 that will entice players to try and drive a green that is protected on the left by an expansive body of water that will put a headlock on players’ attention. The water also serves as the centerpiece to an amphitheater designed by Tom Fazio that will be the source of electricity. “You have to step back and marvel at what Tom did to create that amphitheater,� said Johno Harris. “Players (on the 11th) will be looking across the water to see players (at 13 and 14). Crowds will be listening to crowds. That’s what’s going to be fun,� added Johnny Harris. “I’m not sure you get such a wide view anywhere else.� This dynamic stretch of holes – from the short 11th, to the par-5 12th that moves uphill right-to-left and will be reachable in two, then to the famed Green Mile stretch at 13-14-15 – brings water into play, but also the coveted risk-reward mentality. “Every one of those holes creates excitement,� said Johnny Harris, who has been at Quail Hollow since the day it opened and would be on a short list if you jotted down the most passionate and influential supporters of golf. Quail Hollow has hosted PGA TOUR tournaments dating to the 1960s, including annually since 2003, and he was the force behind the PGA Championship coming here in 2017, the first major held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Harris was 11 years old when his father, James, pitched the idea of Quail Hollow to a group of influential North Carolina businessmen. The guest speaker at the gathering in James Harris’ home was a man named Arnold Palmer, who had recently won the 1958 Masters. Not only did the evening help raise the funds for James Harris to build Quail Hollow, it poured the foundation to Johnny Harris’ lifelong friendship with Arnold Palmer. Not a bad introduction into a lifetime love affair with golf, eh? It’s one that Johnny Harris doesn’t take for granted and one that leaves him qualified to pass judgment on what works and doesn’t work in golf. And what works at that stretch of holes that will be played as Nos. 11-15 in 2021 is the “go or not go� mentality. Do you try to drive the green at 11? Go for 12 green in two? How aggressive will you be with your approach to 13 green, with water looming? Ditto your tee shot at the par-3 14th. Rip a driver at the tight 15th or lay back with a safer shot? “Those holes present a huge advantage or huge disadvantage in a match play environment,� Johnny Harris said. “The fans will love it.� The 24 players that week might view it differently, given the pressure they’ll be facing. But it’s not like they aren’t familiar with both sides of the risk-reward nature of those holes at Quail Hollow. Johno Harris points to one of the best shots he’s ever seen, Justin Thomas’ 7-iron at the par-3 17th (No. 14 in 2021) that pretty much sealed his win in the 2017 PGA Championship. Jason Day’s win at the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship was cemented with a brilliant birdie at the 17th. Then there was Rickie Fowler’s first PGA TOUR win at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, his approach stuffed tight to a difficult pin on the 18th to beat Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points in a playoff. Ah, but the heartaches have been plentiful, too, starting with David Toms in the inaugural Wells Fargo Championship in 2003. Johnny Harris stood greenside and watched Toms take four putts to finish off an ugly quadruple-bogey – yet win by two. “It’s the only time I’ve been allowed to give a ride to the winner,� he laughed. Phil Mickelson has played Quail Hollow beautifully through the years (a second, two thirds, 10 top-10s) but has squandered chances to win on the Green Mile. He made three double-bogeys at 17 in 2005, bogeyed 16 and 17 on Sunday to lose to Derek Ernst in 2013, and never really recovered from a quadruple-bogey at 18 in Round 3 in 2016. Trevor Immelman, who will be captain of the International Team in 2021, three-putted the 72nd green, then lost the Wells Fargo Championship in a playoff in 2006. But he has always credited that visit to Quail Hollow with doing a lot for his career and embraces the re-routing of the holes. “We know the golf course, from the drivable 14th (No. 11) to 15 the par 5 (No. 12), then the Green Mile. When players have the opportunity in match play a little bit more aggressively,� said Immelman, “I think it is going to provide some pretty good entertainment and a nice opportunity for these guys to show off their skills.� It’s hard to argue with Immelman. But you might add that the entire 2021 Presidents Cup will enable Quail Hollow to flash its character and style.

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THE OVERVIEW When Justin Thomas first started out as a regular PGA TOUR member – you remember, way back in 2015 – he wondered why his game wasn’t yet good enough. His dad Mike suggested it was due to experience, that older players could draw upon knowledge that his son simply had yet to acquire. Poppycock, replied Justin. (OK, he probably didn’t actually use the word “poppycockâ€� but you get the drift.) “The golf ball doesn’t know how old you are,â€� Thomas explained. “The experience is a huge factor but there’s no reason that I can’t accomplish something just because of my age.â€� Well, Thomas is 24 years old entering this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. He’s the defending champion of the event and also the reigning FedExCup champ. Youth certainly has not been his limitation. But perhaps his point is most reflected in the age makeup of this week’s field at Kapalua. Of the 34 players who will tee off in Thursday’s first round on the Plantation Course, their average age is 29.7. It’s the lowest average age in tournament history since at least 1970, the first time the average has dipped below 30 years of age. The previous low was an average of 30.3 for the 29 players in the field in 1981. Sixteen of the players this week are in their 20s, tying 1981 for the most in that age category. It’s the seventh consecutive year at the Sentry Tournament of Champions that at least 10 players in the field are in their 20s. Sure, you could argue that the two active players with the most career wins on TOUR – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson – would raise that age average significantly if they played Kapalua. Woods hasn’t played since 2005; Mickelson hasn’t played since 2001. Their last TOUR wins each came in 2013, so neither player has even qualified to play in this winners-only event in the last four years (Woods, of course, battling injuries for much of that stretch). But it’s also a reflection of the youthful dominance the last few seasons on TOUR, with Thomas and good buddy Jordan Spieth leading the pack, along with Rory McIlroy – who, incidentally, would have lowered the age average at Kapalua even further had he ever played the event. The youngsters will not take their dominance for granted, though. They are becoming older and wiser themselves. They know Dustin Johnson (age 33) has found another gear, and Justin Rose (age 37) seems to be doing the same. They see Sergio Garcia winning his first major last year at age 37. They know Tiger may be lurking out there after his positive performance at last month’s Hero World Challenge.  And who wants to ever count out Mickelson? “This year, 2018, the unknowns are very exciting right now,â€� Spieth said, adding that the next six months will be “a pretty special time to be a part of professional golf.â€� Perhaps that argument Thomas had with his dad – youth vs. experience – remains fluid, ever changing with the ebbs and flows of golf. For this week, at least, the youngsters are in control.  A year ago, he had a spectacular two-week visit to Hawaii, the launchpad to his great 2017 campaign. Will he do it again? No matter if he wins or loses this week, he’ll be fun to watch off the tee at the lengthy Plantation Course. At age 41, he’s playing this event for the first time – and no doubt soaking up every minute in the Maui sun. THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER PLAYER COMMENT THE FLYOVER The finishing three-hole stretch at Kapalua is about as fun as any on the PGA TOUR. The 365-yard 16th is a short strategic par 4 with split fairways but not drivable under the crossing trade winds; players want to avoid that last bunker in the fairway. The 549-yard 17th is the hardest par 4 on the back nine and the longest par 4 on the course. The view from the teebox is the prettiest on the course, and offers a dramatic downhill elevation change of 150 feet. The 663-yard par-5 18th is the longest of any hole and yet still reachable in two thanks to the assisting winds. It was the easiest on the back nine last year.  THE LANDING ZONE The 520-yard par-4 first hole has ranked as the toughest on the course for the last three years; in 2017, it played to a stroke average of 4.109, yielding just seven birdies in 128 attempts. It’s downhill and downwind, with approach shots going to a sloping left-to-right green. Last year, players finished an average of 42 feet from the pin. Here is where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “High pressure is forecast to remain north of the Hawaii this week and produce brisk trade winds through the weekend. Expect partly cloudy skies each day with sustained winds of 15- 20 mph and gusts to 25 mph. Measurable rain is not forecast this week; however, this is Hawaii and a brief shower or two cannot be completely ruled out on any given day.â€� For the latest weather news from Kapalua, Hawaii, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK It’s just a great way to kind of, not easy into the year, but get the year going because of how relaxing it is. The course is great. You know, there’s obviously some great places to eat. And who doesn’t like being in Hawaii?â€�  BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Number of players who won at Kapalua and went on to win the FedExCup title. That one player? Justin Thomas last year. 233 – Number of drives 400 yards or more at the Plantation Course since 2003. No other course on TOUR comes close to that (Firestone is second on the list at 67). Last year. there were seven drives of 400 yards or more, with Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas producing two each. -2.625 – Scoring average in relation to par at last year’s tournament. That made it the easiest course on the PGA TOUR last season. 84.09 – The percentage of players in the FedExCup era who have played in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and ultimately advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs. In other words, if you’re in the field at Kapalua, you’re probably going to make the top 125. SCATTERSHOTS In 2014, Jordan Spieth – at age 20 years, 5 months, 10 days — became the youngest player to play the Sentry Tournament of Champions since at least 1970. The youngest winner came in 1997 when Tiger Woods won at the age of 21 years, 13 days. … At 7,452 yards, the Plantation Course was the fifth longest course on the PGA TOUR last season. The longest was Erin Hills, the U.S. Open venue listed at 7,741 yards. … Since 2003, just four players have completed the Hawaii Career Slam (winning both events in the state): Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Justin Thomas and Zach Johnson.

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