‘Tough as nails’ Reavie earns first PGA TOUR win in 11 years

THE PLAYERS Championship titleholder Rory McIlroy, the only man with two victories at Quail Hollow Club, makes his first start since Augusta as a traditionally strong field returns to Charlotte to begin the final push before the PGA Championship. Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Rose is back after a two-year hiatus, having placed third in his last visit in 2016. Jason Day is the defending champion, seeking to become the event’s first back-to-back winner and join McIlroy as the only multiple winner. FIELD NOTES: Justin Thomas returns to Quail Hollow for the second time since making the 2017 PGA Championship his lone major title to date. He tied for 21st a year ago. … All told, the lineup boasts 14 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup rankings. … Phil Mickelson is back for his 16th visit in 17 editions, still seeking an elusive first Quail Hollow win. He owns 12 top-12 finishes in the event, including a share of fifth last year. … Though Tiger Woods elected to bypass Quail Hollow this year, the lineup features his three predecessors as Masters champion: Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Danny Willett. … Zack Sucher, sidelined 19 months in 2017-18 by an unspecified injury, will attempt his first TOUR start since the 2017 Travelers Championship. He’s made six starts this year on the Web.com Tour. … Two men are set to keep perfect Wells Fargo Championship attendance – Rory Sabbatini and J.J. Henry. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: McIlroy returns to a place where he has finished outside the top 10 just twice in eight visits, though one was last year’s tie for 16th. He won in 2010 with a final-round 62, then again in 2015 with a Saturday 61. … Webb Simpson, whose home lies minutes from Quail Hollow, seeks to reverse his current fortune on home turf. He’s missed the past two Wells Fargo cuts, though he also has a pair of top-5 finishes in his back yard. … Day’s victory last year marked just the second time since the tournament began in 2003 that anyone has posted four rounds in the 60s. Lucas Glover was the first, doing so in 2011. … Just one of the past nine defending champions has managed a top-25 finish, when McIlroy took fourth in 2016. Five of those nine never made it to Sunday. COURSE: Quail Hollow Club, 7,554 yards, par 71. Now a perennial top-10 entry among the PGA TOUR’s toughest courses, Quail Hollow hosts its second Wells Fargo edition since a year off to conduct the PGA Championship. The course ranked as the fifth-toughest on TOUR last season, ahead of two major venues (Augusta National and Bellerive). It was an undisputed No.1 after hosting the 2017 PGA, showing its teeth after a Tom Fazio upgrade that included three redesigned holes. Originally laid out by George Cobb in 1961, the course already was known for its “Green Mile� closing stretch which is annually rated among the toughest on TOUR. Quail Hollow was the original site of the Kemper Open (1969-79) and later the World Seniors Invitational (1980-89) before the TOUR made its return in 2003. For those visiting the Charlotte area, must-play courses include Birkdale GC (Huntersville, N.C.), The Tradition GC (Charlotte, N.C.) and Skybrook GC (Huntersville, N.C.). Book your reservations via TeeOff.com. 72-HOLE RECORD: 267, Rory McIlroy (2015). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Rory McIlroy (3rd round, 2015). LAST YEAR: Day rallied from a mediocre start for his second victory of the year, recording a pair of birdies along the vaunted “Green Mile� to rise two shots clear of Nick Watney and rookie Aaron Wise. Day carried a two-shot advantage into the final round, but spun his wheels by playing the first 15 holes in even-par while Wise pulled alongside. A 10-foot birdie at No.16 gave Day sole possession of the lead again, and his tee shot at the 230-yard 17th took four bounces before kissing the flagstick for a kick-in birdie. Day collected his 12th PGA TOUR victory, moving within one of Adam Scott for second all-time among Australian pros. Watney drained a 59-foot birdie at No.18 to tie for second with Wise, who recorded his best career finish. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:00 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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In a Sunday chalk-full of drama near the bubble of The Finals 25 money list, a stellar final-round 65 by Denny McCarthy moved the University of Virginia alum to the top spot on the four-tournament order of merit. McCarthy captured the Web.com Tour Championship by four shots over Lucas Glover, and with Sangmoon Bae not in the field this week, McCarthy jumped from No. 11 to No. 1 by just over $37,000. McCarthy finished 149th on the FedExCup standings in 2017-18, but didn’t finish outside the top-15 in any of the four Web.com Tour Finals events, going T5-T9-T13 in the three tournaments leading into this week’s finale at Atlantic Beach Country Club. “I just did what I’ve been doing the last three or four months now. I’ve been playing some really good golf of late,� said McCarthy. “I’ve been knocking on the door for quite some time, and what better way than to finish it off with a win this week.� With the victory, and with the top spot on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, McCarthy earns full status for the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season, as well as a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship. Bae moved to second on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, while Robert Streb, Peter Malnati, and Cameron Davis – who finished tied for third at Atlantic Beach CC – rounded out the top five. McCarthy said he’s been doing “so much work� behind the scenes, and complimented his great team for how “tremendous� they’ve been throughout the last year, after moving to 23 under with his 6 under performance on Sunday. He admitted he was aiming to get to 24 under in the final round, but he got the job done despite an early bogey on the par-4 second hole. McCarthy missed nine cuts in 22 PGA TOUR starts this year – his best result was a solo fourth at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship – but he’s already looking forward to getting back out on TOUR. “I’m going to be much better suited having played all these places once this past year and getting some tournament rounds on those places,� he said. “It’s really tough to get out there and play great golf. You’re just not familiar with the course … you’re just not as comfortable with where to miss it off the tee and into the greens. “I’ve played all four of these (Web.com Tour Finals courses), so the combination of really good golf I’ve been playing plus course knowledge, got me a win here.�

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