I thought the playbook was solid top to bottom last weekend at the Valspar. Sam Burns is a bad man and that driver will keep him in contention on the PGA Tour for years to come. Congrats to him on his very first PGA Tour victory. That week was exactly what I needed to gain momentum heading into the PGA Championship just a few weeks away. Let’s not waste any more time and talk about another tough test for these players, Quail Hollow.
The PGA Tour travels down to Charlotte, North Carolina to the Quail Hollow Club for the Wells Fargo Championship. The course as overhauled before the 2017 PGA Championship was held here and it is now a par 71 with just three par 5's and four par 3's that stretches out 7,600 yards. Players must score on the Par 5's to put themselves in position to contend over the weekend. Quail Hollow features six holes in which players have a better than average chances to make eagle. All of the Par 5's are reachable in two and two of the Par 4's are actually drivable for the bombers. We've also got three 200 plus yard Par 3s, one of which is 250 yards. It's no wonder that Rory McIlory won his very first PGA Tour event at this course 11 years ago, being one of the better drivers on the Tour. Knowing that fact, Sam Burns should be in the mix once again as well. Total driving stands out as the most important stat of the week.
Justin Thomas is not in my playbook but I am telling you now, you can play him this weekend without fear. I don't think any of you would like it if I just listed all of the guys about 10K in my playbook, so I have to draw the line somewhere and I'm going to have more of Jon Rahm than Thomas this weekend. I will have shares of Thomas but not as much as Rahm at the top. I also think JT's ownership will be crazy high being that he won his one and only major on this course. Bryson will be popular and for good reason looking at his skill set. Those drivable par 4s and reachable Par 5s will be his bread and butter but his power may cause problems if he is unable to keep it on the fairway. Rory McIlory has won this event twice but has fallen to 15th in the world golf rankings. He did not make my playbook either because I just have not liked what I've seen from him lately. I'm not knocking him personally, he's got different priorities in life now and that changes you as a player and a man. He could come out and completely surprise me but I'll take that chance.
I will say that it is not all about the bombers this weekend because scrambling will also play a big factor as well. You also want good ball strikers who are proficient from outside 200 yards. We want smart course managers who know when it is the right time to take a risk. The players need to do their homework on this track because it can break you down really quick. Putting is always important but this course is not known for the most challenging greens.
It is really nice to report that there are currently no weather concerns in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend. Actually, it's supposed to be very pleasant with temperatures in the mid-70s.
ONE & DONE PLAY: TONY FINAU
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