The PGA Tour returns to Charlotte this week for the first time since last year's PGA Championship, when Justin Thomas earned his first major victory at famed Quail Hollow Club.
This week's Wells Fargo Championship is back at Quail Hollow this year after being played at Eagle Point GC last year. Tiger Woods is in the field for the first time since the Masters. Now ranked inside the top 100 in the world, Woods is trying to earn his first win since 2013.
Though not a major, the Wells Fargo boasts an impressive field with a great mix of youthful stars, veterans and Ryder Cup hopefuls.
The Course
Quail Hollow, a 7,554-yard par 71, went through a course redesign to get ready for the PGA Championship last year. The former par-5 fifth was turned into a par 4, making this a less inviting course for low scores.
The fun really starts on the back nine, where holes 10 through 15 are all for the taking. But beware of the "Green Mile" (holes 16 through 18) because they are among the most difficult on the PGA Tour.
Defending Champion
Technically, Brian Harman is the defending champion this week, as he won last year's Wells Fargo event. But Justin Thomas is the last man to have won at Quail Hollow, and he may be the guy to beat this week.
Harman and Thomas are off to impressive starts this season, but Thomas may be considered more of the defending champion because he was the first player to win on Quail Hollow's new redesign.
Favorites
All eyes will be on Woods and Thomas as they prowl the fairways this week, yet the Wells Fargo annually boasts one of the strongest fields on Tour.
Rory McIlroy has enjoyed success here, as has Rickie Fowler. Both players are in the field this week, along with Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Hideki Matsuyama.
Watch out for Webb Simpson, local resident and Quail Hollow member. He's had seven top-20 finishes this season. Englishmen Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood are also dangerous this week.
Sleepers
Grayson Murray, another N.C. native, contended at the PGA here last year. Kevin Kisner and Louis Oosthuizen often fly under the radar, but both enter the tournament in great form.
Wells Fargo Championship TV, streaming info
Dates: May 3-6
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
TV:
Thursday: Golf Channel
Friday: Golf Channel
Saturday: Golf Channel
Sunday: Golf Channel
Streaming: DAZN (sign up for 30-day free trial), on Thursday May 3 and Friday May 4.
Tee Times
| 1ST TEE | |
| Time | Golfers |
| 7 a.m. | Johnson Wagner, Shawn Stefani, Abraham Ancer |
| 7:10 a.m. | Robert Streb, Scott Brown, Sean O'Hair |
| 7:20 a.m. | Luke List, Ollie Schniederjans, Harold Varner III |
| 7:30 a.m. | Jhonattan Vegas, Kyle Stanley, Fabián Gómez |
| 7:40 a.m. | Vaughn Taylor, Smylie Kaufman, Nick Watney |
| 7:50 a.m. | Brice Garnett, Hideki Matsuyama, Graeme McDowell |
| 8 a.m. | Kevin Kisner, D.A. Points, Alex Noren |
| 8:10 a.m. | Gary Woodland, Jason Dufner, Emiliano Grillo |
| 8:20 a.m. | Rory Sabbatini, Martin Flores, Beau Hossler |
| 8:30 a.m. | Cameron Tringale, John Peterson, Dominic Bozzelli |
| 8:40 a.m. | Nicholas Lindheim, Lanto Griffin, Chris Paisley |
| 8:50 a.m. | Andrew Putnam, Stephan Jaeger, Sam Burns |
| 9 a.m. | Seamus Power, Joel Dahmen, Mito Pereira |
| 12:10 p.m. | Retief Goosen, Whee Kim, Tyrone Van Aswegen |
| 12:20 p.m. | Kevin Streelman, Bob Estes, Patrick Rodgers |
| 12:30 p.m. | J.B. Holmes, Kelly Kraft, Kevin Tway |
| 12:40 p.m. | Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, James Hahn |
| 12:50 p.m. | Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Daniel Berger |
| 1 p.m. | Russell Henley, Aaron Baddeley, Stewart Cink |
| 1:10 p.m. | Grayson Murray, Bill Haas, Louis Oosthuizen |
| 1:20 p.m. | Ryan Moore, Greg Chalmers, Tony Finau |
| 1:30 p.m. | Derek Ernst, Steve Marino, Peter Uihlein |
| 1:40 p.m. | Francesco Molinari, Bud Cauley, Byeong Hun An |
| 1:50 p.m. | J.T. Poston, Nate Lashley, Dylan Frittelli |
| 2 p.m. | Bronson Burgoon, Ben Silverman, Ryan Ruffels |
| 2:10 p.m. | Tyler Duncan, Denny McCarthy, Charles Frost |
| 10TH TEE | |
| Time | Golfers |
| 7 a.m. | Danny Lee, Alex Cejka, Sung Kang |
| 7:10 a.m. | Keegan Bradley, C.T. Pan, Keith Mitchell |
| 7:20 a.m. | Geoff Ogilvy, Sam Saunders, Brandon Harkins |
| 7:30 a.m. | Justin Thomas, Brian Harman, Rickie Fowler |
| 7:40 a.m. | Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods |
| 7:50 a.m. | Xander Schauffele, Charles Howell III, Tommy Fleetwood |
| 8 a.m. | Andrew Landry, Bryson DeChambeau, Jonas Blixt |
| 8:10 a.m. | Patton Kizzire, Hudson Swafford, Webb Simpson |
| 8:20 a.m. | Lucas Glover, Jonathan Byrd, Ryan Blaum |
| 8:30 a.m. | Chesson Hadley, Martin Piller, Richy Werenski |
| 8:40 a.m. | Rob Oppenheim, Roberto Díaz, Joaquin Niemann |
| 8:50 a.m. | Sam Ryder, Kyle Thompson, J.T. Griffin |
| 9 a.m. | Talor Gooch, Adam Schenk, Carter Jenkins |
| 12:10 p.m. | Scott Stallings, Tom Hoge, Aaron Wise |
| 12:20 p.m. | J.J. Henry, Anirban Lahiri, Trey Mullinax |
| 12:30 p.m. | Nick Taylor, Jason Kokrak, Derek Fathauer |
| 12:40 p.m. | Charl Schwartzel, Peter Malnati, Matt Every |
| 12:50 p.m. | Ted Potter, Jr., Shane Lowry, Martin Kaymer |
| 1 p.m. | Adam Hadwin, Rod Pampling, Billy Hurley III |
| 1:10 p.m. | Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Tyrrell Hatton |
| 1:20 p.m. | Chris Stroud, Mackenzie Hughes, Brian Stuard |
| 1:30 p.m. | Austin Cook, Adam Scott, Davis Love III |
| 1:40 p.m. | Ben Martin, Jamie Lovemark, Ross Fisher |
| 1:50 p.m. | Troy Merritt, Michael Thompson, Blayne Barber |
| 2 p.m. | Jonathan Randolph, Corey Conners, Dru Love |
| 2:10 p.m. | Xinjun Zhang, Tom Lovelady, T.J. Vogel |