‘A big boy’s golf course.’ Why Quail Hollow is special for McIlroy, other PGA stars

Before his first Masters in 2009, Rory McIlroy was coached by Johnny Harris.

Harris, the president of Quail Hollow Club, and his family knew McIlroy long before he became a three-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship. They built a relationship with him, and Harris took him under his wing before the eventual four-time major winner headed to compete on the iconic course in Augusta, Ga., for the first time.

McIlroy traveled to the yearly event held at Harris’ golf course in Charlotte the following year — and collected his first win at a PGA Tour event in memorable fashion.

“I feel like Charlotte has sort of taken me in as one of their own,” McIlroy told reporters. “It’s been a great journey. I’ve celebrated, like, 13 of my last 15 birthdays here, as well, just because of obviously when the tournament falls.

“It’s been a great place for me, and some awesome memories. Trying to keep making more of those.”

A course that has breeds champions

McIlroy is tied for second at 4- under-par, alongside Collin Morikawa and Alex Noren — after Day 1 of this year’s tournament. Xander Schauffele, at 7-under, leads the Wells Fargo Championship entering Friday’s second round.

“You have to sharpen up your game,” said Noren, a 41-year-old Swedish native. “It teaches us that you can’t just hit one shot all the time. … I like coming here. I like playing practice rounds. It kind of gets you on your toes.”

The only other golfer to win the event multiple times is Max Homa, who’s tied for 12th.

Homa had been ranked as the No. 417 golfer in the world the week he won the Wells Fargo Championship in 2019, his first career victory at a PGA Tour event. He’d missed the cut in 43 of his 68 PGA tournaments before.

Also the winner of the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship that was moved to Potomac, Md., this event has played a key role in the growth of Homa, who recently tied for third place at The Masters.

That iteration of this tournament two years ago allowed Quail Hollow to host the President’s Cup in the fall — where Homa won all four matches with his U.S. team.

Every shot matters at Quail Hollow

Competing on a course like Quail Hollow helps golfers elevate their own game.

It forces them to focus on every shot, compared to other courses, where stronger golfers may rely on one specific way of driving the ball. But at Quail Hollow, the golf ball feels more likely to unpredictably bounce away from them.

Morikawa, the 27-year-old who has already won a pair of majors, is competing at Quail Hollow for just the second time. Fresh off tying for third place at this year’s Masters, Charlotte’s course provides a unique test for one of golf’s rising stars.

“It’s a big boy’s golf course,” Morikawa said. “It’s very, very tough off the tee, and the fairways are on the wider end of what we might see. But with the firm greens, you’ve got to be able to hit your spots and really be able to score with your mid to long irons — especially for a guy like me.”

How to watch and stream the Wells Fargo Championship

Friday’s second round: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+), 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel and Peacock)

Saturday’s third round: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+), 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel/Peacock), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

Sunday’s final round: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+), 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel/Peacock), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

Weather forecast

A high temperature near 80 degrees is forecast for Friday, with a 40% chance of thunderstorms and showers after 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. New rainfall is expected to be less than a tenth of an inch and could possibly come during the afternoon. Saturday looks much nicer, with a high near 75 degrees. There’s only a 1% chance of rain, according to Accuweather, and is expected to be a sunny day. The high is up to 78 degrees on what should be a clear Sunday, expected to be a sunny day with little chance of rain to cap off this year’s Wells Fargo Championship.

Friday’s tee times

No. 1 Tee

11 a.m.: Austin Eckroat, Adam Scott, Ben Kohles

11:11: Lucas Glover, J.T. Poston, Cam Davis

11:22: Chris Kirk, Taylor Moore, Tommy Fleetwood

11:33: Nick Taylor, Tony Finau, Adam Hadwin

11:44: Stephen Jaeger, Matt Kuchar, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

11:55: Taylor Pendrith, Akshay Bhatia, Justin Thomas

12:06 p.m.: Brian Harman, Jason Day, Patrick Cantlay

12:17: Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele

12:28: Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth

12:39: Keegan Bradley, Kurt Kitayama, Cameron Young

12:50: Grayson Murray, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson

No. 10 Tee

11 a.m.: Jake Knapp, Will Zalatoris, Alex Noren

11:11: Emiliano Grillo, Sam Burns, Harris English

11:22: Sahith Theegala, Viktor Hovland

11:33: Rory McIlroy, Tony Kim, Max Homa

11:44: Matt Fitzpatrick, Corey Conners, Adam Svensson

11:55: Billy Horschel, Nick Dunlap, Kevin Tway

12:06: Peter Malnati, Matthieu Pavon, Gary Woodland

12:17: Sungjae Im, Brendon Todd, Denny McCarthy

12:28: Tom Hoge, Andrew Putnam, Adam Schenk

12:39: Sepp Straka, Mackenzie Hughes, Eric Cole

12:50: Si Woo Kim, Seamus Power, Patrick Rodgers

1:01: Lee Hodges, Russell Henley, Byeong Hun An