McIlroy Takes Off: "Quail Hollow Is a Winning Stronghold"... What About the Green Mile?

Wells Fargo Championship Declares End to Slump, Thomas, Rahm, DeChambeau and Others Ranked 2nd to 5th All Appear, Key Battle at Holes 16 to 18

Rory McIlroy is making a winning march at the Wells Fargo Championship, his "winning stronghold."

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) has made a 'do-or-die' move.

The Wells Fargo Championship (total prize money $8.1 million), held on the night of the 6th (Korean time) at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina (par 71, 7,551 yards), is a winning stronghold where he has claimed the title twice. It is a great opportunity to break free from recent slumps. World No. 2 Justin Thomas (USA), No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 4 Xander Schauffele, and No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau (all USA) have all gathered. Leading the Korean contingent is Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics).

McIlroy won his first PGA Tour title at the Quail Hollow Championship in 2010 and secured his second victory at this tournament in 2015. It is noteworthy that he won by a huge margin of seven strokes over the runner-up that year. He set a course record of 11-under par in the third round and posted the tournament’s lowest score (21-under par 267). This indicates he knows the winning strategy well. He earned the nickname 'Man of Quail Hollow' after finishing runner-up in 2012. In 2019, he finished tied for 8th place.

It is interesting that McIlroy has not won since the World Golf Championships (WGC) HSBC Champions in November 2019. Right after missing the cut at The Players Championship last March, he explained, "Since October last year, I have been increasing my body rotation to achieve a lower trajectory swing to gain more distance," adding, "Trying to imitate DeChambeau ruined my shots." He immediately hired Pete Cowen (England) as his new coach and began correcting his swing.

'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau aims for his third win of the season at the Wells Fargo Championship.

With a large number of world stars entering the fray, the path to victory is not easy. The PGA Tour also pointed to Thomas, Rahm, and DeChambeau as strong contenders for the title. Rahm has shown remarkable consistency with nine top-10 finishes in 13 tournaments, Thomas won The Players Championship, and DeChambeau, after becoming a major champion at the US Open included in the 2021 season last September, already claimed his second win this March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The biggest challenge lies in holes 16 to 18, known as the ‘Green Mile,’ a terrifying term referring to the green corridor where death row inmates walk to the execution chamber. Hole 16 (par 4, 506 yards) is daunting due to its length, hole 17 (par 3, 223 yards) requires a carry of over 200 yards to reach the island green, and hole 18 (par 4, 494 yards) is the most brutal, with a creek threatening the left side of the fairway and bunkers on the right. Players typically lose at least one stroke across these three holes.

2019 champion Max Homa is challenging to defend his title after two years. He has thrilling memories of winning by three strokes (15-under par 269) after shooting 4-under par on the final day. He is on an upswing after securing his second win in February at the Genesis Invitational following a playoff battle with Tony Finau (both USA). The Korean team includes An Byeong-hun (30), Kang Sung-hoon (34), Lee Kyoung-hoon (30, CJ Logistics), ‘Tank’ K.J. Choi (51, SK Telecom), and Noh Seung-yul (31), all competing together.

The 18th hole, the decisive battleground at Quail Hollow Golf Course, the venue for the Wells Fargo Championship.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.