Wells Fargo Championship Explained

Wells Fargo Championship
Location:Charlotte, North Carolina
Establishment:2003
Org:Champions for Education
Course:Quail Hollow Club
Par:71
Tour:PGA Tour
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:May
Aggregate:265 Wyndham Clark (2023)
To-Par:−21 Rory McIlroy (2015)
Current Champion: Rory McIlroy
Map:USA#USA North Carolina
Map Label:Quail Hollow Club
Map Relief:yes
Map Size:230
Coordinates:35.161°N -80.842°W

The Wells Fargo Championship is a professional golf tournament in North Carolina on the PGA Tour.[1] Held in early May, usually at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, it has attracted some of the top players on the tour. It debuted in 2003 as the Wachovia Championship and was known in 2009 and 2010 as the Quail Hollow Championship.

From 2004–06 and 2011–13, the tournament ended in a playoff. Additionally, the event has one of the tougher finishes on tour with 16, 17, and 18, commonly known as the "Green Mile," often ranked among the PGA Tour's toughest holes. Organized by Champions for Education, Inc.,[2] the majority of the charitable proceeds from the tournament benefit Teach for America.

In 2017, the tournament was held on the coast in Wilmington at Eagle Point Golf Club, as Quail Hollow hosted the PGA Championship in mid-August.[3] Wilmington hosted the Azalea Open on tour in the 1950s and 1960s at the Donald Ross-designed Cape Fear Country Club; it was a tune-up event for The Masters through 1965,[4] part of the city's Azalea Festival.

In 2022, the tournament was held near Washington, D.C. at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland, as Quail Hollow hosted the -->Presidents Cup in late September.

Decades earlier, Quail Hollow hosted the PGA Tour's Kemper Open eleven times, from 1969 through 1979.

Sponsorship

The event is sponsored by Wells Fargo, which purchased Wachovia in 2008. In 2009, Wells Fargo dropped the Wachovia name from the tournament for marketing purposes as they intended to stop using the Wachovia name for all purposes. In addition, Wells Fargo was concerned about the image of a bank sponsoring a sporting event that had received Federal funding under the Troubled Assets Relief Program.[5] After two editions as the Quail Hollow Championship, Wells Fargo attached its name to the event in 2011.

On April 30, 2019, a five-year extension was announced, and Wells Fargo's sponsorship of the tournament currently runs through 2024.

On December 8, 2023, Wells Fargo announced it would no longer sponsor the tournament, starting with 2025.[6]

Tournament hosts

Years No. Venue City
2022 1 TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm[7] Potomac, Maryland
2003–2016, 2018–2021, 2023–present 18 Charlotte, North Carolina
2017 1 Eagle Point Golf Club Wilmington, North Carolina

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upPurse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
Wells Fargo Championship
Rory McIlroy (4) 267 −17 5 strokes 20,000,000 3,600,000
265 −19 4 strokes 20,000,000 3,600,000
Max Homa (2) 272 −8 2 strokes 9,000,000 1,620,000
Rory McIlroy (3) 274 −10 1 stroke 8,100,000 1,458,000
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[8]
269 −15 3 strokes 7,900,000 1,422,000
272 −12 2 strokes 7,700,000 1,386,000
278 −10 1 stroke 7,500,000 1,350,000
279 −9 Playoff 7,300,000 1,314,000
Rory McIlroy (2) 267 −21 7 strokes 7,100,000 1,278,000
274 −14 1 stroke 6,900,000 1,242,000
280 −8 Playoff 6,700,000 1,206,000
274 −14 Playoff 6,500,000 1,170,000
273 −15 Playoff 6,500,000 1,170,000
Quail Hollow Championship
273 −15 4 strokes 6,500,000 1,170,000
277 −11 1 stroke 6,500,000 1,170,000
Wachovia Championship
272 −16 5 strokes 6,400,000 1,152,000
275 −13 2 strokes 6,300,000 1,134,000
276 −12 Playoff 6,300,000 1,134,000
276 −12 Playoff 6,000,000 1,080,000
277 −11 Playoff 5,600,000 1,008,000
278 −10 2 strokes 5,600,000 1,008,000
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:[9]

Multiple winners

4 wins

2010, 2015, 2021, 2024

2 wins

2019, 2022

External links

38.989°N -77.202°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New name for Quail Hollow: Wells Fargo Championship . PGA Tour . August 3, 2010 . April 29, 2013.
  2. http://www.wellsfargochampionship.com/pages/0_5258_12888_00.aspx Champions for Education
  3. Web site: Changes in store for upcoming PGA Tour season . PGA Tour . Helen . Ross . June 27, 2016.
  4. Web site: Wilmington used to be home to star-studded PGA Tour event . PGA of America . Blondin . Alan . May 4, 2017 . May 6, 2017 .
  5. Web site: Event in Charlotte renamed Quail Hollow Championship . PGA Tour . February 27, 2009 . April 29, 2013.
  6. News: Wells Fargo ending longstanding sponsorship of PGA Quail Hollow tournament . Muccigrosso . Catherine . . December 9, 2023.
  7. Web site: Past Results: Wells Fargo Championship . PGA Tour . December 28, 2022.
  8. Web site: PGA Tour statement regarding additional tournament cancellations . PGA Tour . March 17, 2020 . March 17, 2020.
  9. Web site: Past Champions . PGA Tour . May 1, 2023.