Returning to the United States this week, the PGA TOUR heads to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm for the Wells Fargo Championship.
Longtime golf fans may be wondering what happened to the usual host course, Quail Hollow Club? It’s being prepped to host the Presidents Cup this fall so TPC Potomac is stepping up to fill the void. You may remember it most recently from hosting the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Quicken Loans National.
There are currently 152 golfers lined to start the week with four more to be added via Monday Qualifying. The top 65 and ties will advance through the 36-hole cut, as usual.
The Course
This week’s host venue is TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.
Designed in the mid-80s, this course has hosted 25 pro events in the past. Most recently, they hosted the 2017 and 2018 Quicken Loans National. They were featured on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule in 2012 and 2013 and hosted a Champions Tour event in 2010. They’ve sprinkled their services all many tours.
One thing we’ve seen, regardless of the tour, is just how tough this course can play. The median winning score across the previous 25 events hosted is just 11.5-under, with a few outliers tossed in (-21 at 1991 Kemper Open, -21 at 2004 Booz Allen Classic, -20 at 2006 Booz Allen Classic, and -21 at the 2018 Quicken Loans National). Basically what this tells us is that at times the weather may dictate easier scoring conditions but it’s generally going to be a very tough test.
Off the tee, most golfers will use a variety of clubs off the tee here. Unlike last week in Mexico, this course does not favor the bomb-and-gouge approach. There is just too much trouble to find.
When we look at courses played at least twice on the PGA TOUR since 2015, this ranks toughest in terms of penalty for a missed fairway. As you’ll see in the quotes section below, that is supported in what the golfers say about the course, as well.
The scorecard shows a par 70 that plays to 7,160 yards. Nothing too intimidating but five of the par 4s play…
Source : yahoo
