By John Dell | Journal Reporter
Published: April 26, 2010
It's just different.
That's the feeling most PGA Tour golfers have about the Wells Fargo Championship, one of the best tournaments on the schedule.
Tournament organizers seem to have thought of every aspect of comfort for the competitors, from fewer players in the pro-am to valet parking for caddies.
There's also the course, a tree-lined masterpiece with an old-school feel that the players all enjoy.
The eighth Quail Hollow tournament will start Thursday in Charlotte and, as usual, has attracted one of the year's best fields for a non-major tournament.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk, four of the top five in the world rankings, are expected to compete.
There will be 11 of the top 16 ranked players in the world in the field.
Defending champion Sean O'Hair said that winning against a star-studded field did wonders for his confidence.
"I don't know if there was so much an acceptance from the players," O'Hair said of his biggest win on tour. "I mean it was a pretty good event. But I think, more for myself, it was kind of like, you know what, I won on a quality golf course against a quality field."
The Quail Hollow Championship is also an important tournament for Bill Haas, who was born in Charlotte and lives in Greenville, S.C.
"I feel like it's a home event," he said.
Haas, who won earlier this year at the Bob Hope Classic, says that playing in a tournament with such a loaded field has benefits.
"I think the strength of field helps in the world rankings," he said.
"I mean, definitely, if you have the opportunity to beat a Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or whoever else that is there that is high in the world (rankings), it only makes it feel like a bigger deal."
Woods' return -- his first regular-season tournament after his five-month layoff -- will be a big deal for Quail Hollow officials.
Woods returned to the controlled environment of the Masters, but two banners towed by airplanes during his first round at Augusta National poked fun at his infidelities.
Kym Hougham, the executive director of the Wells Fargo Championship, says that every precaution will be taken to assure that all golfers are protected.
"We make sure every year that the players have security, and they deserve that," Hougham said. "We'll be moving things around some, but we feel very comfortable with our plan."
Hougham said that if something inappropriate happens to affect Woods or any other golfer, "we will act decisively and swiftly to get it resolved."
The tournament has sold out all but one year -- 2009 was the exception -- but Hougham said he's expecting another sellout this week (about 35,000 fans for each of four rounds.)
When the tournament was in its infancy, Hougham and his staff made it a point to get the word out to players.
Organizers also spent a lot of money on perks for golfers and their wives, which isn't done as much anymore.
"I really think our Southern hospitality, our course and our date are the three biggest assets we have," Hougham said.
"Every tournament has its own personality, and, through the years, we've just tried to make sure we've improved our tournament each year."
Around the green
The Avon Foundation for Women, in collaboration with the PGA Tour Wives Association and the Quail Hollow Championship, will conduct the second annual Walk the Course Against Domestic Violence on Tuesday. The walk is a non-competitive, family-friendly event for all ages, and all of the proceeds will benefit four local domestic-violence agencies….
The Big House Gaines Golf Tournament, which raises money for a scholarship through the Reynolda Rotary Club, will be June 18 at Oak Valley. The captain's-choice tournament will also feature a speaker, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, a former player at WSSU who was coached by Gaines. For more information call Mel Pearce at 575-1729 or e-mail him at mpearce002@triad.rr.com….
Mike Roland of Winston-Salem and Arlis Pike of Kernersville teamed up to tie for fourth in the 42nd Carolinas Senior Four-Ball Championship at Porters Neck Country Club in Wilmington. Roland and Pike shot 11 under, three shots behind winners Don Detweiler and Paul Simson of Raleigh, who won in a playoff over David Millis and Kim Mansfield of High Point. Logan Jackson of Winston-Salem and Bill Palmer of Bluffton, S.C. tied for 16th.