So you have to trust yourself, you've got hit some big shots.' At the end of 2016 Quail Hollow changed their golf course considerably to get ready for that PGA Championship that was won by Justin Thomas.'Īs Nobilo describes, 'holes like 16, for example, which is the start of the Green Mile, you've got this waterscape around it. But I think in amongst that, people have to realize that his last win came in 2015. Will he be able to turn things around?Īs CBS Sports golf analyst Frank Nobilo points out, 'Everybody talks about the fact that he's coming back to really where he put his mark with regard to his golf in America. But McIlroy, now ranked 15th in the world, hasn't won on Tour since 2019, and has seemed off his game for awhile. That run started in 2010 at Quail Hollow and includes another win on the course five years later. Between 20, he won 18 Tour events and four majors. McIlroy is one of the winningest golfers of the previous decade. McIlroy holds the course record for 18 holes (61) and 72 holes (267) and is the event's only two-time winner.

All but one winner of the previous 10 events will also be on hand, including Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy. Among them are Phil Mickelson and Will Zalatoris. He'll be up against a strong field that also includes plenty of big names outside the top 25. (No player has ever repeated at the Wells Fargo since its inception in 2003.) Homa tied for sixth at the Valspar to continue a strong year that includes a win at the Genesis Open back in February. Max Homa, defending champion from 2019, will have his hands full this week. DeChambeau, the world's number five player, will see his first action since tying for 46th at the Masters. Schauffele, ranked fourth, tied for 11th on a team with Patrick Cantlay at the same event. The third-ranked Rahm teamed up with Ryan Palmer to take seventh at the Zurich Classic. Thomas, the world's second-best player, is coming off a tie for 13th at the Valspar Championship. That includes Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau. Six of the world's top-10 players and 12 of the top 25 will tee it up at Quail Hollow Club, home of the Wells Fargo.

And with the PGA Championship in a couple weeks, this will be the last chance for many players to fine-tune their game before the year's second major. The 156-player field this week looks more like one of those big non-major fields from last summer than anything since before the Masters.

Station Country by Philip Holden