At press time, the current world number one Rory McIlroy headed a star-studded field at the lucrative Wells Fargo Championship in the US.
After finishing tied for eighth at the recent Players Championship ““ a disappointing result by his own high standards ““ McIlroy will be looking to kick on against a strong field at the fantastically-named Quail Hollow.
The Northern Irishman has played the course on five separate occasions and finished in the top-10 on four of those ““ with his first ever PGA Tour victory coming here. He hit a final round 62 that day; shattering the course record.
The four-time major winner will face stiff competition from the likes of Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Kevin Kisner – who came so close to his own debut major win at the Players Championship, however.
McIlroy will also have to contend with J.B. Holmes for the $1 million prize; the man who won this tournament in 2014. Holmes didn’t make the cut at Sawgrass, which on one hand means he’s nice and fresh, but on the other suggests he’s perhaps not hitting the ball as well as he’d like.
So this certainly one to keep tabs on for all of the latest golf updates.
Big Phil
It’s not been the best of years so far for “˜Lefty’, who has only managed to register one top ten finish in eight starts ““ albeit that was the runners-up spot at the Masters.
He missed the cut by some distance at the Players Championship, eventually finishing on five over par, and the indications are that Mickelson is swinging like a rusty gate at the moment.
However, he has that happy knack of ramming his doubters words back down their throats. He’s never missed the cut at Quail Hollow and boasts five top-5 finishes there too.
Great Scott
It’s also been a season to forget so far for former world number one Adam Scott.
With only one top-10 finish to his name on the PGA Tour this calendar year, the Masters Champion of 2013 looks in dire need of a few good rounds to get some consistency back into his game.
“Everything in my game is in good shape; I just haven’t really got the results I would like,” he said at the pre-tournament press conference.
“However, there are signs of everything being in good shape. I’m looking to keep playing and get the results there soon.”
Kis of Life
This year’s PGA Tour has represented something of a breakthrough for the hugely-talented Kevin Kisner.
He has lost in two play-offs in his last three tournaments ““ including that heart-breaking missed putt against Rickie Fowler at Sawgrass – but that should fill him with plenty of confidence heading into the Wells Fargo event.
Kisner finished tied sixth here last time out, and has already doubled his prize of money of 2014 in the first half of this year. The hunt for that elusive PGA Tour victory continues, however.