We've talked several times in the forum and in our Podcasts about whether or not one player choked or the other won but in last year's Wachovia we definately saw Sergio choke. Holding a six stroke lead going into the final round, Jim Furyk who was paired with Sergio in the final round and ended up T-2 with Sergio, had this to say about Sergio:

"He's lapping the field right now," Furyk said. "The golf tournament is in his hands; he's going to determine who the winner is. He goes out and shoots 70, you can hand him the trophy."

Nevermind the 70, a 71 could have won but Sergio shot a 72 and eventually lost in a playoff to Vijay to finish T-2 with Jim Furyk.

Speaking of Vijay, I'm not his biggest fan but week and after week I keep saying that Vijay is close, Vijay is getting there. While I still agree with all that, I have to wonder if I'm jinxing the man or someone's got some mean vodoo. While the Wachovia is fairly new, starting in 2003 Vijay was able to finish T-2 that year with Robert Gamez and had Sergio hand him the trophy last year. So once again, it's another course and event that Vijay has good vibes at, he has not only made the cut every year but has finished in the top-10 also. So once again I'll just have to see if Vijay is still close.

Tiger Woods will be missed this week but with 10 of the top 11 players in the world playing this weekend, you shouldn't be disappointed. Of the top players in attendance, Sergio is looking for redemption after last years finish but this year he hasn't been able to close the deal with a solid final round. Here's another player that unfortunately hasn't been able to fire on all cylinders which is a shame because I think he's exciting to watch and it would be nice to see him get that needed spark to ignite his game.

If the Quail Hollow Club sounds familiar to you, it should. While the Wachovia Championship is only in it's fourth year, the PGA Tour has been here before. From 1969 to 1979 the Quail Hollow Club was home to the Kemper Open and most recently was home to a Champions Tour event hosted by member, Arnold Palmer. Speaking of the king, he contributed his share of course modifications back in 1986, improving upon George Cobbs original design. However the bulk of the changes came in 1997 and 2003 with a redesign by Tom Fazio.

The course and event treat the players great, from Mercedes courtesy cars to beautifully manicured greens, dare I say it's almost major like. The course setup favors a shot maker who can not only drive the ball well but requires an excellent short game and superb putting as well. The signature hole is the 217-yard par-3 17th which is practically an island green requiring players to carry 200 yards of water, this helps create plenty of drama coming into Sunday's finish.

Now the 18th hole is a tricky 478-yard par-4 that doesn't scare you with a huge lake but instead a sneaky little creek follows players on the left side from the tee box to the green. It's a tight driving hole with sloped green surrounded by hazards. Birdie on this hole is a good score, birdie on close Sunday finish is nail biting.

The Wachovia Championship has a purse of $5,600,000 with $1,008,000 to the winner. It will be held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC from May 1 - 7, 2006 and can be heard on XM Radio and seen on USA and CBS at the following times:

Thu, 5/4 12pm-8pm ET XM 146

Fri, 5/5 12pm-8pm ET XM 146

Sat, 5/6 12pm-8pm ET XM 146

Sun, 5/7 12pm-8pm ET XM 146

Thu, 5/4 4pm-6pm ET USA

Fri, 5/5 4pm-6pm ET USA

Sat, 5/6 3pm-6pm ET CBS

Sun, 5/7 3pm-6pm ET CBS

Photo Credit: © Craig Jones/Getty Images

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Tiger Woods is in the field this week for the first time since his triumph at Augusta last month. He isn't the only big name that will be in Charlotte for the Wachovia Championship. Tiger will be joined by two more golfers in the top four, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. Vijay has played very consistently since The Masters, including his win two weeks ago at the Houston Open. The race for the number one world ranking will once again be a hot topic entering the week. Vijay pulled closer with his win in Houston, and he looks to gain even more ground on Tiger this week.

Phil Mickelson, much the same as Tiger Woods, hasn't played since the first major of the year. He has three wins so far in 2005: one at the FBR, one at Pebble Beach, and his last the week before The Masters at the BellSouth Classic. The last month has been all about Vijay and Tiger, so Phil will definitely be out to get his fourth win of the season and also reclaim the top spot on the money list. He is currently about $50,000 behind Vijay. Tiger is sitting pretty in third, about $200,000 behind the leader.

Woods, Singh, and Mickelson will all be the favorites this week at the Wachovia Championship, but the field is the strongest since Augusta, and there are many guys who are capable of having great weeks. Five other players ranked in the top ten will be playing this week, and that group includes Adam Scott, Chris DiMarco, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, and David Toms. The only top ten players that won't be making the trip to Charlotte this week are the South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. There is definitely enough firepower to draw big crowds and big television ratings!

With all this talk about the top-ranked players, it is worth mentioning that Joey Sindelar is the defending champion at this tournament. The field was strong last year as well, and Sindelar edged out Arron Oberholser in a playoff and Tiger by one stroke. So even though the top guys will be favored this week, there are plenty of others capable of winning just like every other week on tour. Other notables that will be in the field this include Mike Weir, Davis Love III, and Jim Furyk. Each of these three will be looking to get their first win of 2005.

Quail Hollow Club will be the course for this week's event. It is a very solid test of golf, as the winner last year finished at -11. The course is fairly long, measuring 7,442 yards, and plays to par 72. The beginning holes will allow players to settle in and get comfortable, but it will only get tougher from there. The 17th and 18th holes will make for a great finish once the final round rolls around. The 17th hole is the signature hole on the golf course. The tee shot that will face the players will be 200 yards over water. There is also sand in the front and the green slopes from right to left and back to front. This hole can be birdied with a solid tee shot, but the players will definitely settle for par on 17.

The 18th hole could definitely be one of the best finishing holes in golf. It is a par-4 that measures 478 yards. A narrow creek on the left side runs all the way to the green, so that is definitely trouble off the tee. On the right side, the players will have to avoid the sand. Once they set up for their approach, they will need to once again keep it away from the creek on the left and bunkers to the right of the green. This isn't a birdie hole by any means, and just like 17, par is a great score on this finishing hole.

I picked Davis Love III to win last week, and he made a run on Sunday morning before falling back to finish tied for 31st. Joe Ogilvie was my sleeper pick, and he missed the cut. So I'm looking for a little better luck this week. For my winner, I am going with none other than Tiger Woods. He is the best player in the world, he has won three times already, and he finished in a tie for third at the Wachovia Championship last year. That is a good combination if you ask me. For my "sleeper" pick, I am going with Scott Verplank. He is ranked pretty high in the world, but with so many top players, he is down the list a little bit. He finished tied for second at The Players Championship in March, and he had a tie for 10th at the MCI Heritage.

The weather is looking decent for this week's tournament. There is a chance of rain on Thursday and Friday, but it's not a very strong chance. The weekend should be very nice, however, with highs in the mid 70's. The total purse this week is $5.6 million, with a little over one million going to the winner. The Wachovia Championship should be exciting, and you can see it on USA and CBS at the following times:

Thu    4-6pm ET    USA
Fri    4-6pm ET    USA
Sat    3-6pm ET    CBS
Sun    3-6pm ET    CBS

Trackback URI | Comments RSS