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
Good morning….In your article you say Els and Goosen will not be playing but they are listed on the PGR site as in the field….is this true?