Wells Fargo Championship starts today at Quail Hollow. What you should know about it.

Jonathan M. Alexander
·2 min read

Four of the top five golfers in the world are expected to compete in this weekend’s Wells Fargo Championship.

And some other big names are expected to join them.

This year’s field has Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, all ranked Nos. 2-5, respectively. Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Webb Simpson will also compete. (Charlotte native Davis Love III planned to be part of the field but has pulled out.)

Mickelson is making his 17th appearance in the tournament. In those 16 matches, he has eight top-five finishes and 10 top 10 finishes.

“It’s very much like Augusta in that the grasses are very similar and the rough is very low, so I love that,” Mickelson told reporters last week, when asked why he’s had success here. “It gives me a chance to recover if I hit some poor shots.”

“The course just fits. But I’ve never won, either, so hopefully I’m going to change that.”

Here’s every golfer competing at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte this week

The first round of the tournament begins Thursday morning, and the final round is Sunday. The tournament purse is $8.1 million with $1.458 million going to the winner, who will also earn 500 FedEx Cup points. (2,989 total points available.)

Here are some things to know:

▪ Defending Champion: Max Homa (2019)

The tournament was not held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Homa’s final score was 269 (15 under par). He beat second-place Joel Dahmen by three strokes.

▪ Fed Ex Cup Standings

Justin Thomas has 1,607 points. He has one win and five top-10 finishes in 13 starts. DeChambeau is second with 1,577 points. He has two wins and five top-five finishes this season.

▪ Largest Margin of victory: Seven strokes (2015)

Rory McIlRoy finished 72 holes with a 17-under-par 267 in 2015. It was also a course record for lowest score.

Notable tee times

The first tee time begins at 6:50 a.m.

▪ Mickelson tees off at 12:54 p.m. Thursday on Tee 10.

▪ McIlroy tees off at 12:54 p.m. Thursday on Tee 1. His group includes with Stewart Cink and Patrick Reed.

▪ Thomas tees off at 7:34 a.m. Thursday on Tee 10.

▪ Rickie Fowler tees off at 8:18 a.m. Thursday on Tee 1.

Tickets

Tickets to the Wells Fargo Championship can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.