What Makes the Wells Fargo Championship a Viral Event in the PGA Tour?

When Wyndham Clark lifted the bronze cup at Quail Hollow last year, he was all but fulfilling a tradition. A tradition of adding his name to the list of stars who earned their maiden title at the Wells Fargo Championship. Clark had to wait long before his first taste of victory, just like Max Homa, who did it before him in 2019. 

The Wells Fargo Championship has a history of crowning youngsters. Quail Hollow has been the launching pad of current and yesteryear’s stars. The PGA Tour stop at Charlotte debuted in 2003 as the Wachovia Championship. Since its early days, Quail Hollow has been the coronation for the future stars of the Tour. 

Quail Hollow favors youngsters at the top 

Five years ago, Max Homa pulled off a three-shot victory over Joel Dahmen in his 68th start on the Tour. To understand how crucial this was for the PGA Tour pro, understand this: Homa made $1,422,000 at Quail Hollow. In his previous 67 starts, the six-time PGA Tour winner bagged $968,000. That also gave him a spot at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Another six-time winner on the Tour, Rickie Fowler earned his maiden title at Quail Hollow more than a decade ago. Fowler was locked in a playoff battle with then-reigning US Open champion Rory McIlroy. The 24-year-old in an all-orange outfit was dialed in, nailing a clutch birdie putt to seal the deal on the first playoff hole.

Two years ago, a kid from Northern Ireland shook up the field. Rory McIlroy earned his first PGA Tour victory at Quail Hollow in 2010. The Ulsterman was 20 years old and almost missed the cut that weekend, but eventually made it through. Phil Mickelson was red-hot when McIlroy started his late charge. However, a blistering 62 in the final round was enough to snatch victory from Lefty’s grip.

McIlroy was the second first-time winner at the Wells Fargo Championship, and the 35-year-old is the only three-time winner of the event. and the second player to win thrice at Quail Hollow. The tradition, though, was started by a 38-year-old who now plies his trade on LIV Golf. 

Anthony Kim started the Wells Fargo Championship tradition

It was probably fitting that the first-time winners’ hunt was started by Anthony Kim. Then, 22-year-old Kim outmatched former Open champion Ben Curtis by five shots. The LIV Golf Pro also became the youngest winner on the Tour since 2001 and the youngest champion to lift the silverware. His playing mate Jason Bohn called the roun almost ‘Tiger-esque’ and Kim did break Tiger Woods’s tournament record.

Last year, the tournament celebrated 15 years of Kim’s victory with a banner near the first tee. Kim disappeared from professional golf in 2012 after amassing three PGA Tour victories and countless fans. The Wells Fargo Championship has been elevated to signature event status this year, which means the tournament will carry a purse of $20 million, with $3,600,000.00 reserved for the winner. 69 players will tee off at Quail Hollow this weekend.