Wells Fargo Championship 2015: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule and Prize Money
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy headlines a strong field in the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship. The tournament's venue is chock-full of fond memories for the Northern Irishman, as the Quail Hollow Club is the site of his first PGA Tour victory—he won the Quail Hollow Championship back in 2010.
While McIlroy performed very well in 2010, finishing with a course-record 62 in the final round, Quail Hollow is a far different track these days.
The George Cobb design received a makeover in 2013, altering the layout of the 7,562-yard course and improving its infamous trio of finishing holes nicknamed the "Green Mile." Those holes—the par-four 16th, par-three 17th and par-four 18th—are widely heralded as the toughest closing stretch on tour, complete with tight fairways, an abundance of water hazards and undulating greens.
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As we anxiously await the field to navigate a track sure to provide a dramatic 72 holes, let's take a look at the tournament's essential viewing information, prize money and some notable Thursday tee times.
2015 Wells Fargo Championship
Dates: Thursday, May 14 - Sunday, May 17
Where: Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina
Purse: $7.1 million (winning share: $1.278 million)
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to winner
TV Info:
- Thursday and Friday: 3-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
- Saturday and Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET, CBS
Notable Thursday Tee Times
| Ryan Moore | 7:30 a.m. |
| Kevin Streelman | 7:50 a.m. |
| Bill Haas | 7:50 a.m. |
| Webb Simpson | 7:50 a.m. |
| K.J. Choi | 8 a.m. |
| Jim Furyk | 8 a.m. |
| J.B. Holmes | 8 a.m. |
| Phil Mickelson | 8 a.m. |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 8:10 a.m. |
| Adam Scott | 1:10 p.m. |
| Henrik Stenson | 1:10 p.m. |
| Kevin Kisner | 1:10 p.m. |
| Rory McIlroy | 1:20 p.m. |
| Patrick Reed | 1:20 p.m. |
Full tournament tee times can be viewed at PGATour.com.
Stars to Watch
McIlroy is the tournament's biggest name, and considering his past success at Quail Hollow and his current form, he'll be favored by many to take the Wells Fargo Championship this year.
Since missing the cut in The Honda Classic, the world No. 1 has put together a fine stretch on American soil. In his next five starts, he finished outside of the top 10 just once—a tie for 11th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational—notched a fourth-place finish in the Masters and won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play. He's fresh off a tie for eighth in The Players Championship.
Expect McIlroy to continue his streak of fine play this week, as Quail Hollow appears to suit his game nicely. Since winning in Charlotte, the Northern Irishman recorded three other top-10 finishes there, including a playoff loss to Rickie Fowler back in 2012.
Phil Mickelson will be an interesting name to watch in the Wells Fargo Championship. Lefty hasn't been overly consistent this season, missing two cuts earlier in the year before slowly regaining his form to finish tied for second in the Masters. However, after a rough stretch in The Players Championship, Mickelson enters Quail Hollow on the heels of another missed cut.
Lefty has never won the Wells Fargo Championship, but he always seems to be in contention in every appearance. In 11 visits to Quail Hollow over the years, Mickelson has come away with nine top-12 finishes and was runner-up to McIlroy in 2010.
If there's a dark horse to watch this week at Quail Hollow, it's 29-year-old Webb Simpson. Ranked No. 50 in the world, Simpson hasn't put together a stellar 2015 campaign to this point, earning just two top-10 finishes in nine starts. However, there's a good reason to believe he can buck that trend this week: He's a resident of Quail Hollow.
Playing in the Wells Fargo Championship on his home course will give Simpson a very familiar setting and should boost his confidence; however, he'll also be attempting to win despite a new putter in his bag—he recently switched to a short putter from the soon-to-be-banned belly putter. Here's what he had to say during an interview with David Scott of the Charlotte Observer:
"I still have the rest of the year to work with it. I think this is the best time to do it. I mean, you can go play with it while you're home in Charlotte (in the offseason) for two months. But a putting green is a lot different than a tournament. I think it's better to experiment with it during the season; it's a free test.
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Those aforementioned stars will be contending against a very strong field that includes world No. 3 Henrik Stenson, world No. 11 Adam Scott and world No. 13—and defending champion—J.B. Holmes. Expect some intense competition and a dramatic conclusion as these players look to navigate the Green Mile in an effort to capture the Wells Fargo Championship.
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