Talk of the Tour: A (Quail) Hollow Affair

By Tom Ferrell

Golf is the most unpredictable of all sporting endeavors. The vagaries of weather, agronomy and the alchemic meeting of talent and fortune can turn expected storylines on their heads. No recent event has celebrated this uncertainty quite like the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship, won yesterday by an unheralded but hugely gifted PGA TOUR rookie Derek Ernst.

The story of Derek Ernst is one that should inspire all of us who are thrilled and confounded by this crazy game. Ranked 1,207th in the world, Ernst got into the Wells Fargo as fourth alternate. He was already on his way to Athens, Georgia for a Web.com event. Now he is on his way to The Players Championship and, in about a year, The Masters. His choked-down six-iron to four feet on the final hole of regulation in Charlotte is right up there with Angel Cabrera’s incredible approach on the 72nd at Augusta. But Ernst went to the playoff and closed out the deal.

That this year’s Wells Fargo Championship produced the most exciting golf of the PGA TOUR season may be of little consolation to Quail Hollow members who had to endure the very public demise of their greens. Two weeks ago, I walked the fairways of Pinehurst with Mac Everett, General Chairman of the Wells Fargo Championship and one of the finest gentlemen in golf. His phone was ringing, withdrawals piling up, and his friendly demeanor covered a real concern for his club and the tournament to which he gives so much.

I emailed Mac this morning, congratulating all at Quail Hollow on a job well done.

Unexpected. Unpredictable. And unmatched on this year’s PGA TOUR!

 

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.