The BWD Major Tournament Hole of the Day: The 7th at Quail Hollow, Home of PGA Championship

Tournament: PGA Championship – Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
Hole: 7th – Par 5, 546 Yards
Architect(s): George Cobb – 1961
Tom Fazio (redesign) – 1996, 2003, and 2016

Architectural Summary:

The seventh hole at Quail Hollow is a 546-yard par five that will test competitors from tee to green. The hole emphasizes accuracy from the tee as shots must navigate fairway bunkers to the left as well as a creek that feeds into a pond on the right. The shortest par five on the course, the seventh will be reachable in two for nearly the entire field and offer possible eagle opportunities towards the end of the front nine. Competitors will look to find the left-center portion of the fairway to set up an optimal angle into the sizable green as well as avoid the water hazard running along the entire right side of the hole. Any players finding the right portion of the fairway must shape their approach around a sizable cluster of mature trees that block the direct line to the putting surface short and to the right of the green. To the left of the landing area, two fairway bunkers are positioned from 285 to 337 yards off the tee and mature trees will present competitors will a difficult second shot likely requiring players to lay up if the fairway is missed. Two greenside bunkers guard the green short and to the left. The green complex slopes from left-to-right towards the pond protecting the front-right portion of the putting surface. Measuring 33 yards deep by 32 yards wide, the green is tucked behind the pond on the right side and also features a prominent ridge at the center-left section.

Statistical Analysis:

When Quail Hollow Club last hosted the Wells Fargo Invitational in 2016, the 7th hole played to a scoring average of 4.74 (13 Eagles, 178 Birdies, 205 Pars, 60 Bogeys, 9 Doubles, and 1 “Other”).

Fun Facts:

  • This will be the first major championship held at Quail Hollow, but the course will be familiar to many after hosting the Wells Fargo Championship since 2003 and before that the Kemper Open from 1969-1979.
  • In addition to hosting the annual PGA TOUR stop, the course is also home to competitor Webb Simpson, who lives off the seventh tee at Quail Hollow.
  • Historically, Wells Fargo Championship has yielded winning scores of ten-under or more. The highest score since the tournament was renamed the Wells Fargo Championship was in 2013 when Derek Ernest shot an eight-under score to win the title.