Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: PGA Championship
The PGA Championship heads to its 11th different course in the past 12 years, as the major will take place at Quail Hollow this time around.
There’s plenty of past data to study if we look at prior events at Quail Hollow, dating back to the Wachovia Championship but most recently the Wells Fargo.
We’ll also have to account for performance at the PGA Championship itself, of course, but the course is going to dictate which golfers you want to target on FanDuel this week.
Let’s dive in.
Course and Tournament Overview
It’s a major, so the field is stacked. That’s the fun part. The not so fun part is that this course (a 7,600-yard par 71) can be rough for scoring purposes.
Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yds | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | 9 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,575 | 72.953 | 0.953 |
2015 | 20 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,562 | 71.916 | -0.084 |
2014 | 13 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,562 | 72.546 | 0.546 |
2013 | 10 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,492 | 73.043 | 1.043 |
2012 | 25 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,469 | 71.844 | -0.156 |
2011 | 24 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,469 | 71.953 | -0.047 |
2010 | 8 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,469 | 72.918 | 0.918 |
2009 | 19 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,442 | 72.420 | 0.420 |
2008 | 20 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,442 | 72.791 | 0.791 |
2007 | 11 | Quail Hollow Club | 72 | 7,442 | 73.280 | 1.280 |
Now, the Wells Fargo isn’t the same field as the PGA Championship, but we do need to avoid significant blowups on a course like this.
Stats to Target
Strokes gained: tee to green and birdie or better rate -- especially in recent rounds -- are always stats to take note of, but in the past 10 years at Quail Hollow, these stats popped up as being the most important to success.
Key Stats for The PGA Championship at Quail Hollow |
---|
Birdie or Better Rate |
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee |
Par 5 Scoring |
Strokes Gained: Approach the Green |
Driving Distance |
Even though it’s a tough course, birdies are still in the mix, and the way to do it is, basically, distance and placement off the tee and taking advantage of the par 5s on this par 72.
Iron play, too, should take priority over wedges at Quail Hollow, according to the overarching trends from the past 10 years.
Course Form Studs
Phil Mickelson has dominated Quail Hollow in the past 10 years. Since 2008, he’s finished 3rd, 12th, 5th, 2nd, 9th, 26th, 3rd, 11th, 4th, and 4th. That’s 10 top-26 finishes and 9 top-12s. Gracious.
Rory McIlroy, well, he's also dominated. He won in 2010 at Quail Hollow, missed the cut in 2011, and reeled off five straight top-10s since then: 2nd (in a playoff), 10th, 8th, 1st, 4th.
Tony Finau and Daniel Berger have similar marks in two tries. Finau was 16th in 2015 and 28th in 2016. Berger was 28th in 2015 and 17th in 2016.
Rickie Fowler beat Rory in that playoff in 2012. Rickie was also 6th in 2010 and 16th in 2011 at Quail Hollow. In 2013 and 2014, he was 73rd and 38th and didn’t play in 2015, but he returned last year to finish 4th.
Hideki Matsuyama, last week's winner at the Bridgestone, tied for 38th in 2014 and has consecutive top-20s since (20th, 11th) at Quail Hollow.