2016 U.S. Open
Oakmont Country Club - Oakmont, PA
Course Par: 70 | Yardage: 7219
Purse: $10,000,000
Oakmont Country Club - Oakmont, PA
Course Par: 70 | Yardage: 7219
Purse: $10,000,000
The stop in Charlotte has a big advantage over so many of the other regular PGA Tour events fighting for a deep field this time of year -- the course is maybe the best of any of the tracks on the annual schedule. Quail Hollow is a major championship venue that the players universally love. It's one of the best courses in the country from tee-to-green, and a re-do of the greens in late 2013 has shored up its only critiqued weakness. Tee to green, it's probably the best course on the PGA Tour and the top pros almost always show up in what is a busy stretch of the season.
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The world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is back again this year. It's regular staple on his schedule. He loves the course and also has a bit of history here. In 2010, as a chubby 20-year-old from Ulster, McIlroy overwhelmed the top players in the world with a final round 62. It was one of the best rounds on Tour in years and plenty good enough to seal his first pro win in the States. We'd heard McIlroy was a unique talent, and he'd already done some damage on the Euro Tour, but that Sunday had Jim Nantz salivating about the prospects ahead.
Rory has, of course, fulfilled much of that potential in the intervening years but Quail Hollow will probably remain a special part of his schedule. With that past success on this course, and his obvious form as the world No. 1, McIlroy starts the week as a ridiculous 3/1 favorite to win. Those are extreme odds for golf and the kind of numbers that Tiger in his prime might draw from the bookies. McIlroy played well last week at The Players but just could not roll in anything to take advantage of his precise long game. But his game is in shape and while that odds value is not good, he's the clear class of the field and it would be a surprise if he doesn't have a late Sunday afternoon tee time.
Despite the prestige this tournament holds with the players, the networks and Tour provide a pretty standard coverage plan for the Wells Fargo. Golf Channel has the first two rounds with a four-hour coverage window. They will then split the weekend coverage with CBS, who has the conclusion on Sunday at the normal 6 p.m. finish time. Following the last two weeks -- the high point of NBC's portion of the schedule -- the rest of the summer is now spent primarily with CBS. The majors have their own network deals, but CBS will have every Tour event until the middle of the FedExCup in September. So get used to seeing Jim Nantz and friends on the weekend.
