STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - Making his 122nd career PGA TOUR start, Sean O’Hair posted a 3-under 69 on Sunday to finish the Quail Hollow Championship at 11-under 277, one stroke ahead of Bubba Watson (70) and Lucas Glover (71). It is the third victory of O’Hair’s career (2005 John Deere Classic, 2008 PODS Championship).

With the victory, O’Hair collects 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 3 on the list, with 1,336 points. Geoff Ogilvy (1,387) maintains the top spot for the 10th consecutive week, followed closely by Phil Mickelson (1,363 points).

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE - Today is the final day of the Quail Hollow Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte.

Zach Johnson is leading with a total score of 205. He is followed by Lucas Glover, Tiger Woods and George McNeill who are all tied for 2nd.

Sunday's round began this morning at 7:50 and the final pairings will tee off at 1:40 p.m.

George McNeill was two strokes off the lead after 54 holes one other time in his career, earlier this year when he also trailed Zach Johnson at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Johnson fired at 65 in the final-round to win, while McNeill shot a 69 to finish T7.

George McNeill and Tiger Woods played the first two rounds in the same pairing at the 2008 Buick Invitational, which Tiger won by eight strokes. Tiger opened with a 67-65, while McNeill shot a 72-72 and finished T49.

Vijay Singh, pictured here at the driving range on Thursday, did not make the cut for Round 3 and 4. View our Thursday Quail Hollow Gallery here.

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - Play was suspended at 5:46 p.m. due to a dangerous situation with four players still on the course. Play was resumed at 6:58 p.m. for a 1 hour, 12 minute delay.

Zach Johnson shot a four-under 68 to take a two shot lead over Lucas Glover, Tiger Woods and George McNeill into the final-round.

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE – The three-hole stretch of closing holes at Quail Hollow known as the “Green Mile”, proved to be the undoing of Tiger Woods on Saturday.

Woods bogeyed the last two holes and was not happy with his finish slamming his hat against the fence as he blew past fans to enter the club house.

“I hit two 7-irons the last two holes to make two bogeys. That's not the way you want to finish. But I've got a shot going into tomorrow,” he said following the round.

Woods hit a great tee shot on the 18th hole and hit right over the flagstick with a 7-iron, but it took him three strokes to reach the hole.
Going into Sunday, Woods said that he still feels good about it but seemed to still be focused on his disappointments on 17 and 18.

(Tiger Woods at Quail Hollow. Photo by Jason Saine.)

Tiger falters late again, leaving Johnson in the lead at Quail Hollow

Johnson emerges with a 2-shot lead at Quail Hollow

Tiger Woods dropped out of the lead with late bogeys for the second straight day, leaving former Masters champion Zach Johnson with a two-shot advantage Saturday heading into the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship.

Watson, Goosen share lead as Woods falters

The birdie putt that put Tiger Woods in control at the Quail Hollow Championship was 55 feet up the slope on the ninth green, trucking so fast toward the hole that it slammed into the back of the cup and went airborne before dropping.

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - Bubba Watson (65) and Retief Goosen (68) moved to the top of the leaderboard at 8-under 136 at the midway point of the Quail Hollow Championship, one stroke ahead of Tiger Woods (72), Zach Johnson (67), Jim Furyk (66) and George McNeill (68). Watson’s 65 equaled the round of the week (Tiger Woods, Rd. 1) and fell just one shy of the tournament-record 8-under 64 posted by Kirk Triplett (2004, Rd. 1), Bo Van Pelt (2006, Rd. 2) and Rory Sabbatini (2007, Rd. 2).

The front-nine 6-under-par 30 for Bubba Watson (his final nine) matched the 9-hole front-nine record (Kirk Triplett, 2004, Round 1; Trevor Immelman, 2006, Round 1; Bill Haas, 2006, Round 1; Pat Perez, 2008, Round 3; Tiger Woods, 2009, Round 1).

(Phil Mickelson tees off at the 8th hole at Quail Hollow on Friday. Mickeson is now tied for 7th. Photo by Jason Saine.)

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE Tiger Woods was leading on Thursday after the first round at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte at -7 under, will tee off from Hole 10 at 12:50 pm today.

Woods was followed by Steve Marino, Phil Mickelson, Robert Allenby, and Jason Dufner at -5 under.

Today's weather should allow play to continue with only a 30% chance of rain throughout most of the day.

Saturday's outlook is a little more concerning with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.

(Tiger Woods on Thursday at Quail Hollow. Photo by Ron McCann.)

Crowds at Quail Hollow enjoy the action at Hole 5 on Thursday. Photo by Ron McCann. More sports photos at http://www.sportpixnc.com.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were as far away from each other as possible, one teeing off at No. 10 in the morning, the other starting at No. 1 in the afternoon at the Quail Hollow Championship.

But they sure seem inseparable at the moment.

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE – Though it was just the Pro-Am on Wednesday, loyal fans at Quail Hollow followed their favorites on a beautiful day. Many were not disappointed as the relaxed atmosphere and ease of access allowed players to sign autographs and greet supporters.

While Tiger Woods stayed focus from hole to hole, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning who played with Woods, eagerly signed autographs and spoke with fans that were following the pair on the course.

One lady from Gastonia told the Tribune, “I don’t care much about Tiger. I am here to see Peyton.”

As Manning passed through the ropes on the 15th hole, she got her money’s worth as he stopped to sign her son’s shirt.

Phil Mickelson, always a crowd favorite at Quail Hollow, seemed to really enjoy the support from followers at the course.

(Phil Mickelson tees off from the 17th hole at Quail Hollow on Wednesday. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE – Fans got their money’s worth on Wednesday at the Quail Hollow Championship Pro-Am. Not only did they get see their favorite PGA pros, the celebrities who were playing kept fans entertained with their antics.

One of the most comedic pairings was that of PGA Pro Jerry Kelly, who won last weekend at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, with NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, and ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman. The threesome kept fans entertained joking around and having a good time. So much fun that Carolina Panthers’ Coach John Fox, who played earlier in the day, left his home on the 14th hole to join the group.

On the 18th hole, Waltrip, who had difficulty with his tee shot, finished the pairing first nine with a beautiful put to finish the hole.

Another group that seemed to be having a good time interacting with fans and with each other included last year’s winner at Quail Hollow Anthony Kim, Quail Hollow Championship Executive Chairman Mac Everett, and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.

(NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip waves to fans at the 18th hole at Quail Hollow. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

Photo of Angel Cabrera at Quail Hollow following his appearance in the Pro-Am on Wednesday. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse. Interview to follow.

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE – Anthony Kim, returning champion at Quail Hollow is glad to be back at the course that propelled him into the spotlight last year.

Kim told reporters on Tuesday: “I'm very excited to be back. It feels like home here. I've played well. Every time I've been here, which is all of two years, it really is a nice feeling to get back and get my season started off on the right foot here because I have a six-week stretch coming up. So hopefully I can start playing some good golf and get back into it.”

By Jason Saine

CHARLOTTE – The Quail Hollow Championship got underway today with a Pro-Am Tournament on Monday.

Amateurs and Pros got a chance to walk the beautiful course with temperatures climbing into the high 80’s and low 90’s.

Fans are eagerly awaiting the first appearance of Tiger Woods, who, incidentally is paired with Indianapolis Quarterback Peyton Manning in Wednesday’s Pro-Am. The pair will tee off at 7:30 a.m.

Woods is making his first PGA Tour start since a tie for sixth at the Masters. This is the second appearance in the Pro-Am at Quail Hollow.
Other celebrities appearing in Wednesday’s event include three-time Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip, basketball Hall of Fame member Julius Erving, and ESPN's Chris Berman.

Tickets no longer are on sale for this year's Quail Hollow Championship but the Lincoln Tribune will have coverage throughout the week on our website along with photos from the event and you can also look for updates via the Tribune’s Twitter account, live from Quail Hollow. Coverage is being sponsored by Helms Security in Lincolnton.

(PGA Pro Jonathan Kaye stopped after play in the Pro-Am on Monday to sign a few autographs for fans. This lucky fan was proud of her souvenir. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse.)

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - In the six-year history of the Quail Hollow Championship, only three players have played the final three holes at Quail Hollow Club (16-17-18) bogey-free for all four rounds---Justin Rose (2003), Troy Mattheson (2003) and Ernie Els (2007).

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE -Tiger Woods, winner of the 2007 Quail Hollow Championship and the No.1 ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking, committed today to play in next week's Quail Hollow Championship.

Woods will be making his fourth appearance in the Quail Hollow Championship and will make his first start since winning in 2007. He had to miss the 2008 edition due to knee surgery. Besides his victory in 2007, Woods finished T3 in 2004 and T11 in 2005.

This will be Woods' first appearance on the PGA TOUR since he finished tied for sixth at the Masters Tournament two weeks ago.

"We are very happy to have Tiger coming back," said Executive Director Kym Hougham. "With the exception of Joey Sindelar, who has moved on to the Champions Tour, we have all of our past champions returning. The patrons and the community of Charlotte are in for a real treat this year."

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - The Quail Hollow Championship kiosk at SouthPark Mall is now open and is located at Center Court, near the escalators. Operation hours are Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $25 for the Practice Pack that consists of daily tickets for Monday's Pro-Am along with Tuesday's practice round and Wednesday's Pro-Am.

Tickets for the first two rounds Thursday and Friday are $40 each and tickets for the final round Sunday are $50.

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - In the six-year history of the Quail Hollow Championship, only three players have played the final three holes at Quail Hollow Club (16-17-18) bogey-free for all four rounds---Justin Rose (2003), Troy Mattheson (2003) and Ernie Els (2007).