CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Max Homa wrested himself from the middle of the pack and into contention at the Wells Fargo Championship Friday with four consecutive birdies starting at No. 13 to move to within three shots of the lead.
It was a cool moment, but given Homa’s history at Quail Hollow Club it doesn’t even sniff his personal Wells Fargo Championship highlight reel. That list, delivered with virtually no hesitation, includes:
No. 1 – 18th hole on Friday at last year’s Presidents Cup. Paired with Billy Horschel, Homa held off a late charge by International teammates Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith with an 11-foot birdie putt at the final hole [which is actually the ninth hole] for a 1-up victory.
No. 2 – The 72nd hole at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. With a three-stroke lead heading up the last, Homa savored the moment of his first PGA Tour victory at the raucous closing hole.
No. 3 – The opening tee shot on Day 1 at last year’s Presidents Cup (which he didn’t hit). “Watching [his foursome partner Tony Finau] hit the tee shot at the first. I don’t know if I could have hit it so I’m glad he hit it for me,” Homa laughed.
Homa, who went 4-0-0 at last year’s Presidents Cup, also won last year’s Wells Fargo Championship when it was played at TPC Potomac in Maryland, which has made his return to Quail Hollow this year even more special.
“I just love this place. Great golf course, great fans. It’s got everything,” said Homa, who opened with rounds of 70-67 and is 5 under for the week. “The golf course plays into the things I like to do with the golf ball. There’s a lot of mid-irons, a lot of big tee shots, things that I excel at and I see the greens really well.”