Week 17 Approach Shots: Quail Hollow Championship

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Sean O'Hair played the entire 2009 Quail Hollow Championship from behind but still walked away with his second TOUR title when the dust had settled. O'Hair was tied for 10th after the first round and tied for 25th, five strokes back, at the halfway point of the Charlotte, N.C., event at Quail Hollow Club.

TV/Radio (all times ET)

TV: GOLF CHANNEL (Thu.-Fri., 2-6 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 1-2:30 p.m.) CBS (Sat.-Sun. 3-6 p.m.) RADIO: PGA TOUR NETWORK - Sirius 209, XM 146, PGATOUR.COM (Thu.-Sun. 12-6 p.m.)

Weather

The forecast calls for sunny skies as it warms up on Thursday and Friday, but there's a small chance of rain and isolated thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-to-upper 80s. Updated weather info

Key links

• Expert picks | Tee times • Rankings | Fantasy Insider • Inside the Field | Course

Even after a third-round 67 at the par-72 course, O'Hair was still three strokes behind Zach Johnson heading into Sunday's final round. That's when O'Hair shot a 69 to win his third TOUR title to go with his 2005 John Deere Classic and his 2008 PODS Championship.

This week, a strong field -- including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking -- are competing. The field has all of its past champions in the field except 2004 champ Joey Sindelar, who is playing on the Champions Tour.

O'Hair's early season hasn't been stellar, but he's excited to defend.

"This is just one of those great weeks that I think as a tournament, it's not a major obviously but definitely kind of feels that way," he said Wednesday. "You get the kind of field that you see in a major, and plus the conditions of the course are second to none. It's nice to be back on a track that you've played well at, and it's in phenomenal shape."

Meanwhile, the world's No. 1 is working his way back into shape. Woods says it usually takes him two or three tournaments to get into a good flow for the season. His fourth-place finish at the Masters, however, is reason for optimism.

"Just trying to get more fine-tuned, and I guess into the rhythm of just playing and competing," Woods said. "That takes a little bit of time."

Then there's Mickelson, who took a little bit of time before getting into his groove for 2010. This is his first tournament since winning his third Green Jacket. He owns four career top-10s at Quail Hollow but no wins.

He took the two weeks after the Masters off, not touching a club the first week -- as per his normal routine for multiple-week breaks -- and delved back into vigorous practicing the last handful of days.

"I see the improvement each day, and I feel like it's back to a level close to where it was at Augusta," Mickelson said, "so I certainly have high expectations this week and next."

GRAND FINALE: The par-4 18th hole at Quail Hollow Club was the fourth-toughest finishing hole during the entire 2008 season (average score 4.367). Last year, the 18th at Quail Hollow was the second-most-difficult finishing hole on TOUR, with an average score 4.374. The toughest par-3 on the 2008 PGA TOUR was Quail Hollow's 17th (average score 3.418). A year ago, the final three holes at Quail Hollow were the toughest three-hole finishing stretch on TOUR.

FUN FACTS: Jim Furyk, a two-time winner in 2010, won the Quail Hollow Championship in 2006. He has had interesting results at Quail Hollow, either contending or missing the cut. In six appearances at the event he hasn't played on the weekend twice, he tied for second in 2005, was seventh in 2008 and tied for 11th in 2009 to go with his victory. In 20 career rounds at the Quail Hollow Championship, Furyk has only shot over par three times. Eight of his 16 rounds are in the 60s.

• Davis Love III will play in his eighth consecutive Quail Hollow Championship. Born in Charlotte, Love's best finish in his hometown is the tie for 14th he turned in in 2006. Love has missed the cut twice -- in 2005 and in 2008.

• Since the first tournament in 2003, players have hit 248 tee shots into the lake guarding the par-3 17th hole.

Bolton's Yahoo! selections

Fantasy columnist Rob Bolton will provide his Yahoo! picks as a starting point for you every week. Use the advice and opinion from his Power Rankings and Fantasy Insider to assist in determining lineups changes throughout each tournament. Group Starters Bench Group A Phil Mickelson Anthony Kim Group B Camilo Villegas, Nick Watney J.B. Holmes, Lee Westwood Group C Matt Kuchar Boo Weekley

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Columnists' predictions

Each week, PGATOUR.COM columnists will predict the winner. Here are their picks for the Quail Hollow Championship. Columnist Pick Comment Stan AWTREY JASON DUFNER: A definite long shot in an outstanding Quail Hollow field. But the Auburn man is coming off a T7 at New Orleans and challenged in Charlotte last year. He's due for a breakthrough. Craig DOLCH TIGER WOODS: The rust is gone. Melanie HAUSER TIGER WOODS: Will have righted what was wrong at the Masters. Might have to go through A.K. and Phil, but that would be fun down the stretch, wouldn't it?

Did you know?

Anthony Kim, who won the 2008 Quail Hollow Championship at age 22 years, 10 months, 15 days, was the youngest PGA TOUR winner in 2008. Kim finished at a tournament-record 16-under 272 that year in winning his first TOUR event.

Kodak Challenge

This week's Kodak Challenge hole is the signature 566-yard par-5 15th at Quail Hollow Club. The last of the par-5s on the course plays uphill after the tee shot. To spectators, water on the left and right of the fairway may appear dangerous; however, it will probably have little affect on the professionals. A ridge running down the middle of the green requires perhaps more caution and an accurate approach. More on Kodak Challenge

What the winner gets

A win this week at the Quail Hollow Championship will earn the following benefits: • Fully Exempt for the remainder of 2010 and all of 2011 and 2012. • 500 FedExCup points. It took 354 points to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in 2009 and 494 to reach the Deutsche Bank Championship. • A spot in the following events in order of play: 2010 PLAYERS Championship, 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, 2010 Memorial, 2010 AT&T National, 2010 PGA Championship, 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Inv. • A spot in the 2011 SBS Championship and 2011 Masters. • If a U.S. player, 1,152,000 points towards making the 2011 Presidents Cup team. • If it is a second victory for a player since last June 4, a spot in the U.S. Open.