No Tiger at Wells Fargo Championship, but we got 6 locals on the PGA tour
What happens in Vegas – doesn’t happen in Charlotte.
Turns out Tiger Woods won’t be playing in this year’s Wells Fargo Championship — the mega golf tourney at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club that he won in 2008.
Instead, it seems he’ll be taking a trip to Vegas.
@TigerWoods @PGATOUR No Wells Fargo? Come on Tiger
— brodddd (@the_brodster15) April 29, 2015
(Tiger Jam is his annual big bash of a fund raiser that features cocktails, luxury hotel accommodations, a huge poker game and golf.)
But who needs Woods when we here in the Queen City can claim several other top PGA players. We took to Twitter to see what our hometown duffers are up to:
(1) Brendon de Jonge
This 230-pound powerhouse was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, before he made his way stateside, attended Virginia Tech and played in some smaller tournaments before settling in the Queen City. Last week, he tied for 22nd place at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
After 224 starts & over $10M in earnings, Brendon de Jonge is still looking for win No. 1: http://t.co/9xFMIv85Zc pic.twitter.com/Q5PyoWmAIV
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) April 24, 2015
Everyone’s watching Jason Day and Cameron Tringale. But I need Brendon de Jonge to finish in the top 25 for my survivor pool. C’mon B Money! — Stephen Hennessey (@S_HennesseyGD) April 26, 2015
(2) Webb Simpson
This Raleigh-born Charlottean has a couple of trophies atop his mantle. He won the U.S. Open in 2012. He won the Shriners Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas (popular place) last October. He amassed five top-10 finishes in seven other tournaments.
From the look of his Twitter page, he seems pretty chill and probably isn’t stressing the Wells tournament too much.
Huge shout out to Candy who owns the the famous burger stand at Olympic for hooking us up despite being closed today! pic.twitter.com/9KeOpr9vAz
— Webb Simpson (@webbsimpson1) April 28, 2015
//><!--Oh yeah and he’s busy winning at the World Golf Championship Cadillac Match. There’s that, too.//--><!
Webb Simpson takes down Ian Poulter 3&2. #WGCMatchplay pic.twitter.com/fwX666lNrt — The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 29, 2015
(3) Johnson Wagner
Perhaps you know him by his mustache. Or maybe his repertoire of accomplishments, which include three wins on the PGA Tour. Or, maybe you were there when, while playing the Wells a year ago, he unabashedly called his teammate Gov. Pat McCrory “Pat.”
Last week, Wagner played in the Zurich Classic and finished 48th. Well, at least he got to enjoy the scenery.
Can’t believe I’m getting home tonight. Well done PGATour officials. Congrats to @JustinRose99 #truegentleman #Zurich pic.twitter.com/n31iETAZ9l
— Johnson Wagner (@johnson_wagner) April 27, 2015
(4) Bill Haas
Best part of my Augusta week was par 3 with my son and mom caddying. Big congrats to Jordan for a dominating win! pic.twitter.com/FNjggyTN3U — Bill Haas (@BHaasGolf) April 13, 2015
(5) Jason Kokrak
This native Canadian, who now lives in Charlotte, recently found himself further south in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for the RBC Heritage, that state’s only PGA tour event. He tied for 18th and was 8-under-par.
Moving Day? @jaykokrak moved up 60 spots at @RBC_Heritage with this 65 today. Live scoring: http://t.co/33yHiSIKeu pic.twitter.com/XzrJky6uJ8
— PGA.COM (@PGA_com) April 18, 2015
//><!--But he’s not just teeing off. He’s playing with puppies, too.//--><!
Our own @jaykokrak was featured on @PGA_com for his community service work: http://t.co/IC7SDO3EqH #LetsGoX — Xavier Men’s Golf (@XavierMGOLF) April 11, 2015
(6) Kyle Reifers
Reifers, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, was well-known among amateur circles. His claim to fame includes being ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world, according to his website. He turned pro in 2006 and took part in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships.
He’s been keeping active in the years following, including a recent turnout at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the cut.
Well Kyle Reifers, if you’re not going to make the cut, you might as well take a bunch of people with you. #ZurichClassic
— Timothy Frank (@FantasyGolfMan) April 25, 2015
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 4:30 PM with the headline "No Tiger at Wells Fargo Championship, but we got 6 locals on the PGA tour."