Rare back-to-back eagles boost John Peterson to first-round lead at Quail Hollow
A golf rarity happened during Thursday’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club - twice.
First-round leader John Peterson shot a 6-under par 65. The key to his round were consecutive eagles on the seventh and eight holes (he began his round on the 10th hole).
That almost never happens - except it did earlier in the round, when Charlotte resident and Quail Hollow-member Johnson Wagner did the same thing, making eagles on the 14th and 15th holes on his way to a 4-under 67.
The only other time a player has had consecutive eagles this season was when Webb Simpson - who like Wagner is a Charlottean and also lives at Quail Hollow - did it at the Masters. It was the fourth time in Masters history that a player had done that.
Peterson’s eagles came when he holed shots from 57 yards on the seventh and 103 yards on the eighth. He nearly did it again on No. 9 - final hole - when his approach shot just missed the flag, settline 7 feet away. He missed the birdie putt.
Peterson, 29, a former NCAA champion at Louisiana State who finished tied for fourth in the 2012 U.S. Open, might not have much longer to play on the PGA Tour. After having hand surgery in 2016, he has a medical exemption on the tour that will expire if he doesn’t earn at least $310,000 over his next three tournaments.
That won’t be a problem if he wins at Quail Hollow, which offers a $1.386 million winner’s purse. But if he doesn’t win enough money to stay on tour, he says he’ll happily retire to his Fort Worth, Texas, home.
“I don’t hate it out here, but I don’t like the travel at all,” Peterson said. “I’ve never had consecutive eagles before. I haven’t had enough days like this. So, I’m just going to try and win this tournament. If it doesn’t happen, then whatever.”
Peterson has plenty to return home to. He has a son, Luke, who was born last October, as well as a job in real-estate development.
“So I’ve been free-wheeling it a little bit out here,” Peterson said. “I don’t feel like I have all the stress any more.”
As far as potentially leaving behind a pro golf career?
“It’s a great life out (on tour),” Peterson said. “If you like the lifestyle.”
Wagner’s fast start
Wagner got off to a cracking start. His two eagles were preceded by a birdie on the par-3 13th. That put him at 5 under after six holes.
Wagner would eventually give one of those shots back, but his 4-under 67 earned him a five-way tie for second behind Peterson with Paul Malnati, Tyrrell Hatton, Kyle Stanley and Brian Mitchell.
“It’s my home course,” Wagner said. “I’m a member here so I play here, I don’t know, if I’m on a week off, I play here four, five times a week.”
And as many times as he’s played Quail Hollow, he can’t remember playing holes 13-15 the way he did Thursday.
Wagner started his round on the 10th hole, making pars on the first three holes. He then birdied the par-3 13th, before making eagles on the short par-4 14th (with a 7-foot putt) and the par-5 15th (holing from 44 feet).
As Wagner walked off the 15th green, playing partner Shawn Stefani asked, “How many times have you eagled both those holes consecutively?”
“Never from the back tees,” Wagner replied. “Maybe once from like the senior tees in a member tournament, but not very often.”
Wagner, whose most recent of three career victories came at the SONY Open in Hawaii in 2012, finished his round with seven consecutive pars.
Then, taking advantage of playing at home, he was off to watch his son Graham play a baseball game.
Golf ‘a conservative mecca’
Malnati doesn’t consider himself any kind of maverick. But if something that might be considered unpopular by his peers needs to be said, he’s going to say it.
Malnati did just that last fall, speaking out in support of NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem. It wasn’t necessarily an accepted stance to take in the world of pro golf.
“What kind of reaction do you think I got it in the sport of golf?” said Malnati. “A lot of people supported me, but the louder reactions were more negative than positive. But that’s the sport we’ve got. The world of golf is a conservative mecca and that wasn’t a conservative opinion, I guess. But I don’t care, I really don’t. I’m happy with what I said and I still believe in what I said.”
In an essay he posted on Twitter, Malnati said that in addition to honoring “fallen heroes who have died protecting this nation,” the anthem also represents “the principles for which those heroes sacrificed.”
And, in response to President Donald Trump’s insulting language toward NFL players,” Malnati wrote, “I ask you, what do you stand for? I stand for justice for all … equality … empathy and for compassion.”
Malnati got some support from the golf world, including fellow pro Paul Goydos and, indirectly, LPGA player Cheyenne Woods (Tiger Woods’ niece).
But according to Golf Channel Digital, several other golfers – including Ryan Palmer, Paula Creamer, John Peterson, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome, Hunter Mahan, William McGirt, Jessica Korda and Nelly Korda – suggested on social media that the protests were disrespectful to the flag and the military members who fought to protect it.
“I don’t mean to ruffle feathers,” said Malnati. “I’m not really in a position to have an authoritative voice on anything. I just think there needed to be a different voice than what the assumption of what golfers would say. The assumption is that golfers are old and conservative. It bothers me that my sport has that assumption.”
Five who mattered
Peterson: Made just one bogey, and that was more than made up for by two straight eagles on the seventh and eight holes, helping him to a two-stroke lead.
Wagner: Quail Hollow’s own started fast and didn’t falter after that, tying for the lead after a 4-under 67.
Brian Mitchell: Had the outright lead until the 18th hole, where he found the creek and made bogey.
Tiger Woods: His much-anticipated return to Quail Hollow resulted in an even-par 71, five shots behind the leaders. Woods had three birdies and three bogeys, and was 1 under before a bogey on No. 16.
Kyle Stanley: Former Clemson golfer shot a 67, but it could have been so much better if not for back-to-back bogeys on 18 and 1 (he started on the back nine).
Worth mentioning
▪ Journeyman T.J. Vogel briefly held the lead by himself after he eagled the par-5 seventh hole. Vogel, playing in his fourth PGA Tour event of the season, hit his second shot to within 15 feet of the hole and made the putt. That put Vogel at 4 under for the day and in sole possession of the lead. But bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 doomed Vogel, who finished with a 69, tied for 15th and two shots off the lead.
▪ Phil Mickelson got off to a quick start, with birdies on three of his first six holes. But then he found trouble on No. 18 (his ninth hole), hitting his second shot into the creek that runs up the left side of the fairway. That led to a bogey. Mickelson had a double bogey on the par-3 fourth hole and eventually shot a 1-over 72.
▪ The winner of the tournament will earn 500 FedExCup points. Justin Thomas is the points leader with 1,769 and Patton Kizzire is second with 1,329.
▪ Webb Simpson, a Charlottean who also lives at Quail Hollow, shot a 1-over 72 and is tied for 59th. Simpson hasn’t won since 2013, but he’s missed the cut just once this season. He’s coming off a fifth-place finish at Hilton Head in April.
They said it
“I got into trouble a few times and I think that was key to my score today, where I grinded really well, a few up-and-downs from 60 yards. That always helps, keeps the score going.” – Hatton.
“It’s pretty much the same, playing the same. But I think this grass is a lot easier than what we had in August with bermuda.” – Jason Day, on the differences in the course from the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
“I play here a lot, and when it’s firm like this, I feel like I can play with anybody out here just because I know the angles and I know where to hit it on the greens.” – Wagner, a Quail Hollow member.
“These crowds here are really respectful. They cheer for you even when you make a bogey, which is nice; just some reassurance.” - Mitchell.
Friday’s weather
High of 87, sunny, zero percent chance of rain.
This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Rare back-to-back eagles boost John Peterson to first-round lead at Quail Hollow."