New Panthers QB shows, return of the Mack (Brown), and more from Quail Hollow pro-am
The regulars were out again at Wednesday’s pro-am at Quail Hollow Club, the same handful of local celebrities and stars who show up every year the day before the Wells Fargo Championship.
And it’s good they all show up, because their irons? Not so much.
All kidding aside, the day before the tournament is always a neat opportunity for fans to interact with some of Charlotte’s celebrities. The highlights, and some news, from Wednesday:
▪ First, a quick note about the actual course. This year, the front green on No. 4 has been lowered nearly a foot to offer more hole placements, and the tee on No. 15 moved 10 yards back and left to create a true dogleg shot.
▪ OK, now on to the stars. Several Carolina Panthers players were in attendance, including tight end Greg Olsen and his caddies, linebacker Luke Kuechly and long snapper JJ Jansen. Olsen played alongside pro Vaughn Taylor and former American tennis star Andy Roddick, who brought his wife, Brooklyn Decker, as caddie. Decker, a model and actress, who grew up in nearby Matthews before she was discovered.
▪ In addition to those Panthers mainstays, rookie quarterback Will Grier was also in attendance. Carolina selected Grier, who played high school ball at Davidson Day, in the third round of last week’s NFL Draft out of West Virginia.
Grier told reporters Wednesday how hectic the past week has been, to the point where he just was assigned his permanent No. 3. Grier wore No. 7 at both Florida and West Virginia. Kyle Allen, who will compete with Grier for the backup job to Cam Newton, currently wears No. 7.
▪ One final Panthers connection: Current coach Ron Rivera and his predecessor, John Fox, who still owns a house near the No. 14 at Quail Hollow, played together Wednesday with pro Tony Finau. Fox and Rivera are good friends, but this was their first time playing together.
▪ Tiger Woods opted not to play this week as he continues recovering from his Masters win, but talk about that victory still endured in Charlotte. Rory McIlroy said he’s still amazed at the comeback Woods was able to make from multiple back and knee surgeries.
“It’s a big deal to come back from what he has,” McIlroy said. “I don’t think people quite appreciate what has went into it, but it just shows he’s gritty, he’s determined. It’s always been one of his best qualities and it was awesome to see.”
▪ After spending Tuesday at a donors event in uptown, North Carolina football coach Mack Brown and men’s basketball coach Roy Williams were both at Quail Hollow on Wednesday. Brown is preparing for his first season back at UNC since leaving Chapel Hill in 1997 for Texas.
At one point, after Williams struggled to chip out of a bunker, he pretended he was going to toss his golf ball down the fairway before quipping, “I do remember I have a job still.”
▪ NASCAR’s trio of golf-friendly drivers — Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — played together with pro Harold Varner III, who was raised in Gastonia. It was particularly impressive that Larson was able to participate two days after a violent wreck at Talladega Superspeedway, where his car flipped multiple times after launching into the wall.
▪ Jason Day, the reigning Wells Fargo champion, is again expected to be among the favorites this weekend. Day has struggled with various injuries throughout his career, but offered this insightful quote about what athletes deal with when they’re unable to compete:
“You feel like your world’s ending because this is all you know and this is all you do,” Day said. “You’re a professional golfer and this is kind of how you live your life, especially for me because I wake up thinking about golf and go to bed thinking about golf — I’m eating thinking about golf.
“So this is my life. Outside of my family, golf is it.”
▪ It was somewhat solemn around the course because Tuesday’s shooting at UNC Charlotte, where two students were killed, was still fresh on everyone’s minds. Quail Hollow flew its flag at half-staff in recognition of the tragedy, and golfers will honor the victims during the tournament.
This story was originally published May 1, 2019 at 5:13 PM with the headline "New Panthers QB shows, return of the Mack (Brown), and more from Quail Hollow pro-am."
