There will be intense competition at Quail Hollow this week and it won't be restricted to the golf course.
Just off the caddy staging area sits a Ping-Pong table and that's the scene of some of the tournament's great battles. You see caddies playing caddies or taking on players.
It seems table tennis knows no social boundaries and is the great equalizer.
The Wells Fargo Championship is not the first or the only tournament to place a Ping-Pong table on site. Rain delays at THE PLAYERS are used for round-robin tournaments. The BMW Championship brought in U.S. National junior player Grant Li last year, who gave lessons and provided competition.
Justin Rose won the tournament but the 16-year-old Li went undefeated.
Who's the best PGA TOUR player with a table tennis racket?
Phil Mickelson is rumored to have taken lessons to improve his game and once sent a miniature Ping-Pong table to Tiger Woods daughter as a present.
Woods himself is lean and cat-quick with a good spinner.
Matt Kuchar is an accomplished tennis player and was thought to be the best Ping- Pong player on TOUR until a match at last year's PLAYERS Championship against Fredrik Jacobson.
The Swede smoked the American, which is not surprising considering Fredrik "The Great" was a nationally ranked table tennis player in Sweden 20 years ago.
Let's move from the small green table to the large green course and discuss the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hallow.
Left-hand low: It did not attract much attention last week, but Rickie Fowler changed his putting grip. He is now left-hand low. Fowler had dropped to 154th in Strokes Gained-Putting this year and to 56th in FedExCup standings. He showed improvement at TPC Louisiana, finishing T10. Sometimes a small change can lead to big results.
Agreed: It's hard to get all PGA TOUR players to agree on any one subject but it seems everyone likes the new configuration of the par-3 17th hole. Member tees are being used this year, which creates a much better sight line into the green. The former championship tee created a strange angle for the tee shot. The hole played to a stroke average of 3.238 last season and some thought the tee shot into the green unfair. One of the reasons this is such a popular stop on the PGA TOUR schedule is because tournament organizers listen to players' opinions and strive to improve conditions.
Strong finish: The 17th might play a little easier this year but the par-4 18th still has plenty of bite. There is simply nowhere to miss off the tee or with the approach into the green. With bunkers right and water to the left, strokes can accumulate in a hurry. This is the hardest hole on the course, playing at 478 uphill yards and a stroke average of 4.38 in 2011. The hole surrendered 32 birdies last year along with 32 double bogeys. When the birdies equal the amount of double bogeys, you've got yourself a tough hole.
Winner, winner: Jim Furyk, come on down to the winner's circle, your time has come on the PGA TOUR. He won this event on 2006 and has posted four straight finishes in the top 11 or better, including a playoff defeat last month at Transitions. He leads the TOUR in driving accuracy and is fourth in scoring at 69.42. Furyk plays well on tough classic golf courses and Quail Hollow fits that criteria. He's the horse for this course. Furyk has posted a trio of top 10 finishes at the Wells Fargo in addition to his '06 victory.
