Sungjae Im’s caddie, Will Wilcox, thinks the golf course at Quail Hollow suits one player perfectly.
The PGA Championship started on Thursday morning, with some of the biggest names playing in the same featured group.
The top three in the Official World Golf Ranking, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele, all teed off at 8:22 a.m.
Wilcox is convinced that the setup at Quail Hollow is ideal for one of the trio, who will “probably” win the tournament.
Sungjae Im’s caddie makes PGA Championship prediction
Quail Hollow has been criticized by many for not being worthy of a major championship, but Wilcox only had good things to say about the place.
But Im’s caddie did point out that there would not be much strategy involved, with players hitting driver off almost every tee.
McIlroy is arguably the greatest driver of a golf ball ever, so that’s why he’s in with a great chance of winning his sixth major.
“I think [Quail Hollow] is beautiful,” Wilcox explained. “I think it’s really, really neat. It is a bomb and gouge paradise. Rory is probably going to win!
“But I could play munis, I would go play on dirt, so I think it’s really cool. And Sungjae likes it, so count me in.
“I played it three times, I’ve played the Wells Fargo three times. I think I had a 40th and a 50th and then a missed cut.”
Sungjae Im’s caddie talks about playing conditions at Quail Hollow
McIlroy admitted before the PGA Championship that he was surprised the golf course wasn’t set up differently from the Wells Fargo Championship in previous seasons.
However, Wilcox did point out some differences between last year and this year, albeit they probably had more to do with the heavy rain earlier this week than anything intentional.
“It was crispy last year. Fairways were running out. The greens were firm like marble,” Wilcox added. “This year, soggy fairways. Balls are just going to splat.
“There was legitimately casual water everywhere in the last two days. I’m sure it’ll get a lot better before we tee off at 2:20 tomorrow.
“But yeah, the firmness of the greens is perfect. Then, there’s not that much rough. [Im] doesn’t really descend… he doesn’t get steep on shots, so when there’s a little bit less rough, that helps him.
“I would say there are multiple factors out there that give him a slight advantage. If the greens are taking a nice bounce, he’s good.”
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