Eagle-eyed golf fans in Charlotte, North Carolina would have seen that the annual Wells Fargo Championship has been moved to the nation’s capital in 2022 instead of taking place in its usual location, Quail Hollow Club. The good news is that the move comes down to a conflict of scheduling rather than a long-term decision.
In reality, the Wells Fargo Championship is just one of a list of tournaments that had to be rescheduled or moved to different venues given that the 2020 golfing calendar was severely impacted by a pause in the season. Looking back, the first domino fell when the Ryder Cup was moved from 2020 to 2021. Of course, golf fans will now be rewarded for their patience with the event about to be played, and encouragingly for American fans, the Ryder Cup odds from Betfair show the US as the favorites.
Indeed, if the Ryder Cup betting tips are anything to go by, the wait would have been worth it as Steve Sticker’s men are predicted to teach team Europe a golfing lesson in Wisconsin. It wasn’t the Ryder Cup, however, that was primarily responsible for Charlotte losing the right to host the Wells Fargo Championship in 2022.
Instead, it was another team event, the Presidents Cup, that was the reason after it was pushed back to 2022 following its initial postponement from 2021. The PGA Tour, you see, doesn’t like two events to be held at the same course during the same season and with the news that Quail Hollow Club is set to host the Presidents Cup, the Wells Fargo Championship was told to move to Washington.
As touched on earlier in the piece, it is merely a temporary move with the 2023 edition of the event already confirmed to move back to North Carolina. Naturally, this will be extremely reassuring news for the city of Charlotte as it will continue to enjoy the benefits of hosting the world’s best golfers at one of the most recognizable courses in the world.
With this being the case, one shouldn’t underestimate the positive impact that a competition like the Presidents Cup will have on the region. Indeed, fans, media, and the world’s best players will descend on the city for a week that should deliver jaw-dropping entertainment,
The United States team will hope that Charlotte provides the background for another empathic victory after they successfully managed to win the event in Australia two years ago. All things told, it has been one-way traffic in this competition with the USA last losing this event in 1998. Incredibly, that was the international team’s only success in the history of this event since its inception in 1994. It really is a pitiful record and it doesn’t seem as if they will be able to arrest this phenomenal losing streak they’re on.
It goes without saying but the omens are good for the people of Charlotte and North Carolina when the Presidents Cup returns in 2022 after a three-year hiatus. Indeed, the immaculate fairways and superbly manicured greens of the Quail Hollow Club should be the setting for another triumphant win for team USA.
