| At Quail Hollow, smart money should be on McIlroy winning back-to-back majors  (courtesy: The Masters) If one just takes a cursory look at tournaments that have been played at Quail Hollow Golf Club in the past, then choosing Rory McIlroy to win this week’s PGA Championship becomes a no-brainer. The man who won the Masters in incredible fashion last month is heavily favoured to go two-for-two in major championships this year. This, despite the fact that two of his biggest rivals – world No1 Scottie Scheffler, and the reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau – are in good form with victories on their respective PGA and LIV Golf tour events the week before. Let’s see why McIlroy is such a hot favourite this week… His history at Quail Hollow: McIlroy simply owns Quail Hollow. It’s a place where he won for the first time on the PGA Tour in 2010 (Wells Fargo Championship, which is now called Truist Championship), and then followed it up with three more titles. He almost won again in 2012, before losing to Rickie Fowler in a playoff, and he has five other top-10s in 14 total appearances. The 2017 PGA Championship, when he finished tied 22nd, was a blip. But that was also the year in which McIlroy played the worst golf of his professional career. No wonder, Jordan Spieth calls the place ‘Rory McIlroy Country Club’! His game is custom-built for Quail Hollow: At 7,626 yards, Quail Hollow is a big beast. It’s massive for a par-72 course, but humongous for a par-71. Three of the four par-3s are longer than 205 yards, the longest being the sixth at 249 yards. Three of the par-4s are exceed 500 yards, with the average length being 459 yards. So, two things would help immensely. One, if you can drive it long and straight off the tee. And two, which is extremely obvious, if you can putt well. The second part is always important if you have to win tournaments, and let’s not forget how Kevin Kisner, one of the shortest hitters on the Tour, led the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow after three rounds with his lights-out putting. Let’s have a look at the PGA Tour stats this season for two categories – Shots Gained – Off the Tee, and Shots Gained – Putting. Guess who is leading the Shots Gained – Off the Tee stats? McIlroy. Averaging 0.869 per round, which is way better than the second-placed Scheffler (0.716). And where is he placed in the Shots Gained – Putting? A very high sixth with 0.717 average. Present conditions: Charlotte received a lot of rain on Monday, and more is predicted for Wednesday. That would make the golf course wet, thus making it play longer. And it also means it will play right into the hands of longer hitters like McIlroy. His current form: The Northern Irishman hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal this year. He started with a tied fourth place in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, and then had three wins (AT&T ProAm at Pebble Beach, The Players Championship, and the Masters) and two other top-10s. His worst finish this year is a tied 17th at the Genesis Invitational. McIlroy comes into the tournament having finished tied 7th last week at the Truist Championship. His mind is free: All those tears from the 18th green of Augusta National to the Butler Cabin, and some more at the prize presentation and the press conference, has left McIlroy a relieved man. The Masters demon has been slayed and he is in a much better space. It’s a major championship, but expect McIlroy to freewheel. The Cobb effect: Quail Hollow was originally designed by George Cobb, the man famously known for creating the magnificent Par-3 course at Augusta National Golf Club. I am a big believer in coincidence. Of course, McIlroy did not win the Par 3 Contest (nobody likes to, because no Par 3 champion has ever gone on to win the Masters that week), but Augusta National is full of Cobb’s footprint. He was also a very close friend of Augusta National founder Bobby Jones, and would regularly spend time there with him and Clifford Roberts. Apparently, Jones would always consult Cobb whenever they needed to make any alterations at Augusta National in those early years. But I was specifically referring to East Lake Golf Club, another Cobb design that seems to suit McIlroy’s eyes. The world No2 has won the Tour Championship at that golf course three times and was a runner-up once. Clearly, Cobb’s design appeals to him. | 
