Quail Hollow Championship, Pro-Am Day
PGATOUR.COM's Helen Ross followed the Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning pairing during the pro-am for this week's Quail Hollow Championship:
EARLY LEAD DISAPPEARS (2:03 p.m. ET) -- Woods, Manning and Harris -- who finished at 14 under with net birdies on their last seven holes -- were the clubhouse leaders in the pro-am competition at 14 under for about an hour. Teams led by Sean O'Hair and Chad Campbell eclipsed the crowd favorites and finished with 57s.
THE HOME HOLE (11:53 a.m.) -- Woods finished off the round in style, hitting his second shot pin high to 12 feet. His playing partners followed suit.
Harris' approach landed 25 feet above the hole. When his birdie putt threatened to roll back off the green Woods playfully threw his putter to stop it.
Manning crushed his drive and had about 80 yards to the pin. He left himself a 15-footer for birdie, which he missed.
Woods couldn't convert either, but it did not disappoint the crowd that lined the fairway three and four deep at the final hole. -- Helen Ross
MORE QUIPS (11:37 a.m.) -- Manning continued his love affair with the crowd -- stopping to hug a young man in a wheelchair and collecting hats from four little children to sign as he walked to the 17th green.
As he studied his chip at the par 3, a man in the crowd had to inquire, "Do you like the weather here, Peyton? We need a quarterback."
REPORT: YOU COULDN'T DO THIS (11:30 a.m.) -- As Tiger started his backswing at the par-3 17th, about 10 fans fired their digital cameras at the same time, making quite a racket.
Tiger said nothing, but backed off.
Then he addressed the ball again -- to complete silence -- and put the ball within 10 feet. His birdie moved the team to 13 under. -- Helen Ross
QUAIL HOLLER (11:11 a.m.) -- As Manning walked to the 16th tee a fan called out, "Eli's brother." The Colts QB grinned and didn't break stride.
"He's not getting an autograph," he joked.
IF I WANTED HELP ... (11:08 a.m.) -- Tiger helped Peyton read his par putt at the par-5 15th. Manning proceeded to miss the putt, which prompted someone in the crowd to yell, "Bad read."
Woods merely smiled and walked to the next tee.
CATCH MY CLUBS (11 a.m.) -- Manning signed some orange hats as the group waited to tee off on the par 3 12th. He also gave his second on-course TV interview, this time with the GOLF CHANNEL.
Playing with Tiger was "Awesome, just like you'd think it would be," Manning said. The pro-am was a good getaway for him. "I'll be in Indianapolis this afternoon lifting weights," he said.
Manning said he's more nervous playing golf in front of several thousand than throwing TD passes before crowds 10 times that large.
"I know what my day job is," Manning said with a grin."
Manning's caddy is his teammate Anthony Gonzales, a wide receiver who caught 57 passes last year.
"He's trying to get me to throw him some more balls," Manning said.
HARRIS TWEETER, PART 2 (10:27 a.m.) -- Manning nearly hit the grandstand behind the 13th. As he prepared to hit a flop shot, someone in the crowd said, "Think of it like the goal posts."
Manning's shot runs through the green, but he chips in for par. Woods then misses his 12-footer for birdie, but Harris saves the day with a 12-inch putt for a natural birdie.
HARRIS TWEETER (10:16 a.m.) -- Woods hit another drive right into the trees at par-4 the 12th hole, pitches out and eventually makes a 10-footer for par. Manning's tee shot lands under a tree and, the tall quarterback bends over and pitches out. He makes par, too, but Harris' 4 is a net birdie.
I DIDN'T MEAN IT (10:04 a.m.) -- One of the volunteers walking with this group has a very important job. She takes all of the memorabilia that Manning signs as he walks from green to tee and makes sure it gets back to the right fan.
When Manning's drive at No. 11 veered right into the crowd, a man kept telling him, "Gotta get another one -- Eli owns you."'
Bet he won't be getting an autograph any time soon. -- Helen Ross
YOUR TURN, SHORT KNOCKER (9:36 a.m.) -- Woods takes a few practice swings as Villegas' group clears the fairway. Manning jokes, "You go ahead and hit. Johnny and I will wait." -- Helen Ross
RELUCTANTLY? (9:31 a.m.) -- As the group waits on the 10th tee, Manning walks over to a little boy wearing a New England Patriots cap.
"Who threw up on your hat?" Manning asked, smiling. He covered the offending logo as the TV cameras sidled over to him. Manning then offered the little boy a high five, which the youngster reluctantly accepted.
NEARING THE TURN (9:13 a.m.) -- Tiger's drive at No. 9 landed above the right fairway bunker. It must have hit a spectator because he scooped the ball up and handed it to her, then dropped another. His approach landed short of the green but he chipped to two feet. This group has played nine holes in an hour and 45 minutes. Three-man teams really keep things moving. Of course, the swift nine means Woods, Manning and Harris will wait at the 10th tee as Camilo Villegas' group tees off in the last group of the morning.-- Helen Ross
TIGER'S TREES (9:01 a.m.) -- Tiger's ball played pinball in the trees to the right side of the fairway. This hole belongs to Manning and Harris as Woods practices chipping and putting. -- Helen Ross
SECOND EAGLE FOR WOODS (8:53 a.m.) -- As Harris hits his second shot at No. 7, a TV cameraman stops by Tiger's caddy, Steve Williams. The Kiwi hefts the camera with one hand, but there is no reciprocal lifting of that AT&T golf bag -- something tells me that's heavier. Woods hits a brilliant second shot and makes the 4-footer for eagle. -- Helen Ross
RED NUMBERS (8:32 a.m.) -- Tiger finally made a putt -- a 15-footer for eagle at the 570-yard par-5 fifth hole. The quiet crowd summoned up some cheers for this one. -- Helen Ross
KNOXVILLE, 243 MILES (8:24 a.m.) -- Manning is generous with his autographs and it's clear his fan base goes way back. One woman is wearing a replica of his Tennessee jersey. Now if he could just see the young girl with the orange and white football to sign. -- Helen Ross
TIGER RECOVERS ON NO. 4 (8:19 a.m.) -- Tiger hit it right into the trees again. He recovered nicely about 25 feet left of the hole.
Another big drive in the fairway and solid approach left Manning with a 15-footer for birdie. He missed, as Woods again practiced chipping toward one of the potential pin placements.
Again, Harris drew the cheers as he rolled in a 30-footer for par after having to chip out of the woods to the left of the fairway.
WILD DRIVING (8:11 a.m.) -- Tiger's first foray onto the stately pines came at the third hole. Another big drive from Manning, though. His approach landed about 20 feet from the pin, but he couldn't covert the birdie. As Manning putted, Woods tried a few chips from down on one of the swales by the green. -- Helen Ross
A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION (8:07 a.m.) -- During an interview with a Nashville, Tenn. radio station last month, Manning recalled how he was hoping to have a wage with Woods but reconsidered when the two couldn't agree on terms.
"I'll tell ya, Tiger's not very friendly with (giving) the shots," Manning told the station.
Manning, according to the report, considers himself an 8-handicap, but Woods told Manning that he was a zero handicap. (Maybe it's somewhere in between -- in Golf Digest's 2007 rankings of athlete-golfers, Manning's handicap is listed at 3.4.)
Said Manning: "He said, 'I'll give you eight shots.' I said, 'You're out of your mind. I think I at least need 18 shots.' ''
Evidently, there was no middle ground, and so no bet was made. Have things changed since then? Perhaps Manning and/or Tiger -- who have played together at least four times going into Wednesday's pairing -- will let us know after their round. -- Mike McAllister
BOGEY, BOGEY, PAR (7:55 a.m.) -- Manning missed the green at the par-3 second and didn't get up and down. Woods three-putted for bogey, but Quail Hollow president John Harris saved par.
One young girl held out a cap as Manning and Harris walked to the tee. Harris grinned and said, "You don't want my autograph," but Manning obliged.
FIRST HOLE (7:46 a.m.) -- Tiger's opening tee shot landed in the left rough. Manning's a big hitter, too -- his drive landing about 10 yards shorter. Their second shots again were eerily similar -- just on the front edge.
Woods two-putted for his par but Manning missed his 6-footer and made bogey.
One young boy in the crowd is wearing Manning's No. 18 jersey. Another woman is carrying a plastic bag with two miniature Colts helmets. -- Helen Ross
ALMOST TEE TIME (7:31 a.m.) -- Tiger and Peyton were on the putting green by 7:10 a.m. Several hundred people have moved from the range to the first tee are jockeying for position.
There's a chill in the air but both are wearing short sleeves -- Woods in gray with black pants and Manning in navy and khaki. -- Helen Ross
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DRIVE (7:30 a.m.) -- The 50-mile radius around Charlotte is the home of 95 percent of NASCAR's race teams, and with the Sprint Cup racing in nearby Richmond this week, there is plenty of time for the sport's stars to head to Quail Hollow.
Not surprisingly, NASCAR drivers play a lot of golf. If they have Saturday afternoon off during a race weekend, they will often head to a nearby links, and playing golf with sponsors is a great way to pay back the companies that help make the race team possible.
TITANS SET TO TEE OFF IN CHARLOTTE (7:11 a.m.) -- The NFL Draft was last weekend and training camps don't start for months. So Peyton Manning is making the best of his off time -- playing in today's pro-am at the Quail Hollow Championship with none other than Tiger Woods.
This is the Indianapolis Colts quarterback's second appearance in Charlotte in the last three years. Manning also played in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pro-am a week ago as well as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February.
Woods and Manning tee off at 7:30 a.m. with John Harris, president of the Quail Hollow Club. PGATOUR.COM will take you inside the ropes with the featured pairing throughout their round.
The leadoff group is hardly the only attraction, though.
Jerry Kelly, who broke a seven-year victory drought last week in New Orleans, tees off No. 10 with two-time Daytona 500 winner veteran Michael Waltrip and ESPN's Chris Berman at 1:30 p.m. ET. Hunter Mahan is paired with Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox at 8:24 a.m. on No. 1 while Stewart Cink plays with NBA superstar Julius Erving at noon off the 10th tee.
Defending champion Anthony Kim is sure to attract a crowd at noon on the first tee as he plays with his friend Jimmie Johnson, a three-time Nextel Cup champ, and Mac Everett, the general chairman of the Quail Hollow Championship.
Kim and Johnson met a year ago and the NASCAR driver was among those helping Kim celebrate his inaugural PGA TOUR victory that Sunday. The two have stayed in touch since, and Kim hopes the pairing will bring him luck this week.
"I'm very excited," Kim said. "I actually helped Jimmie with his golf swing yesterday; he needed a little work. He's hitting it a lot better. He's got some new clubs and we'll have a good time out there."
Hopefully, none of the afternoon pro-am participants were among the handful of players staying at the media hotel where a 4:43 a.m. fire alarm provided a most unwelcome wake-up call. -- Helen Ross
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