Wells Fargo Notebook: Simpson finding a rhythm in home tournament

Webb Simpson seems to have figured out how to play a home game.

The Raleigh native, Charlotte resident and member at Quail Hollow Club missed the cut in his first two Wells Fargo Championship appearances in 2009 and 2010, but the results have been a lot more consistent since.

Simpson tied for fourth in 2012 and has three other top-40 finishes in the past four years, and he’s looking to improve upon all those this week.

Simpson opened the 13th Wells Fargo Championship with a 5-under-par 67 Thursday that has him tied for fourth and two shots behind leader Robert Streb.

“I’ve kind of learned to just enjoy it and not put too much pressure on myself,” Simpson said. “I try to go about the week as normal. There’s a lot of distractions but my wife [Dowd], she handles all the tickets, all the food, all the traffic through our house. I don’t do much. She makes it easy for me. I think I’ve kind of adjusted to what it’s like.”

Simpson made six birdies and a bogey, hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation and 10 of 14 fairways, and needed just 25 putts as he rolled in five putts between 9 and 21 feet.

“I was finally able to treat it like my home course and try to miss it in the right spots and I did that and was able to get up and down when I hit poor shots,” said Simpson of Thursday’s round, which matched his second-best round in the Wells Fargo.

Not only is Simpson a member at Quail Hollow, but his caddie, Paul Tesori, has been on a winning bag on the course as he caddied for Sean O’Hair’s 2009 victory.

“It’s my home course but he’s won here. If I tell him to leave me alone, he’s always bringing that win up with Sean O’Hair,” Simpson said. “We have a good mix this week.”

Using a regulation-length putter for the first time in several years, Simpson has three top-10s and just one missed cut in 11 events this season.

The four-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2012 U.S. Open and his last win, the 2013 Shriners Hospital for Children Open, has a similar track record at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., where he missed his first cut in 2009 but won in 2011 and now has four top-15 finishes.

“The Greensboro tournament is a real similar feel,” Simpson said. “I try to enjoy it more and go have some fun and see what happens.”

Barnes bounces back

Ricky Barnes was just a shot out of the lead last week at The Players Championship at 6 under par, though it’s unlikely many people noticed. It was for a fleeting moment during the second round, and Barnes wasn’t even around to compete on the weekend.

After playing his first 23 holes 6 under, Barnes played his last 13 holes 8 over and missed the cut. He teed off on the back nine in the second round and birdied three of his first five holes before making a bogey on 15, double bogey on 17, bogeys on 1, 2 and 7 and a double on the par-3 eighth hole to miss the cut by two shots at 2-over 146.

On the island-green par-3 17th, Barnes thought he was all over the flag and the ball took two bounces into the water.

“It’s one thing to accept a physical mistake where you hit a bad shot, but I hit a couple good shots there and it really irked me and ate away at me pretty good, and unfortunately a couple bad swings at the wrong time cost me another double bogey on the way in,” Barnes said. “There’s not much you can do with that except get back out here and get back on the horse.”

That he has done this week. Barnes shot a 5-under 67 Thursday at Quail Hollow and is tied for fourth and two shots behind leader Robert Streb. Barnes made the turn at 1 under with three birdies and two bogeys on his first nine holes, then made four birdies without a bogey on his second nine.

“It’s good to come out here and have a good solid round and get me back on track and not sulking about what happened last week too long,” Barnes said. “And I got right back on it Saturday and Sunday practicing.”

Lefty’s run fizzles

Phil Mickelson started the 13th annual Wells Fargo Championship on fire with birdies on his first three holes, but he was unable to sustain the level of play and finished with a 71.

Mickelson rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 10th to begin his round and hit approach shots to 6 and 10 feet on the par-4 11th and 12th holes for birdies.

But a double bogey on the 18th hole that included a drive into the creek to the left of the fairway and third shot into a right greenside bunker dropped Lefty to 1 under, and bogeys on holes 1 and 2 dropped him over par. He birdied the fourth and fifth holes to get back to red numbers.

“I had a really good start to the round. I turned a 66 into 71 today,” Mickelson said. “. . . I'll have to improve on that tomorrow but the game doesn't feel far off. What I'm pleased with is I am still making a number of birdies and that gives me hope because it's much easier to eliminate mistakes than it is to make birdies.”

Mickelson has eight top-10s in 11 Wells Fargo appearances, though he’s still seeking his first victory at Quail Hollow, which would be his 43rd on the PGA Tour if he can get it this week.

”I didn't birdie the easy holes like 14, 15 or 7 and 8. Those are the holes you really got to take advantage of and I didn't do it,” Mickelson said. “I made birdies on a lot of tough holes and fortunately though I didn't shoot myself out of the tournament. I’ve just got to come out and get the 66, 65 that I could have very well had today. I’ve got to do that tomorrow.”

Palmetto Club support

Aiken residents Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown both played mini-tours extensively before reaching the PGA Tour – primarily the SwingThought.com Tour based on the Grand Strand and eGolf Tour based in Charlotte.

When you’re an aspiring touring pro it helps to have a club that supports you. For both players, that club has been Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, which is one of the oldest golf clubs in America with a founding in 1892.

“It's such a cool place to be able to play. We can jump in the car and if we want to play 18 holes we can play in an hour and a half,” Kisner said. “If we want to go out and hit four, five drivers and chip and putt and members pull up, they don't care. ‘Y'all go ahead. We'll go around.’

“They all embrace the fact we're trying to do it for a living. They love having us there and super, super special to us so they enjoy having us around and we just love being at that place.”

Kisner, 31, and Brown, 32, have been competing against each other for a couple decades as they competed in junior golf and Kisner played at South Aiken High before attending Georgia and Brown played at North Augusta High before attending USC Aiken.

“We play golf everyday we're at home, practice together,” Kisner said. “When I moved back to Aiken after college, he was still around. We played the mini tours and traveled together and played together. If he wasn't there I don't know if I would still live in Aiken because practicing by yourself is boring so it's cool to have him around to be able to go practice and play golf with and someone at your level to compete against.”

Coming off his playoff loss to Rickie Fowler at The Players, Kisner birdied four of his final seven holes, including the 18th after making bogey on the 17th, to move into a tie for 13th at 3-under 69. Brown shot a 1-under 71 after being 5 under through 11 holes.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Wells Fargo Notebook: Simpson finding a rhythm in home tournament."