Webb Simpson’s commute to the Wells Fargo Championship this week is a bit longer than in past years.
Ten times longer, to be more specific.
To start with, he’s in a different city, as the tournament was relocated to TPC Potomac at Avenal Farm north of Washington, D.C., to accommodate preparations for this year’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
And Simpson doesn’t live near the seventh tee of TPC Potomac as he does at Quail Hollow, where during tournament weeks he’d roll out of bed, spend time with his large family and then head to the course.
“It was 20 minutes this morning versus two,” Simpson said Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the Wells Fargo Championship. He could have added that he’s driving the heavily congested streets and highways of the D.C. area instead of the quiet back streets surrounding Quail Hollow, where he made 11 starts in the Wells Fargo with a tie for second in 2015 and a fourth in 2012 his best finishes.
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With a smile on his face, you get the feeling Simpson will adapt just fine. Especially since there’s another road he’s more concerned with – the route getting him back to being Webb Simpson again.
The 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 Players champion who counts seven PGA Tour titles in all hasn’t won since the RBC Heritage in June 2020. Since then, he’s dealt with COVID and neck injuries and has fallen to No. 44 in the world golf rankings, his lowest mark since 2017. He’s made 39 starts and landed in the top 10 nine times. In his last six starts, his best finish has been a tie for 35th in the Masters.
“I went 10, 11 years with no injuries at all and I hurt my neck back in February, I hurt my neck the year before at the Wells Fargo, so it’s been a bit up and down,” Simpson said. “I feel like Paul (Tesori, his caddie) and I, when we get out here we’re kind of playing catch‑up both in the FedExCup and working on my golf swing. So has not been the year I wanted so far, but that’s why I love this sport and this tour, because they’ve got a lot of golf left.
“I’m fully healthy. The MRI showed pretty good sized herniation between C‑5 and C‑6, but they also thought with the proper kind of therapy that I’ve been doing the last three months – I’m getting kind of tired of it but it’s working, so I’ll keep doing it – they think I can play the rest of my career without hurting my neck again, but I’ve got to take really good care of it.
“I’m behind the 8-ball in the FedExCup. So I’m feeling this push to want to play as much as I can, but also got to remember my best golf typically comes when I’ve had plenty of rest as well. So I’m walking that fine line of I have to play to improve my FedEx number, but I don’t want to burn myself out come right before the playoffs.”
Despite being about 450 miles from home, he feels comfortable in the different surroundings and likes the golf course. And not much has changed when he gets inside the ropes – he still has to familiarize himself with the course.
“It’s funny, Quail’s my home club, but in the tournament, it plays a lot different than most of the year. People have often thought like I should always be one of the favorites there because it’s my home club, and I know it a little bit better than other guys, but I’m hitting it in spots in the tournament that I never hit it all year round,” he said. “So I feel like I’m learning Quail Hollow every year like the other guys are. (TPC Potomac’s) got a lot of the same feels as being in Charlotte. I did notice on the first and 10th tees they have the same tees as Quail, so maybe they borrowed like thousands of tees from the Quail shop.
“It’s good to be here. I’ve missed it being at Quail this year, it’s always nice to see everybody getting ready, but this will be a good test for us.”
