CHARLOTTE, N.C. – You only hit your very first shot on the PGA Tour once. T.J. Howe had that opportunity early Thursday at Quail Hollow, striping a 3-wood down the fairway at the 418-yard opening hole.
“It was a little nerve-wracking, especially since it wasn’t the driver, and the head is a little smaller,” said Howe, a Monday qualifier at the Wells Fargo Championship. “The adrenaline didn’t kick in until after that first shot, really. It was nice to get a par so I could settle down.”
He was 2 under through eight holes and cruising along, but he got loose with the tee ball, made four bogeys in his last 10 holes, and signed for 2-over 74.