Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Rickie Fowler Defeats McIlroy, Points in Playoff

Rickie Fowler, And The Desire To Succeed On The PGA Tour

The desire to win on the PGA TOUR must come from within, and often at the expense of living up to the world's expectations. In the case of Rickie Fowler, patience proved to be as important as handling the pressure of victory.

Rickie Fowler Relies On Maturity, Patience To Help Post First PGA Tour Win

Rickie Fowler credits Friday's near-disastrous round with helping him win his first PGA Tour event.

PGA Money List 2012: Rickie Fowler Shoots Up List With Wells Fargo Win

With the PGA schedule only one major through, the Tour's money list is ever changing and volatile.

Today, following his first PGA Tour victory, 23-year old Rickie Fowler shot up the earnings list 45 positions, as he netted a cool $1.17 million for winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

Fowler, who has played in 12 events this season and made 10 cuts, had earned just over $664,000 to date this season, meaning today's victory tripled his 2012 earnings.

Fowler's current total season earnings of $1.83 million puts him at 11th on the list, behind notables third place Rory McIlroy ($3.0 million), fourth place Phil Mickelson ($2.6 million) and fifth place Justin Rose ($2.34).

Masters champion Bubba Watson, who did not play this weekend, remains atop the money list with $3.2 million earned this season.

Next week, the tour heads to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players Championship at TPC - Sawgrass, with a $9,500,000 purse up for grabs.

For more coverage of the 2012 PGA Tour, head over to the Waggle Room.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Rickie Fowler Defeats McIlroy, Points In Playoff

A busy and fluctuating leaderboard on the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship gave way to a three-player playoff, and finished with a young golfer earning his first professional victory on American soil.

After finishing 14 under-par through 72 holes, Rickie Fowler defeated Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points in just one hole of a sudden death playoff to cap off an excellent weekend of golf at Charlotte's Quail Hollow.

Replaying the 18th to begin the playoff, McIlroy outdrove Fowler and Points by roughly 20 yards using only a three-wood, leaving a short approach shot and the best chance of securing victory as all three golfers stood in the fairway.

But Fowler swung the balance of power with a tremendous second shot, sticking an attack wedge within six feet of the pin, while McIlroy pushed his approach shot well right of the flag.

From there, McIlroy and Points missed difficult birdie putts, setting the stage for the 23-year old Fowler steal the victory, and capture his first career PGA Tour victory.

Webb Simpson, who led the tournament after three rounds, finished 13 under and missed a hard breaking birdie putt on the final hole of his round, eliminating him from playoff contention.

This was the second consecutive year that the Wells Fargo Championship was decided by a sudden death playoff. In 2011, Lucas Glover defeated Jonathan Byrd.

With his tied-for-first finish after 72 holes, McIlroy re-claimed the No. 1 World Golf Ranking from Luke Donald.

Next week, the tour heads to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players Championship at TPC - Sawgrass.

For the complete final leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: D.A. Points At Top Of Leaderboard Loaded With Young Stars

The last groups are approaching the turn during the final round of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship and, while top draw Tiger Woods sits at home, the Sunday leaderboard at Quail Hollow is loaded with young superstars, shaping up for an exciting back nine.

Webb Simpson, the rising American who's been at the top of leaderboards on Tour for a year now, is one shot back of D.A. Points, who leads at 14-under par. Points won for the first time on Tour last year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, teaming up with fellow Illinois native Bill Murray for an impressive win. A win at Quail Hollow, one of the pros' favorite and most respected stops on the circuit, would be a huge boost for his career.

A win for Simpson would continue his meteoric rise up the World Rankings, and continue his arc to become the best young American golfer in the world. While he's less of a household name, he's consistently placed in the top 10 for over a year now. A Charlotte resident, Simpson is playing at his local course and can make a huge push down the back stretch. Tied with Simpson at 13-under is Rory McIlroy, the top young golfer in the world who captured his first American Tour win at Quail Hollow two years ago.

Also tied for second is Rickie Fowler, one of the most popular young players on Tour. Despite the fanfare, Fowler has yet to win but it's only a matter of time for the ultra-talented Oklahoma State product. Fowler has four birdies through the first 10 holes, including one on No. 10 to start his back nine and tie him for second. Ryan Moore, Nick Watney, and Jonathan Byrd are three other young and successful Americans who are all in red double figures and can make a charge over the final nine holes.

Clubhouse leaders are Lee Westwood and Ben Curtis, who both finished 11-under, after posting low rounds of 66 and 67, respectively.

For a complete leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Pairings For Sunday

Webb Simpson is closing in on a title in his hometown at a course where he's a member, but he has some stiff competition. Rory McIlroy, D.A. Points, Rickie Fowler and Stewart Cink are among the golfers within striking distance of Simpson on the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship from Quail Hollow. Simpson had a good day on Saturday, shooting three-under par to get to 14-under, but McIlroy made up some ground with a six-under day that got him to within two shots of the lead.

Here are the tee times for Sunday's final round.

Television coverage starts on the Golf Channel at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage shifts to broadcast television at 3 p.m., when CBS picks up the broadcast until 6 p.m..

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Webb Simpson Leads After 3 Rounds

Webb Simpson's 3-under 69 was enough to propel him into the lead heading into the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Simpson is 14-under for the tournament holding a narrow lead over a crowded top of the leaderboard. Ryan Moore and D.A. Points are tied for second place at 13-under while second-round leader Nick Watney and Rory McIlroy are tied for fourth place at 12-under.

Geoff Ogilvy moved into a tie for eighth place at 10-under with a third-round low 65. Ogilvy birdied four of his first eight holes en route to a 32 on the front nine. Phil Mickleson and Lee Westwood made the biggest moves of the day, each moving up 33 spots into a tie for 30th place. Both players finished 4-under for the round and are 5-under overall.

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Jonas Blixt, Geoff Ogilvy Making Early Moves

The final group has been set for the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte. Tiger Woods was unable to make the cut heading into Saturday's third round, continuing his string of disappointing showings. There is still plenty of top-notch play remaining in the tournament and the early tee times for Saturday are already underway.

Nick Watney enters the day atop the leaderboard at 12-under, with Webb Simpson close behind at 11-under and a quartet of golfers knotted in third place at 10-under. None of these leaders has teed off for the day just yet.

In the early going on Saturday, Jonas Blixt and Geoff Ogilvy have made enormous strides, both jumping 24 places on the leaderboard. Blixt is 4-under through 11 holes and Ogilvy is 4-under through nine, putting both golfers in a 10th-place tie at 7-under, along with Patrick Reed (3-under through seven), Martin Flores and Rickie Fowler.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of golf, check out Waggle Room or visit SB Nation's dedicated golf hub.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Pairings For Saturday

Most of golf's biggest names showed up for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow and its large purse, but it's not the game's biggest stars currently making a splash. Tiger Woods missed the cut on Friday, while Phil Mickelson only made it by one stroke. The biggest name in contention is Rory McIlroy, and he's six shots back of the lead.

Nick Watney is the current leader of the tournament at 12-under par. He goes off in Saturday's final group with the world's No. 14-ranked golfer Webb Simpson, a member of Quail Hollow. He's 11-under through two rounds. Other highly-ranked golfers in contention include D.A. Points at 10-under, Rickie Fowler at six-under and Jason Day at four-under. Here are the tee times for Saturday.

Television coverage starts on the Golf Channel at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage shifts to broadcast television at 3 p.m., when CBS picks up the broadcast until 6 p.m..

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Nick Watney Charges Into Lead

An eight-under in the second round allowed Nick Watney to take sole possession of first place at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Watney, the 25th-ranked golfer in the world, started his round off strong with four birdies on the front nine. He cooled off a bit on the back, but an eagle on the par-five 15th allowed him to storm from 4-under to first place. Webb Simpson is only one back at 11-under, and a pack of Stewart Cink, Ben Crane, D.A. Points, and John Senden are two back at 10-under. Crane also shot an 8-under to catapult himself into the tie for second place.

Tiger Woods notably missed the cut. Rory McIlroy, who was very recently the World Number 1, had a good day to finish four-under, finishing in a tie for 14th place at six-under.

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Tiger Woods Misses Cut At 2012 Wells Fargo Championship

Tiger Woods will head home early after failing to meet the 1-under cutline on Day 2 of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship on Friday. Woods finished at 1-over on the day, and even-par for the tournament. It was his second straight missed cut at Quail Hollow Club.

Woods recorded three bogeys on the back nine to go with two birdies. Most telling were his struggles on par 5s. Woods shot 2-under on Quail Hollow's four Par 5s on Thursday, and birdied 12 of 16 when he won at the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year. On Friday he didn't birdie a single one, however, and may have had a bogey on No. 5 if not for a golf ball nabbing fan.

"It's hard to have fun when you're parring the par 5s and you've got an iron into each one," Woods said. "It's a great week. The people come out here and support this event. Everyone has been just absolutely incredible here. This is one of my favorite TOUR stops, and unfortunately I'm just not going to be around for the last two days."

Woods hit six fairways and 14 greens in regulation on the day. He also putted 33 times in the second round. On hole No. 8, his 17th on the day, Woods pushed a four-foot putt for birdie three feet past the hole. The make could have kept him in the tournament through the weekend.

"You just can't do that, especially when all of them are reachable with irons," Woods said. "I didn't take care of the par 5s, missed a couple other little short ones for birdie, and consequently got no momentum during the round."

For a complete leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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VIDEO: Tiger Woods Gifted Free Drop After Odd Sequence Of Events

Tiger Woods Likely To Miss Cut Despite Bizarre Ruling At Quail Hollow

A weird ruling is unlikely to help Tiger Woods make the cut at Quail Hollow.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Tiger Woods In Danger Of Missing Cut, Nick Watney Leads On Day 2

With the projected cut currently at 1-under, Tiger Wood may be headed home early after shooting 1-over Friday at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, putting him at even overall for the tournament. The day could have been even worse, but Woods earned a free drop off his hooked approach on hole No. 5 when a fan apparently pocketed his ball after it landed in a clearing. Woods would have earned a one-stroke penalty if the ball had gone missing. He eventually was able to save par.

Meanwhile at the top of the leaderboard, Nick Watney took over sole possession of first place at 12-under overall with a score of 8-under Friday. He tied Ben Crane with the lowest score on the day to break through the three-way tie for the lead among Stewart Cink, Ryan Moore and Webb Simpson entering Day 2. Simpson is in second place after shooting 4-under to finish at 11-under overall. Crane and Cink are tied at 10-under and Moore is in fifth place at 9-under.

John Senden is currently the highest player on the leaderboard who has still yet to finish his round. He is at 1-under on the day through four holes starting on the back nine. At 7-under overall, he has a chance to make a big move up the leaderboard considering how well players have been shooting at Quail Hollow.

For a complete live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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Phantom Fan Confuses Tiger Woods' Nike Ball For A Foul Ball

Tiger Woods fouls one long and deep but gets away without a penalty.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Pairings For Friday

The story was Tiger Woods taking the course, but after the first round, he's well back of the lead at -1, tied for 56th. Ryan Moore, Stewart Cink, and Webb Simpson hold the lead at -7.

Here's pairings and tee times for today's second round:

1st Tee:
7:00 AM Jeff Overton, Nick O'Hern, Gavin Coles
7:10 AM Ryan Moore, Spencer Levin, Sung Kang
7:20 AM Andres Romero, Brandt Jobe, David Hearn
7:30 AM Mark Wilson, Heath Slocum, Vijay Singh
7:40 AM Sean O'Hair, Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera
7:50 AM Rocco Mediate, Jason Bohn, Anthony Kim
8:00 AM Carl Pettersson, Nick Watney, Jason Day
8:10 AM Hunter Mahan, Ben Crane, Martin Laird
8:20 AM Mathew Goggin, Greg Owen, Marco Dawson
8:30 AM Alexandre Rocha, Scott Brown, Edward Loar
8:40 AM Bobby Gates, Daniel Summerhays, Harris English
8:50 AM Erik Compton, Roberto Castro, Mark Anderson
9:00 AM Kyle Thompson, Billy Hurley III, Bryan Bigley
12:25 PM David Duval, Tommy Gainey, David Mathis
12:35 PM Chris DiMarco, Charlie Wi, Blake Adams
12:45 PM Chris Stroud, Kevin Stadler, J.J. Killeen
12:55 PM Rory Sabbatini, Aaron Baddeley, D.A. Points
1:05 PM Tim Clark, Derek Lamely, Stephen Ames
1:15 PM Scott Stallings, Brendan Steele, Russell Knox
1:25 PM Bill Haas, Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley
1:35 PM Kyle Stanley, Lucas Glover, Lee Westwood
1:45 PM Brian Davis, Jimmy Walker, Tom Gillis
1:55 PM Billy Mayfair, Brendon de Jonge, Sang-Moon Bae
2:05 PM Seung-Yul Noh, Colt Knost, Garth Mulroy
2:15 PM Danny Lee, Miguel Angel Carballo, Gary Christian
2:25 PM Brian Harman, Kevin Kisner, Frank Adams
10th Tee:
7:00 AM Chris Couch, James Driscoll, Hank Kuehne
7:10 AM J.B. Holmes, Robert Karlsson, Hunter Haas
7:20 AM J.J. Henry, Cameron Tringale, Michael Thompson
7:30 AM Chris Kirk, Jhonattan Vegas, Arjun Atwal
7:40 AM Matt Bettencourt, Camilo Villegas, Cameron Beckman
7:50 AM George McNeill, Henrik Stenson, Mike Weir
8:00 AM Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Geoff Ogilvy
8:10 AM Rory McIlroy, David Toms, Jim Furyk
8:20 AM Vaughn Taylor, Marc Leishman, John Merrick
8:30 AM Troy Matteson, Patrick Sheehan
8:40 AM Stephen Gangluff, Ted Potter, Jr., Richard H. Lee
8:50 AM Brendon Todd, Will Claxton, Troy Kelly
9:00 AM Kyle Reifers, Tommy Biershenk, Rick Lewallen
12:25 PM Pat Perez, Dicky Pride, Josh Teater
12:35 PM Steve Flesch, Rickie Fowler, Ken Duke
12:45 PM Chez Reavie, Chad Campbell, Jeff Maggert
12:55 PM Bill Lunde, Bo Van Pelt, John Senden
1:05 PM Stuart Appleby, Retief Goosen, Robert Allenby
1:15 PM Jonathan Byrd, Trevor Immelman, Charles Howell III
1:25 PM Ben Curtis, Johnson Wagner, Zach Johnson
1:35 PM John Huh, Kevin Na, Robert Garrigus
1:45 PM Joe Ogilvie, Tom Pernice Jr., Kris Blanks
1:55 PM Nathan Green, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Chappell
2:05 PM Martin Flores, Steve Wheatcroft, William McGirt
2:15 PM Jamie Lovemark, Charlie Beljan, Patrick Reed
2:25 PM Jonas Blixt, Jason Kokrak, Nick Flanagan

Woods tees off at 8 a.m. The tournament will be on the Golf Channel from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more on the Wells Fargo Championship, stay with this StoryStream.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012: 3 Tied For Lead, Tiger Woods 6 Shots Back

There's a three-way tie atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship. Americans Stewart Cink, Ryan Moore, and Webb Simpson shot opening rounds of 65 and share the lead at 7-under. Simpson, playing alongside Tiger Woods, was on fire with the putter early, draining several putts from thirty-plus feet and going out in 31 on Quail Hollow's front nine. Cink, who's struggled on Tour the past two seasons, also went out in 31 and made the turn with three straight birdies on Nos. 7 through 9. Cink finished his bogey-free round with seven birdies, while co-leader Ryan Moore birdied half the holes he played. The young superstar out of Nevada has yet reach his full potential on Tour but a win in Charlotte could propel him to a dominant summer.

Quail Hollow always produces one of the best fields of the season, and the big names are there again this week. Tiger Woods, however, struggled to get out of the gate on Thursday and finished six shots off the lead at 1-under. Woods had an ugly front nine, bogeying three holes before getting it back on the second nine to finish under par. The other top name in golf, Rory McIlroy, finished his round one better than Woods with a 2-under 70. McIlroy missed the cut at the Wells Fargo last year, just one season after capturing his first Tour win at Quail Hollow. With the course yielding lower than usual rounds, both he and Woods are still well within striking distance.

For a complete live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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Wells Fargo Championship 2012: Tiger Woods Has Rough Start At Quail Hollow

Playing in his first tournament since The Masters, Tiger Woods is having another middling round at the Wells Fargo Championship, but he's trying to salvage things on the back nine at Quail Hollow. Woods stumbled right out of the gate, bogeying the first hole at the tough Charlotte track. He had three bogeys and two birdies to go out in 37, but he's working to make a charge over the final nine to get into the red and move up the leaderboard. Woods birdied No. 13 and No. 15 to move to 1-under.

Woods's playing partner, Webb Simpson, co-leads with Stewart Cink and Ryan Moore at 7-under. Simpson lit it up on the front nine with a 31, which included an eagle on the par-4 eighth hole after sinking a wedge from 36 yards out. He continued his hot round on the back nine, and did not bogey a hole until he missed a putt on No. 16 to drop a shot and come back to Moore and Cink, who are both in the clubhouse. Simpson is one of the rising stars on tour, and a local, who will figure to be in the hunt throughout the weekend.

Rickie Fowler, the popular young star who has yet to win on Tour, shot his best opening round of the year with a 66. He is 6-under and just one shot off the lead, looking to finally break through at one of the most popular stops on the Tour. Rory McIlroy captured his first win on the PGA Tour at Quail Hollow just two years ago. He's back on the American circuit this season and is currently four shots back at 3-under.

For a complete live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

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Will This Finally Be Rickie Fowler’s Week?

Rickie Fowler shares the clubhouse lead at Quail Hollow.

Tiger Woods Returns At Quail Hollow, Faces As Many Questions As Ever

For the first time since a dismal performance at The Masters, Tiger Woods will be back on the course. Can find his swing and put together a solid performance?

Wells Fargo Championshp 2012: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Pairings For Thursday

Tiger Woods will be back in action Thursday for the first time since his meltdown at The Masters, looking for something positive as he faces another strong field. Many of the world's best players will hit the course at the Wells Fargo Championship, set to take place at Quail Hollow in North Carolina.

Coverage of Thursday's first round begins at 3 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel. The broadcast is set to run until 7 p.m., with the final groups finishing up right around then.

The tee times come courtesy of PGATour.com. The following groups will begin on hole No. 1.

These groups will start play on No. 10.

For more on the Wells Fargo Championship, stay with this StoryStream.

Wells Fargo Championship 2012 Preview: Lucas Glover Looks To Defend Title; Tiger Woods Returns To Action

The 2012 Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., gets underway on Thursday. Can Lucas Glover defend his title?