Out of the Rough: Truist Championship (2026)

The Truist Championship returns to the historic Quail Hollow Club after being played at the Philadelphia Cricket Club a season ago.

Quail Hollow hosted the 2025 PGA Tour Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler. Due to this, the Truist Championship was relocated for one season.

This is also the final stop before the second major event of the season, the aforementioned PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.

Formerly the Wells Fargo Championship, the event gained the title sponsorship of Truist Bank a season ago. This is the first time the event will be played at Quail Hollow under the name of the Truist Championship.

This is also the second of two-consecutive Signature Events as last week’s Cadillac Championship served as the first.

The Field

Being another Signature Event, we know who will be playing this week.

All except World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who routinely does not play an event the week before a major championship. As previously mentioned, Scheffler won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow a season ago.

World No. 8 Russell Henley is another notable absentee this week as well.

World No. 2 and defending back-to-back Masters Tournament winner Rory McIlroy will headline this week’s field and is the most recent winner of this event at Quail Hollow in 2024. The 2024 victory marked McIlroy’s fourth Truist Championship title. McIlroy also won in 2021, 2015 and 2010.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Max Homa (2022 & 2019,) Jason Day (2018,) Brian Harman (2017,) Rickie Fowler (2012) and Lucas Glover (2011.)

The Course

Quail Hollow returns as the host of the Truist Championship after a one season absence.

It was designed by George Cobb in 1959 and has seen a rich history over its 65 years. It has seen renovations from Tom Fazio in 1997, 2003 and 2016 to adapt to the increased length of Tour pros and continuing to be a quintessential fit for majors.

This track first hosted the PGA Tour’s Kemper Open in 1969 through 1979 prior to the event switching to the Congressional. From there, Quail Hollow has hosted the World Seniors Invitational before becoming the more stable host to the Truist Championship in 2023.

Quail Hollow most recently hosted the PGA Championship in 2025 which saw Scheffler claim his third major and first non-Masters major title.

Like most major-quality courses, this week’s track rewards the longest players off-the-tee and requires a very well-rounded game from tee-to-green.

Quail Hollow is not necessarily a bomber’s paradise, but it is an advantage to get off-the-tee with length. We have seen in recent outings that fairway finders are able to compete but the leaderboard is often littered with the longest drivers.

Distance off-the-tee is important, but so isn’t finding the fairway.

With the course set up for a non-major, with wider fairways and shorter rough, it helps those who lack distance off-the-tee compete.

Long iron play too will be crucial as a large number of approach shots will be taken from 175-plus yards this week.

Golfers will be required to scramble for pars this week as a winning score has surpassed 12-under par just twice over the last eight years.

The greens this week are Bermuda and boy are they fast. Those competent with the flat stick on Bermuda greens will have a big advantage as three-putting can derail anyone’s round.

With the fast greens and long approach shots, getting the ball to stick will be tricky. Therefore those with competent around-the-green skill sets too will see an advantage this week.

In these low scoring affairs, taking advantage of the par-fives are a must. That is where the majority of scoring will be done. 

In all, it takes a lot to claim victory at Quail Hollow.

The Weather

Thursday is currently calling for a 75-percent chance of morning rain showers. From there, Friday is calling for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation and Saturday just a five-percent chance. Sunday calls for a 25-percent chance of precipitation. Winds will be the highest on Thursday at 13 miles-per-hour before dipping to eight miles-per-hour for both Friday and Saturday. Winds will be the lowest on Sunday at seven miles-per-hour. Temperatures will begin the week at 79-degree before dropping to 72-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will increase to 75-degrees on Saturday before finishing the week at 79-degrees on Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Total Driving (75-percent driving distance / 25-percent driving accuracy)

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Approach Shots from 175-plus Yards

• Bogey Avoidance

• Three-Putt Avoidance

• Par 5 Performance

• Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: ATG)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

Betting Card

Xander Schauffele (+1200)

I had an internal battle on how to construct my card this week. I settled with a different route than I normally would take and that begins with Xander Schauffele. Now, in full transparency, I did boost him to +1650 but the +1200 number has enough on it for my liking as well. He is currently third on Tour in scrambling, eighth in bogey avoidance, ninth in both par-five average scoring and SG: TTG, 11th in SG: APP, 18th in total driving, 36th in GIR%, 41st in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 68th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 83rd in SG: ATG and 114th in three-putt avoidance. Schauffele last played the RBC Heritage where he placed 12th. Prior to that he placed ninth at the Masters Tournament, fourth at the Valspar Championship, third at THE PLAYERS Championship, 24th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and seventh at The Genesis Invitational. He’s also been rather good at this venue over the past four seasons. He placed 28th here a season ago at the PGA Championship. Prior to that he placed second in consecutive seasons between 2023 and 2024. He also placed 14th in 2021. 

Ludvig Aberg (+1800)

I did tell myself in the past that I would not bet Aberg again and would let him simply beat me. Good thing I never listen to myself. Again, in full transparency, I have Aberg boosted to +2000 so I could add a long shot to this card as well, but I was fully intended to stack Schauffele and Aberg in a two-man card. Aberg too last played the RBC Heritage where he was fourth. Prior to that he placed 21st at the Masters Tournament, fifth at the Valero Texas Open, fifth at THE PLAYERS Championship and third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He has played Quail Hollow just once, missing the cut at the PGA Championship a season ago. He is currently seventh on tour in SG: TTG, ninth in both total driving and par-five average scoring, tenth in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 15th in SG: ATG, 20th in SG: APP, 21st in GIR%, 29th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 51st in bogey avoidance, 59th in three-putt avoidance and 95th in scrambling. 

Alex Smalley (+9000)

Smalley has had some quality finishes at Quail Hollow over the past three seasons. He placed 28th here a season ago at the PGA Championship and also placed 18th here in 2023. He too has been in some amazing form coming into this week. He placed seventh last week at the Cadillac Championship. He was also the runner-up alongside teammate Hayden Springer at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Smalley also placed 14th at the Valero Texas Open, 21st at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, 46th at the Valspar Championship and 24th at the THE PLAYERS Championship. On Tour he is currently tenth in GIR%, 16th in SG: APP, 24th in both proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards and SG: TTG, 35th in par-five average scoring, 40th in bogey avoidance, 50th in three-putt avoidance, 53rd in total driving, 65th in SG: ATG, 88th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 105th in scrambling.

2024 Betting Card

• Max Homa (+2500) - T8th

• Matt Fitzpatrick (+3300) - T58th

• Stephan Jaeger (+6600) - T21st

• Kurt Kitayama (+11000) - T34th

2023 Betting Card

• Patrick Cantlay (+1200) - T21st

• Max Homa (+2500) - T8th

• Jason Day (+2500) - MC

• Tom Kim (+3500) - T23rd

• Wyndham Clark (+6000) - 1st

• Dylan Wu (+30000) - T21st