Players praising new TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm layout

PGA Tour players despised TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm when it was the site of the now-defunct Kemper Open for 19 years, but that's not the case anymore.

The course underwent renovations in August 2007, and the result was a golf course that has tested players this week in the Quicken Loans National, while also gaining massive praise.

"You kind of want to get under (par), before you're over (par) on a course like this", Geoff Ogilvy told pgatour.com on Friday. "It's kind of hard to catch up because it kind of beats you over the head all day."

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Open was staged at Erin Hills to mixed reviews, but this week's field has experienced a more major championship-like setup, with thick rough, fast greens, and tough pin locations.

"The difference of when you hit it in the rough, you're maybe hitting 6-iron," Rickie Fowler told pgatour.com after a third-round 68. "If you hit it on a different line, just on the fairway, same driver, you maybe have a wedge or 9-iron. So it changes the golf course completely."

The cut on Friday came at 4-over par, which tied the highest cut line this season on tour for a non-major event, sending a number of notables home, including Justin Thomas.

When the course held its last PGA Tour event in 2006, a total of 63 players were under par by the end of the tournament. This week, only 17 players are in red numbers, a tribute to the work done in 2007.

“What they’ve really done here, I think, is elevated the condition of the course,” Billy Hurley III told Gene Wang of the Washington Post. “There are no low scores here.”