Wells Fargo Championship

The Wells Fargo Championship is held at Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina. Rory McIlroy has managed three victories here, one being his first on the PGA Tour when he came through the field from making the cut on the number to pip Phil Mickelson.

Jason Day was another popular winner here around the 20/1 mark whilst there have been a number of surprises most notably James Hahn and Derek Ernst getting over the line at whopping 500/1 prices.

Wells Fargo Championship Tips

  • 2pts each-way T.Fleetwood  25/1  (1/5 6) General
  • 1.5pts each-way S.Lowry  60/1  (1/5 6) Paddypower
  • 1.5pts each-way W.Zalatoris 40/1  (1/5 6) Unibet
  • 1.25pts each-way H.English  55/1  (1/5 8) Bet365 8 place market

 

It remains a venue where a solid tee to green is necessary to compete. Last year four of the top six ranked inside the top 10 in strokes gained tee to green.

All the top five back in 2021 ranked inside the top 10 in T2G for the week, whilst five of the seven who made up the top five the year previous ranked inside the top ten in the same statistic.

Around the green is the least important aspect of that equation, in fact it has little bearing on the outcome at all, so look to the best ball strikers this week, in particular those performing with their irons from 175+ yards.

Whilst strokes gained around the green holds little importance, scrambling appears a part of the equation.

Below is a look at the stats of some of the top performers in past years.

 

Wells Fargo Championship Past Winners / Winning Score

  • 2023 - W.Clark (-19)
  • 2022 - M.Homa (-8)*
  • 2021 - R.McIlroy (-10)
  • 2019 - M.Homa (-15)
  • 2018 - J.Day (-12)

*2022 edition held at TPC Potomac

Tommy Fleetwood at 25/1 (Six Places)

McIlroy has a tremendous record around this place but there's no doubt he continues to struggle a little with his game. Schauffele looks short for all money and whilst Aberg is only a couple of pts bigger for the USPGA in a few weeks time, I'd rather wait for a bigger price to back the talented Swede.

Cantlay and Morikawa are far from their best also, and I can't help but feel Tommy Fleetwood is on the verge of something special and the torch may be well and truly lit here at Quail Hollow.

He led after day one here last year to eventually finish 5th and he's had a series of near misses on the PGA Tour in the last few years.

This course has held a Major and it's on these types of tracks that the Englishman comes alive. His Major record since the beginning of 2022 reads 14-5-MC-4-33-18-5-10-3. It's such a solid run and with his long time caddy recovering from Open Heart Surgery, this may be just the time Fleetwood manages the victory and give his best friend a huge boost.

A 3rd place finish at Augusta was certainly a sign that all is good with Fleetwood without his caddy and his subsequent 49th at Harbour Town could possibly be put down to a little fatigue after the Masters. Together with his win in Dubai there aren't many players in this field who have hit those heights this year in terms of performance and a similar effort will put him really close.

2pts each-way T.Fleetwood  25/1  (1/5 6) General

Tommy Fleetwood - 2pts e/w @ 25/1

Shane Lowry at 60/1 (Six Places)

Viktor Hovland's long game isn't in as bad a shape as many would lead you to believe but there is little doubt it wasn't good enough heading into the year's first Major a few weeks ago.

However, prior to that it wasn't so bad gaining plenty off the tee and on approach in three previous starts. If he had drifted to around the 33/1 mark I'd have been all over it, but for the time being we'll let him pass around 25/1.

Instead at more than double those odds I'm happy to include Shane Lowry. I selected Lowry at 45/1 for the Masters in April and his long game fired once again only for it all to undone on the greens. He ranked 1st on approach at Augusta, and his irons were sparkling once again at Harbour Town only for a similar story with the putter.

An outing with McIlroy was enough for him to land another PGA Tour victory and I'm surprised he looks so friendless in the market as a result. He is having his best year to date on approach on the PGA Tour lying 3rd in that category for the year behind Hoge and Scheffler.

There is no doubt problems lie with the short game right now but I can't believe he goes off bigger here than what he did for the Masters with Scheffler, Rahm, Koepka, Niemann and Smith removed from this equation. 

1.5pts each-way S.Lowry  60/1  (1/5 6) Paddypower

Shane Lowry - 1.5pts e/w @ 60/1

Will Zalatoris at 40/1 (Six Places)

The price on Will Zalatoris has crashed a little over the last 24hrs but I'm more than happy to take anything at 40/1 or above. I selected him last week only for him to pull out before the off but if a golfer can commit to playing then I for one am happy in the knowledge he think he can compete.

If he does compete? Well, we've got some real nice value odds here. Since finishing a very creditable 9th at Augusta Zalatoris finished down the field at the Heritage, where his long game was in fine shape on a track that wouldn't play to his strengths.

Quail Hollow is much more suitable, similar in many ways to his other fine efforts this year at Bayhill, Riviera and Torrey Pines. If injury doesn't blight the next few years of his career Zalatoris should mop up a handful of events and these Championship golf courses are where he is most likely to pounce.

With weaknesses still surrounding many towards the top of the market, a fit Zalatoris will pose a huge threat.

1.5pts each-way W.Zalatoris 40/1  (1/5 6) Unibet

Will Zalatoris - 1.5pts e/w @ 40/1

Harris English at 55/1 (Eight Places)

Theegala looks one who has the tools to score well here but I can't help but feel the market has too tight a handle on him and the 28/1 is of little interest. Keegan Bradley is certainly of interest but there has been enough grab on his price since the markets opened also. Instead around the 60/1 I'm happy to include Harris English.

Last year after an opening 71 English went 66-66-69 to finish 3rd and given the way he's playing this term he could repeat. He is one who has the advantage of length and accuracy off the tee which can go a long way at Quail Hollow.

Add in the fact he's one of the best performers in the field both on and around the greens this year and he looks to have a serious chance of going well around here. He has only been outside the top 30 three times in his last eleven events and with solid efforts around the tough Championship courses in 2024 he looks to have every chance of a similar effort that could get him near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.

1.25pts each-way H.English  55/1  (1/5 8) Bet365 8 place market

Harris English - 1.25pts e/w @ 55/1