Wells Fargo Championship Betting Picks, Odds, Course Preview and Prediction
Wells Fargo Championship Betting Picks, Odds, Course Preview and Prediction
After two somewhat sleepy weeks in New Orleans and Dallas, the PGA Tour heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Wells Fargo Championship, our final look at many of the game's top players before the PGA Championship. This tournament debuted in 2003 and has always attracted a fairly strong field, yet in 2022 the event was elevated to Signature status. It now features a purse of $20 million dollars and small field of just 70-80 players who are all guaranteed four rounds. Wyndham Clark will return to defend his title, and he will be joined by Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Justin Thomas, and three-time Wells Fargo Championship winner, Ludvig Aberg. Notably absent from the field this week is reigning Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler, who will be missing his first Signature event of the season.
Wells Fargo Championship DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: May 9 - 12, 2024
- Where: Charlotte, NC
- Where to Watch: Golf Channel, NBC, Peacock
Wells Fargo Championship Odds
- Winner: Rory McIlroy +850, Xander Schauffele +1000, Ludvig Aberg +1200
Click here for the latest Wells Fargo Championship odds
Wells Fargo Championship: Course Preview
Quail Hollow
Quail Hollow is a long, challenging, classical golf course that has hosted the Wells Fargo Championship for the last two decades, as well as the PGA Championship in 2017 and the Presidents Cup in 2023. The original George Cobb design has undergone a number of changes over the years, most notably in 2016 by Tom Fazio. The famed architect created a new 1st hole (par four) by combining number one (par four) and number two (par three). He also added a new fourth hole (par three) and fifth (par four) by diving number five (par five). The course now plays as a par 71. Another notable 2016 change was the switch from MiniVerde Bermuda-grass to Champion Bermuda-grass. Similar Champion Bermuda-grass greens can be found at Sedgefield, TPC Southwind, and the Country Club of Jackson.
Quail Hollow falls in the Torrey Pines and Bay Hill of longer, championship style golf courses where power off the tee and long iron play are heavily accentuated. All four of the par threes play over par, and the sixth hole can tip out to 250 yards. Two par fours can be drivable, but the other nine all measure over 450 yards. In fact, five par fours measure over 480 yards. This easily explains why over 50% of all approach shots come from over 175 yards. The par fives provide certainly provide a bit of respite, as all three feature over a 30% birdie rate. The course also generally is firm enough that the track does not play as long as the scorecard would suggest. Quail Hollow is famous for its closing stretch, dubbed the “Green Mile.” The 16th, 17th, and 18th holes make up three of the four hardest holes on the golf course, and they all play a quarter stroke over par.
Since the 2016 renovation, it has played as the 2nd, 8th, 8th, and 13th most difficult course on the PGA Tour. Yet last year, the Cobb design played notably easier than expected. Still, Quail Hollow remains a fine test of golf. Even if we see a player such as Wyndham Clark go nuclear again and achieve a score of 19 under par again, plenty of players will shoot over par at this track each day. The roadmap at Quail Hollow remains simple. I will be looking to identify players with above average distance and elite long iron players who can catch fire with the flat-stick. On the contrary, accuracy of the tee, wedge play, and short game are of lesser value. Let’s dive into the stats.
Wells Fargo Championship Key Stats
- Proximity 175 yards plus
- Driving Distance
- Strokes Gained Putting: Bermuda-grass
Wells Fargo Championship: Outright Picks
Justin Thomas +3300 CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
I try to always proceed with caution when it comes to Justin Thomas, but its hard not to feel encouraged by his recent fifth-place finish at the RBC Heritage where he gained strokes in all four major categories. Even more exciting was his performance on the greens, which has been Thomas’ most consistent bugaboo all season. The two-time major winner improved his flat-stick as the week progressed, finishing with one of his best putter performances of the season. The ball-striking looked rock-solid as well, and now Thomas returns to the site of his 2017 victory at the PGA Championship. Outside of his PGA win here in 2017, Thomas has performed well at the Wells Fargo, with four top-30 finishes in five starts, and he has gained in both ball-striking categories every year here. This golf course clearly fits his eye from tee to green, and if Thomas finally found his confidence on the greens, I believe he possesses as good a chance as any to pick up a second trophy at Quail Hollow.
Tony Finau +4000 CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Tony Finau has quietly been playing much better golf this year than his results would suggest, and he's doing at the golf courses that are the most translatable to Quail Hollow as well. Finau's best two performances of the season came at Torrey Pines and Memorial Park. The runner-up at Memorial Park including a missed two-footer on the 16th hole on Sunday. It is no coincidence that Finau has played his best golf this season on bigger ball-parks with a low-missed fairway penalty that place a strong emphasis on long iron play. Finau is coming off a 12th at the Heritage where he gained a stroke off the tee and 4.2 strokes on approach, an incredibly impressive result considering that golf course completely devalues his power off the tee. The putter always remains the main concern, but Finau's tee to green fit on this golf is too strong to ignore.
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GOLF ODDS
Article Author
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from Manhattan, New York. Andy came to OddsChecker in January 2022 after previously writing for Golf Digest, GolfWRX, Rotoballer, and the Score. Andy is also the host of a golf betting and daily fantasy podcast, Inside Golf Podcast, as well as "The Scramble” with Rick Gehman, and a recurring guest on the Pat Mayo Experience. In his free time, Andy is still grinding away at his lifelong dream of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, and if not writing, can likely be found somewhere on a golf course.