Weekly PGA Preview: Wells Fargo Championship

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club
Charlotte, NC

The PGA Tour heads to Charlotte, NC, for another edition of the Wells Fargo Championship.

The big question entering this week is -- is the absence of Scottie Scheffler a good thing? He's easily the best player in the world right now, so how could that be a good thing, you might ask. Well, the reasoning is this, it's a signature event, which means all the best players on the PGA Tour will be there, (sans Ludvig Aberg) and with Scheffler out of the mix, we can finally get another big-named player to hoist a trophy and maybe, just maybe, we can get some drama as well. Now, I'm not personally in the camp that wants to see Scheffler skip this event, I'd rather see one of those elite players try to knock Scheffler off, but that's not an option this week, so we're left with what will hopefully be something like Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland battling down the stretch on Sunday, or Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, whoever, it doesn't matter. The point is, we have a chance for a tight finish among the better players on the PGA Tour, without a sense of inevitability of who will win and something that's been missing for a while.

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 6:00 PM ET Tuesday.                   

LAST TIME

Wyndham Clark shot a final-round 68 on his way to a four-stroke victory over Xander Schauffele.

FAVORITES

Rory McIlroy (13-2) 

Just a few weeks ago I made note of how McIlroy seemed to be sliding out of the group of favorites at the signature events, but with his team win two weeks ago and the absence of Scheffler, he's right back at the top. The other reason he's at the top this week is his track record here, which includes nine top-10s in 12 starts and three wins. He's not the force he once was, but he's got a good shot at winning this week.                                                         

Xander Schauffele (9-1)

I'm a little surprised to see Schauffele as the clear second favorite this week, but among the elite players, he has been playing better than most. He's also got a fairly strong track record here, which includes a runner-up this past year and two other top-25s in just four starts at this event. Though he's always a threat, I don't see much value at his current price.         

Wyndham Clark (16-1)

There are two players at this price, Clark and Patrick Cantlay, but of the two, I like Clark better this week. The odds makers and the public have been slow to come around to Clark and he's still not seemingly getting the respect he deserves. He's the defending champ, which complicates things a little, but he's won enough on the PGA Tour that I think he can handle the extra attention, plus, he's probably played better than anyone not named Scheffler this season, so form isn't a worry.

THE NEXT TIER

Cameron Young (25-1)

I'm trying to separate what I want to see from what I think I'll see, but it's tough with Young, who looks the part whenever we see him on the broadcast, yet his results just haven't been what we've expected over the past couple years. Young has played well in spots this season, but overall, the production hasn't been there. That could change this week as I think he's ready to start living up to that potential. The one thing I should note here, is that Young's runner-up in 2022 came on a different course, so this pick is more of a hunch play.                                        

Viktor Hovland (28-1)

Speaking of hunches, there hasn't been much to like about Hovland's game this year, but he's simply too talented to stay a non-factor much longer. Seeing his odds at 28-1 was quite the jolt, I didn't think he'd see those odds for another 20 years, but after a dry spell to start this season, here we are. I think the absence of Scheffler is going to bring a renewed focus for a lot of these elite golfers that have gotten off to slow starts this season.                                                 

Hideki Matsuyama (35-1)            

Of the 11 players that are listed between 25-1 and 35-1, Matsuyama is about the only one that's had much success this season, which is why he's listed here. Almost none of the nine have had much success on this track, so I'm pretty much forced to go on current form alone. Matsuyama has played well this season, but he hasn't played this event since 2019. On the plus side, he has made the cut in all five starts here, with two top-25s, but no top-10s.                                          

LONG SHOTS

Brian Harman (50-1)      

Harman hasn't exactly backed-up his best season ever this year, but he has shown signs recently that his game is coming back. His track record here is all over the place, but he does have some high-end finishes, including a win in 2017. We all know how good he can be when he's on and if he's on this week, he can win.                                           

Harris English (60-1)      

English is not having a great season, but when I'm looking at longshots, I like to pick guys that have won before as I won't have to worry about the guy getting nervous on Sunday if he's in the lead. English has won multiple times on the PGA Tour, so it's' just a matter of getting his game in order this week. English has had some success here, with a T3 this past year and a top-20 in 2017. 

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Rory McIlroy - Gone are the days that you have to save McIlroy for a major and with signature events paying out just as much as a major, there's no reason to hold back this week. McIlroy should be feeling good after his team win in New Orleans and his feel for this course is unmatched among the players in the field.                          

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Wyndham Clark - Clark will have to defend this week, which can be tough for guys that aren't used to going through that, but I feel like he's got the mental part of the game figured out, so it's just a matter of his best game showing up this week. Clark has risen to the occasion several times since winning here this past year and I would expect another good effort this week.                                                     

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Brian Harman - I'll start by stating that I would not go this far down the list this week, there are plenty of good options at the top, but if you're looking to make a move, Harman might be your guy. He's won here before and he's won within the past 12 months, so to see him in contention this week would not be shocking at all.                      

Buyer Beware: Patrick Cantlay - Cantlay is among the favorites this week, but he doesn't have much experience on this course and his game hasn't been great this year. He did have a nice showing at the RBC Heritage three weeks ago, but he followed that up with a bit of a clunker at the Zurich where he was paired with Schauffele. If you haven't used him yet, I'd probably hold off until he shows some more consistency.

This Week: Rory McIlroy - I know he's going to be really popular this week, but I still think he's the right play. It's not just the three wins here, but the nine top-10s in 12 starts. That shows me that he just has a feel for this course. Even if he doesn't bring his "A" game, he should find his way into the top-10.                                                           

Previous Results

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range:  Rory McIlroy ($12,300)
Middle Range: Cameron Young ($10,000)
Lower Range: Jake Knapp ($8,000)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

Previous Results