Wells Fargo Championship: Golf Odds And Predictions
Next week on the PGA Tour is the Players Championship, often referred to as the fifth major. Thus, some top players are skipping the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte to rest up for the big-money Players. But Wells Fargo is a major sponsor on Tour and this tournament usually gets a strong field. A total of 14 of the world’s Top 25 are set to play. So is a guy by the name of Tiger Woods. He hasn’t played a tournament since finishing tied for 32nd at the Masters. He also will play next week.
Wells Fargo Golf Championship History
The Wells Fargo Championship has been around since 2003, back when it was called the Wachovia Championship. Last year, it was moved to Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., because Quail Hollow was undergoing preparations to host the 2017 PGA Championship. Justin Thomas took that at 8 under for his first major title on the way to PGA Tour Player of the Year honors. He finished two ahead of Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Francesco Molinari.
Quail Hollow, a par 71 measuring 7,554 yards, shouldn’t play as hard as that under this tournament setup. It usually takes double digits under par to win this tournament. Brian Harman won it last year in Wilmington and the last winner at Quail Hollow was James Hahn in a playoff over Roberto Castro in 2016.
Wells Fargo Championship Odds Favourites
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is the +700 Sports Interaction favourite, and he’s the only two-time winner of this tournament. His first PGA Tour victory was when this was called the Quail Hollow Championship in 2010 when he shot 15 under and won by four. In 2015, McIlroy destroyed the field by seven shots thanks to shooting a tournament record 21-under 267. His third-round 61 that year also is a course record. McIlroy, who didn’t play this tournament in 2017, hasn’t finished outside the Top 10 in his past five trips to Charlotte.
Thomas is +900. He was seventh at the 2015 event and missed the cut in 2016. In his last stroke-play tournament, Thomas was 17th at the Masters. He and partner Bud Cauley missed the cut last week. Rickie Fowler is +1000 with Jason Day +1800, Hideki Matsuyama and current Masters champion Patrick Reed at +2000 each and Tiger +2200. Fowler won here in 2012 in a playoff over McIlroy and D.A. Points. Woods was the 2007 champion.
No Canadian has won this tournament. Adam Hadwin is +8000, Corey Conners +25000, Nick Taylor +30000, Ben Silverman +30000 and Mackenzie Hughes +40000. Hadwin plays for the first time since the Masters and was 61st here in 2016. Taylor was T8 at the different course last year. Hughes was T31.
Wells Fargo Championship Predictions
I like Phil Mickelson for a Top 10 as he has 11 top-12 finishes in 14 visits, and Fowler for one too, but McIlroy clearly is comfortable at this course and has to be the winning choice.
