The PGA Tour shifts to Quail Hollow and the famous “Green Mile” this week for the Wells Fargo Championship from Charlotte, North Carolina. It’ll be interesting to see a sporting event in the state after so many other professional sports leagues and businesses have avoided the state due to the controversial “Bathroom Bill”. On the links, there has been plenty of drama at this tournament over the years including six playoffs in its 13-year existence but Rory McIlroy blew away the field here a year ago and will look to do the same this year as the defending champion.
Event Details
Event: Wells Fargo Championship
Category: PGA
Date: May 5-8
Location: Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
McIlroy put on an absolute show here a year ago when he won the tournament at 21-under but this event has traditionally seen some close competition including the most recent playoff finishes in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Past Five Winners
2015: Rory McIlroy -21
2014: J.B. Holmes -14
2013: Derek Ernst -8 (Playoff)
2012: Rickie Fowler -14 (Playoff)
2011: Lucas Glover -15 (Playoff)
What To Know About The Course
Greens In Regulation has always been an important statistic at this event with 10 of the 13 winners ranking inside the top-12 in that category. Driving Distance and Scrambling are the other two notable numbers to keep an eye out when evaluating the field for this week’s event with Length an important number to consider here. Only one of the 13 winners at this tournament ranked outside of the top-28 in Driving Distance so make sure you don’t overlook that trend this week. The first three home in 2014 each ranked inside the top-six in Scrambling while last year’s winner McIlroy ranked fifth in that department. The final three holes are among the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour as the “Green Mile” will undoubtedly push a talented field once again this week.
The Field
McIlroy is the defending champion and the favorite to win this tournament outright at +400 odds but he isn’t the only notable entrant in a field that is absolutely loaded. Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama will all feature this week while Jim Furyk is among the other notable entries as he makes his first start since a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from last year’s BMW Championship.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Patrick Reed over Rickie Fowler
Fowler is listed behind only McIlroy and Dustin Johnson at +1400 odds to win the Wells Fargo Championship outright but we like the idea of fading him this week. Fowler has struggled to deliver on his immense potential of late including a missed cut at The Masters and a 20th place finish at the Zurich Classic last week. Meanwhile, Reed was a runner-up two weeks ago at TPC San Antonio and has recorded three top-10 finishes in his last four events. Reed is listed at +2500 odds to win this event outright but he is in excellent form and we like him as the better option of the two in this head-to-head matchup as an excellent value play taking him over Fowler.
Top Five Pick: Rory McIlroy
McIlroy absolutely dominated at this course a year ago when he fired a 61 on Saturday and cruised to his second victory at this event. He has an additional three top-10 finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship and the timing couldn’t be better for him to play in a tournament where he has had a lot of success after struggling early on this season. McIlroy hasn’t teed up since Augusta so he should be rested and focused as the obvious betting favorite to win this event. A top-five finish should be in the cards for McIlroy this week with a good chance he successfully defends his title with the outright win.
Top 10 Odds To Win The Wells Fargo Championship
Rory McIlroy +405
Rickie Fowler +1250
Adam Scott +1650
Justin Rose +1850
Henrik Stenson +1850
Hideki Matsuyama +2050
Patrick Reed +2250
Phil Mickelson +2250
J.B. Holmes +2250
Byeong Hun An +3050
Want to give your comments about this article? You can either leave them here or you can join us on the Get More Sports Forum and talk about this article and many more! Brag about your favorite team, argue about an athlete’s performance or tell us about a game you saw. Join a new community of sports fans who live and breathe sports and sports entertainment. It’s free! Join now!
