After a quiet two weeks on the PGA Tour, we head to Quail Hollow where the best players on the PGA Tour will all be back in action with the very notable exceptions of Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler.
We’ve only seen one tournament at Quail Hollow Club over the past three years with this event being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and the Presidents Cup being held at the course in 2022. The Wells Fargo was last played at Quail Hollow in 2021, when Rory McIlroy earned his third victory at the historic site (2010, 2015, 2021).
In the past three editions of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, there have been five first-round leaders or co-leaders. All five of them come from the afternoon wave.
Wind or weather doesn’t appear to be a major factor this week. There has clearly been a recent PM starter bias, but I believe you can bet the players you think will play well in round one this week regardless of tee time or weather.
Wells Fargo Championship First-Round Leader Picks
Rickie Fowler +5500 (FanDuel)
First-Round Tee Time: 12:54 p.m. Local Time
Quail Hollow has treated Rickie Fowler well over the course of his career. He got his first win at the course back in 2012 by narrowly defeating Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points in a playoff. He also has two fourth-place finishes in 2016 and 2019 to go along with the victory.
In addition to the course history, Fowler is entering the week playing some of the most consistent golf he has played in years. In 2023, he’s had six top-20 finishes in eight starts. His statistics also show that he is indeed back in form. In his past five events, Fowler has gained an average of 3.3 strokes on approach and 4.5 strokes from tee to green.
Pick: Rickie Fowler FRL +5500 |
Tommy Fleetwood +6000 (DraftKings)
First-Round Tee Time: 12:32 p.m. Local Time
Tommy Fleetwood is in good form and has a knack for playing well in big events. In March, Fleetwood found himself deep in contention at the Valspar Championship and finished third. He also finished 15th at the most recent designated event at Harbour Town.
Fleetwood finished 14th the last time he made the trip to Quail Hollow. He also played well at Riviera this year (20th), which has historically produced some leaderboard similarity with Quail Hollow. Over his past five starts, the Englishman has gained an average of 4.9 strokes from tee to green on the field.
Emiliano Grillo +10000 (FanDuel)
First-Round Tee Time: 2:00 p.m. Local Time
Emiliano Grillo has the perfect combination of current form and course history to be dangerous at Quail Hollow this week. I’ve tipped him as an outright and top-five finisher, but first-round-leader may prove to be the most prudent market to back Grillo in this week.
In his last two trips to the course, Grillo hasn’t finished worse than 14th. His superb long iron play and ability to hit fairways makes him a strong course fit. He also tends to get hot in stretches and is at the beginning of another strong stretch of form at the moment. He’s coming off of back-to-back top-seven finishes, and his approach numbers are off the charts.
Pick: Emiliano Grillo FRL +10000 |
