After a year at Eagle Point to make way for the PGA Championship, the PGA Tour returns to Quail Hollow Club for the 2018 edition of the Wells Fargo Championship.
With it acting as a tuneup to the Players Championship, the field in Charlotte, North Carolina is loaded with elite talent, including 16 of the world’s top 30 players.
Two-time Wells Fargo winner, Rory McIlroy, is the favorite at 7-1. The highest ranked player in the field is Justin Thomas (No. 2), and the reigning PGA Champ is offered at 10-1, just ahead of world No. 6 Rickie Fowler who is at 11-1.
No one else in the field has odds better than 20-1.
Former world No. 1 Jason Day (20-1), reigning Masters champ Patrick Reed (22-1), and recent Valspar winner Paul Casey (25-1) were bunched together as the next three favorites.
A pair of legends in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson rounded out the top-10 picks at 28-1.
3 PROP BETS
1. Justin Thomas (Prop: Top 5, +200): While not the official defending champion, Thomas won the last time the PGA Tour came to Quail Hollow, at the PGA Championship last August. The current leader in the FedExCup standings disappointed mildly by not quite being able to get into the mix at The Masters, but was on a 4-2-1 streak in his previous three 2018 starts. JT has only played this tournament twice, but did finish T7 in the 2015 edition, his first attempt. – Joel Cook
WAGER: We’re putting $100 down on JT to win $200 for a top-5 finish.
2. Phil Mickelson (Prop: vs Tiger Woods, -130): Phil has done everything that can be done at Quail Hollow except win. The horse for the course has played this event every year since 2004, and in those 14 starts he has 9(!) top 10s. His win in Mexico a few months ago ended a frustrating winless drought, perhaps he can put an end to an even longer one and finally conquer the Wells Fargo. Aside from a poor Friday at Augusta, Phil has been arguably the best player on Tour since February. – Joel Cook
WAGER: We’re taking Phil over Tiger for $260 to win $200.
3. Joaquin Niemann (Prop: Top 10, +700) Two weeks ago, 19-year-old Chilean star Joaquin Niemann turned pro after spending 48 consecutive weeks atop the amateur rankings. He made the Valero Texas Open his first start, and the teenager did not disappoint. With rounds of 72-70-67-67, Niemann dazzled the field on the way to a solo-sixth place finish, further raising the high bar he had already set. – Joel Cook
WAGER: We’re taking Niemann for $200 to win $1,400 for a top-10 finish.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: Wells Fargo Championship
Dates:Â May 3-6, 2018
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
Course:Â Quail Hollow Club
Distance: Par 71, 7,554 yards
Architect: George Cobb, Tom Fazio
Format: 72-holes, stroke play, 36-hole cut
Purse: $7,700,000
Winning Share: $1,386,000
Defending Champion:Â Brian Harman
