With the second major of the season almost upon us, some of the world’s best players are hoping to use this week’s Wells Fargo Championship as the perfect springboard for a special week.
The Wells Fargo is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar, played on the beautiful Quail Hollow golf course, anybody who wins this tournament would have had to play seriously well.
Three time winner Rory McIlroy is back in an attempt to win title number four, whilst Wyndham Clark will be hoping to defend the title he won so memorably last year. A total prize pool of $8,000,000 is up for grabs and there is bound to be drama at every turn.
Here is our preview of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
The Course
Located in North Carolina, Quail Hollow is one of the most iconic golf courses in the world. Measuring at 7,558 yards, this star studded field will hope to make hay on the course’s three par 5’s. With trees and thick rough surrounding each fairway, players can ill afford to be inaccurate off the tee - to be in a position to win this week, fairways must be hit.
The Favourites
Rory McIlroy
It stands to be a special two weeks for Rory McIlroy. Next week he returns to Valhalla where he has winning form, but for now he will focus on a tournament that he has exceptionally fond memories of.
Three times a winner of the Wells Fargo, McIlroy has made no secret of how much he loves this tournament and playing around Quail Hollow.
The holder of the course record, when McIlroy is driving the ball well, he has more than enough tools to tear the course apart. He arrives at Quail Hollow as a man in form, as he was back to his brilliant best at the Zurich Championship when emerging victorious with Shane Lowry.
The current favorite for victory, expect another big week from the Northern Irishman.
Xander Schauffele
Hoping to win for the first time this season is Xander Schauffele. Currently ranked 4th in the world, over the last few weeks Schauffele has been a model of consistency and has posted three top five finishes in his last six starts.
Sneaky long off the tee, it's with his irons and short game where he really excels. He clearly likes it around Quail Hollow and he finished as the 2023 runner up.
Schauffele hasn’t tasted victory since the 2022 Scottish Open but will hope to get back into the winners circle this week.
Wyndham Clark
After a phenomenal twelve months it's easy to forget that Wyndham Clark’s barnstorming run started at this tournament a year ago.
Announcing himself as a major force on Tour, Clark used this tournament as a springboard to his first major when he landed the 2023 U.S Open.
Now ranked three in the world, Clark has finished inside the top five in three of his last four tournaments and will be relishing the opportunity of defending his crown from 12 months ago.
Devastatingly long off the tee, Clark could have Quail Hollow at his mercy this week and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in contention come Sunday.
Value options
As always in golf tournaments there is plenty of value wherever you look, here are some players that look capable of throwing down a serious challenge at bigger prices.
Max Homa
Over the last four years, nobody has a better record around Quail Hollow than Max Homa. A winner of two of the last four renewals, Homa heads to the Wells Fargo with some decent form behind him.
For so long Homa was Scottie Scheffler’s nearest challenger at the 2024 Masters but he had to settle for third place.
After a slow start to the year Homa seems to have rediscovered his best golf and around a track he clearly loves, he could represent some serious value this week.
Collin Morikawa
A few seasons ago Collin Morikawa was busy taking the golfing world by storm. Twice a major winner so early on in his career, many viewed the American as the heir apparent to Tiger Woods.
Despite his quick rise, Morikawa spent much of 2022 and 2023 frustrated but he seems to have turned the corner this year.
Having worked his way into the final group of both the 2024 Masters and 2024 RBC Heritage, things didn’t quite click for Morikawa in either tournament but he was able to finish inside the top ten in both and should arrive this week full of confidence.
Morikawa is starting to show signs of a renaissance and looks to have every chance of having another productive week.
Viktor Hovland
After being crowned as the 2023 FedEx Champion, big things were expected from Viktor Hovland this season, however this year has been nothing short of a disaster.
Having completely remodeled his swing, the huge hitting Norwegian has been struggling for consistency but for a man of his talents, a big week is never too far away. Priced well down the field, you could be laughing all the way to the bank if this is the week where it all finally comes together.
Long Shots
With all of the best players on the PGA Tour set to be in attendance this week, there are several players who could pull off the upset.
Keegan Bradley
Ranked 19th in the world heading into this week, Keegan Bradley has been one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour for some while and finished as the 2022 runner up of this event.
Bradley started 2024 off with a bang by finishing second in the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions but since then he is yet to record another top ten finish.
Having worked hard to reclaim his position as one of the best players in the world, Bradley is no stranger to bouncing back from a few poor results. Hoping to kickstart his year, this could be the week where it finally all comes together.
Denny McCarthy
Denny McCarthy has become one of the PGA Tour’s nearly men. The runner up of both the 2023 Memorial Tournament and the 2024 Texas Open, McCarthy is one of the best putters on Tour and if the rest of his game is on song he can’t be discounted from any tournament.
McCarthy has decent form around Quail Hollow and was able to finish inside the top ten last season. Another big week is expected.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
