Wells Fargo - Power Rankings
Photo Credit: SportingNews.com
After dealing with treacherous conditions last week, tour players will head to North Carolina and the difficult Quail Hollow Club for this year’s Wells Fargo Championship.
Always drawing many of the game’s top players, Quail Hollow Club accurately describes the event as follows:
Quail Hollow Club hosts the PGA TOUR in Charlotte, North Carolina each year during the first week in May. The Wells Fargo Championship is one of the largest, most prestigious sporting events in the Charlotte region. Champions for Education, a non-profit organization, operates and manages the tournament and has donated over $18 million to local and regional charities since 2003. Now leading up to its 14th year, the tournament is intended as an annual tradition that will bring players and patrons back each year for an unforgettable golf experience. A combination of Quail Hollow Club and the spirit of the Charlotte area community are among the reasons the Wells Fargo Championship has and should continue to draw many of the world's top golfers to Charlotte.
Wells Fargo, the PGA TOUR and tournament host organization Champions for Education announced that Wells Fargo will continue its sponsorship of the Wells Fargo Championship through 2019 after signing a five-year extension. In conjunction with its title sponsorship renewal of the Wells Fargo Championship, Wells Fargo announced a national expansion of its Succeeding Together community program with The First Tee. In addition to the extension, officials also announced the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship will be held at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., when Quail Hollow Club hosts that year’s PGA Championship.
Here are some of the notables to keep an eye on this week.
Rory McIlroy - Defending champion. Won this event in 2015 after finishing T8 & T10 the previous two years.
Phil Mickelson - Has been a consistent name on the leaderboard of this event. Has finished T4, T11 & 3rd over last three editions of the Wells Fargo.
Rickie Fowler - 2012 Wells Fargo Champion. Plays difficult courses well, and Quail Hollow is no walk in the park.
Adam Scott - Let’s not forget that Adam has already won twice this year (Honda Classic & World Golf Championship), with an additional runner-up finish (Northern Trust Open).
Henrik Stenson - Struggling to close out events, but putting himself in position on a regular basis to hoist hardware. He seems due for a win. Webb Simpson - Resides approximately one mile from the course, and therefore is very familiar with Quail Hollow. Held 54 hole lead last year.
Hideki Matsuyama - Win earlier in the year at Waste Management Phoenix Open. Seems to contend in practically every event he plays. Kevin Kisner - Four top-10’s this season, and only two missed cuts.
Jason Kokrak - Charlotte resident who has appeared on a few leaderboards this year. Hometown would be a great place to notch his first win.
Dustin Johnson - Has the game to contend each and every week. Simply needs to tighten up some of those minor mistakes coming down the stretch.
Sleeper Picks
Bryson DeChambeau - Continues his pursuit to earn enough money for a 2017 Tour card. Has been nothing but impressive since the spectacle he put on at Augusta.
Luke Donald - Coming off of a T2 finish at the RBC Heritage and a T13 at the Valero Texas Open. This week could provide a real glimpse as to whether or not his game is truly taking shape, or whether he simply enjoyed a hot streak that allowed us to reminisce about the former world #1.
And now for this week’s DraftKings picks.
I’m taking the conservative route this week, for it has been friendly to me in the past. As you look through my lineups, you will see that everyone I’ve picked has either been playing well, or is expected to have a big week. For instance, Will Wilcox is just coming of a top-20 finish, while Webb Simpson and Jason Kokrak live in the Charlotte area, so you would expect them to be very familiar with the course. As mentioned, this has been my strategy in the past, and if it ain’t broken, I’m not fixing it.
Starting Lineup:
Rory McIlroy - $12,800
Webb Simpson - $7,900
Ryan Moore - $7,500
Jason Kokrak - $7,200
Cameron Smith - $6,700
Jim Herman - $6,200
Alternate Lineup:
Phil Mickelson - $9,500
Hideki Matsuyama - $9,300
Byeong Hun - An - $8,600
Charles Howell III - $8,100
Bryson DeChambeau - $7,800
Will Wilcox - $6,600
This article was written by Jonathan Carr (@jonathanwcarr) as part of our weekly #FantasyGolf series. Each week we preview the upcoming PGA Tour event and highlight some of the players we'll be keeping an eye on. As a scratch golfer himself, Jonathan has a keen eye for what it takes to be successful on and off the golf course. His passion for golf is surpassed only by his passion for his faith and his family.
Read some of Jonathan's other articles here.
