Wells Fargo Championship: SB Nation picks next PGA Tour Signature Event winner

Quail Hollow Club, the host of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, is one of the more challenging courses the PGA Tour visits each year. It requires precision from tee to green.

Funny enough, this venue will host the PGA Championship again next year, eight years after Justin Thomas won his first major championship at Quail Hollow in 2017. The course also hosted the 2022 Presidents Cup, in which the Americans defeated the Internationals, 17.5 to 12.5.

Big hitters, who can also find plenty of greens, tend to do well on this golf course, but accuracy is also a must, as Shane Lowry explained in his pre-tournament press conference.

With this intel in mind, SB Nation’s Playing Through staff has submitted their picks for the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship:

Kendall Capps - Senior Editor

Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images

Earlier this year, we saw Scottie Scheffler become the first back-to-back winner at The Players.

We will see more history this weekend as Wyndham Clark will become the first player to win the Wells Fargo in consecutive years.

He set the course record last year, and it is no wonder why. Clark’s game fits this course beautifully. The reigning U.S. Open champion is one of the longest hitters on tour, and with Quail Hollow listed beyond 7,500 yards, that is essential.

But even more importantly, you need to be precise both off the tee and on approach. Clark ranks in the top 15 on tour in strokes gained: off the tee, on approach, and even putting. We have all seen Clark catch fire with the flat stick numerous times this year, with no better example than what he did at Pebble Beach.

One year ago, Clark made a name for himself. He has since proven that he is no one-hit-wonder and will cap off one of the most underrated 12 months of golf in recent memory this week.

DraftKings Odds to Win: +1400

Jack Milko - Staff Writer

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Of those players without a PGA Tour victory in 2024, nobody has played better than Xander Schauffele, who ranks third in total strokes gained this season.

I believe he finally breaks into the winner’s circle this week at Quail Hollow, where he finished in solo second—four strokes behind Wyndham Clark—at this event a year ago. Schauffele also tied for 14th in 2021.

The former San Diego State Aztec ranks 10th in strokes gained off the tee and is 27th in strokes gained approaching the green—both solid attributes on this challenging golf course.

The question is whether he can make some putts, as he routinely puts himself in the best positions. He tied for second at The Players and finished solo eighth at The Masters, but if he could have holed a few more on the greens, those solid performances may have turned into memorable wins.

Alas, I am confident Schauffele will do just that this week on these re-surfaced and smoothened putting surfaces. He will gallop into Kentucky full of confidence for next week’s PGA Championship, fresh off his eighth career PGA Tour victory.

DraftKings Odds to Win: +1000

Savannah Richardson - Staff Writer

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Early Wednesday, Rory McIlroy discussed how this tournament is one of his favorite stops on the PGA Tour, and rightfully so. The Northern Irishman has triumphed at Quail Hollow three times before, with his most recent victory coming in 2021.

Knowing how much he loves this golf course and how big hitters tend to play well here, I believe McIlroy will win the Wells Fargo Championship for a fourth time.

His game is rounding into form, as evidenced by his dramatic victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry.

McIlroy has demonstrated accuracy off the tee this season, too, finding the short grass 71.16% of the time—good for 17th on the PGA Tour. That will surely help him at this Signature Event, which puts a premium on precision.

DraftKings Odds to Win: +700

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Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.