PGA

Wells Fargo Championship - PGA Tour: Preview

11 May 2022 20:16:43 GMTPlus10

Rory McIlroy is this week's defending champion on the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is in Maryland for this week's Wells Fargo Championship and Steve Palmer delivers his verdict.

Jon Rahm justified emphatic favouritism to win the Mexico Open last Sunday and the PGA Tour has another clear market leader again this week, with Rory McIlroy teeing it up in an event he loves.

McIlroy has won the Wells Fargo Championship three times and is this week's defending champion, but the Northern Irishman will be gutted that there is a one-off venue switch for this event.

All three of McIlroy's previous Wells Fargo successes have come at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, but that course is being prepared for September's Presidents Cup. As a result, TPC Potomac in Maryland has temporarily taken over Wells Fargo duties.

McIlroy's odds would be even shorter if this tournament was being played at Quail Hollow, but he is a 9/1 chance at TPC Potomac. The former world number one finished runner-up in the Masters last time out, carding a wonderful final-round 64, and his army of fans will be hoping the Sunday sizzler at Augusta sets up a glorious summer.

Each-way terms of a quarter the odds the first five places are available. Tony Finau, second in the Mexico Open on Sunday, is a 22/1 chance and as ever, all the action will be avaliable on the Live Golf Tracker.

Wells Fargo Championship course details

TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, Maryland, is a 7,160-yard, par-70, with only two par-fives. The Kemper Open (which became the Booz Allen Classic) was a PGA Tour event played at TPC Potomac from 1987-2004 (and 2006), then the Quicken Loans National was staged there in 2017 and 2018.

The Mid-Atlantic Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour was at TPC Potomac in 2012 and 2013. The course has changed a lot through the years and is no pushover, despite its short yardage, with dense sets of trees added as well as more water hazards.

A cold, breezy weekend is forecast, so those who make the cut look set to face tough conditions. Kyle Stanley and Francesco Molinari are the two most recent Potomac champions and are both accurate drivers. One of the two par-fives at this track is 641 yards, so a three-shot hole unless massively downwind.

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Wells Fargo Championship previous course winners taking part

Rory Sabbatini, Francesco Molinari

Three to follow

Keegan Bradley

The 30/1 about Keegan Bradley seems a solid bet given the way this Major champion has been performing in recent weeks. Fifth place in the Players Championship was followed by eighth in the Texas Open and fourth, alongside Brendan Steele, in the Zurich Classic pairs event. Bradley was fifth at TPC Potomac in the 2017 Quicken Loans National.

Corey Conners

Tee-to-green accuracy is essential for success at TPC Potomac and Corey Conners is stronger than most in that department. The consistent Canadian, third in the WGC-Match Play, then sixth in the Masters and 12th in the Heritage, is a greens-in-regulation machine who should hang tough in Maryland. The 18/1 seems an excellent each-way option.

Brandon Wu

A share of second place in Mexico on Sunday has provided another injection of confidence for Brandon Wu - and the super-talented youngster is worth following at 80/1 for the Wells Fargo.

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