Betting Picks for the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship

Scheduled two weeks shy of the PGA Championship, several household names look at the Wells Fargo Championship as their final tune-up for Kiawah Island. Hence, 10 of the top-15 players in the world have made the trip to Charlotte.

Quail Hollow Club, site of the 2017 PGA Championship and the home of next year’s Presidents Cup, is a stunning par-71 layout that players love coming back to. The George W. Cobb design has been touched up by Tom Fazio on several occasions and is one of the true treats on the PGA Tour.

Here’s a guide to Quail Hollow Club for those interested in learning more about this week’s venue. Those looking for Wells Fargo Championship picks, let’s jump right in.

It’s not always the big behemoths who reign supreme at Quail Hollow. Tiger and Jason Day have won here, and Rory’s emerged here twice. On the other hand, we’ve seen plenty of longshots leave Charlotte with the trophy in hand.

And I guess we can throw “recent form” out the window. James Hahn had missed eight straight cuts before winning in 2016; Derek Ernst had missed six of seven and had never finished better than T47 in a PGA Tour event.

The point being – there are tons of sleeper picks for the Wells Fargo Championship in play this week.

I’m not too worried about Henley missing the cut last week at Innisbrook. Especially considering he went 3^rd-28^th-9^th in his three previous starts and is cemented as one of the best iron players on tour.

Ranked inside the top 5 in SG: Approach in each of the last two seasons, Henley’s got the propensity to get hot with his putter and run away with a golf tournament. The former standout at Georgia has been knocking on the door all season long (three top-4 finishes); it’s only a matter of time until Russell picks off victory #4.

On the surface, there’s not a whole lot to get excited about when you think about backing Wise this week. He’s missed three of seven cuts since the calendar turned to January and has cracked the top-40 just once. However, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if you dig deep enough.

The 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year finished solo-2^nd in his final start in 2020 (Mayakoba Golf Classic). His consecutive 64s to open the 2021 Honda Classic six weeks ago set a record for the lowest 36-hole total since the event moved to PGA National in 2007.

It’s Wells Fargo Championship week! Really excited for Aaron for to get back out on the course ✅ It’s been a long 2 weeks. He’s got great history at this place…It’s going to be a fun event! 🔥👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/oOfFWYMSAE

— Aaron Wise Tracker (@WiseGuyTracker) May 3, 2021

Finally, Wise’s track record at Quail Hollow is notable. T2-T18 in two previous appearances (2018, 2019).

One of my Wells Fargo Championship predictions I couldn’t wait to lock in was Schwartzel over Griffin at +106. Frankly, I can’t imagine Charl will be lurking in plus-money territory for much longer.

Schwartzel is trending – his runner-up at the Zurich Classic is sandwiched around a T26 at the Masters and a T21 at the Valspar Championship. He’s putting with more confidence, having gained nearly two strokes on the greens last week in Palm Harbor, not to mention, he finished 9^th the last time he was here (2018).

On the flip side, Lanto Griffin has missed three cuts in a row. His ball-striking has waned considerably, and his short game has slipped. Ranking 103^rd in GIR and 172^nd in SG: Around-the-green isn’t exactly a recipe that’s going to breed long-term success.

For what’s it worth, Lanto’s only trip to Quail Hollow resulted in a missed cut (2018).

Patrick Reed is by no means a shoo-in to crack the top-20 on the final leaderboard. Having said that, 22^nd or better in 8 of his 12 starts this year means the likelihood is fairly high that he does.

Those concerned about last week’s “MC Hammer,” don’t be. Patrick missed the cut in Palm Springs in January before winning the very next week at Torrey Pines. Squarely in the conversation for the best short games on tour, Reed’s history at the Wells Fargo Championship is quite favorable.

*Tournament was canceled in 2020

Clocking in 2^nd in birdie average and 2^nd in SG: Putting, look for the 7^th-ranked player in the world to get back on track this week in Charlotte.

The last two years have been a bit of a whirlwind for Will Zalatoris. From playing Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifiers to finishing 2^nd at the Masters, we can now add “getting engaged” as part of the evolution in Zalatoris’ life.

Perhaps most perplexing is that Will’s only in the field this week by virtue of a sponsor’s exemption.

For crying out loud, the kid is ranked 28^th in the world. He finished 6^th at the US Open and 2^nd at the Masters. His six top-10s this season are tied for the third-most on tour.

Bernhard Langer isn’t quick to hand out compliments to the game’s younger generation. Still, the sweet-swinging German couldn’t help but be in awe playing alongside Zalatoris Thursday and Friday at Augusta.

I’m sensing that Zalatoris puts it all together and breaks through this week. Just like Rory and Rickie did when they picked up their maiden PGA Tour victories at this very same venue.