Bob Weeks Picks Six – the Wells Fargo Championship

Last week: It was another week of picking correctly, with two of our six selections bringing us a return. First was Aaron Rai who, at +250 was inside the top 20 with a tie for fourth. And Alex Noren, who we had at +280 for a top 10, ended up in that same tie for fourth. We have been on a good run of late and hoping to add more this week.

This week: One thing is certain for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship: Scottie Scheffler won’t win. That’s because he’s not entered in the Signature event as he awaits the arrival of his first-born child. That opens the door to a number of other interesting choices. Quail Hollow has always been a demanding test and a look at past champions shows a healthy number of quality ball-strikers. Those who can find fairways with regularity will do well here so that is one of our key indicators this week.

To Win:

Rory McIlroy +650

It’s hard not to have McIlroy in the mix this week with his record around Quail Hollow. He has three wins and five other top 10 finishes to his credit so it’s no surprise he’s the favourite. He’s also coming off a shared win with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic. In Total Driving, (distance plus accuracy), he’s No. 1 on the PGA Tour which fits our key indicator. Maybe get ready for another rendition of Don’t Stop Believing.

Max Homa +2200

All Homa has done in his last four starts here is win twice (albeit one was at TPC Avenal) and add another tie for eighth, that coming last year. He’s only missed one cut in 10 starts and had a tie for third at the Masters. Hasn’t had the best of years off the tee but has fared well in past Signature events.

Top 10:

Xander Schauffele +105

Schauffele has done just about everything but win this year with seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts. He was second here last year and has one other top 15 to his credit. He’s 10th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and third in SG: Total. The putter is the only club that could use a small touch of improvement but it won’t take much for him to finish top 10 this week.

Collin Morikawa +210

The real Collin Morikawa showed up at the Masters where he ended up in a tie for third. A week later he was ninth at the RBC Heritage. His accuracy off the tee has become more consistent of late and it’s showing up in his scores. The putter has also been helping him in his last few starts and could play a big part in a big finish this week.

Top 20

Corey Conners +160

Conners tied for eighth here last year and was tied for 21st a year before that. One of the most accurate players in the game, he’s 30th in driving accuracy and third in greens in regulation. He hasn’t missed a cut this year but he also hasn’t posted a top-10 finish. We say he’s more than overdue. He may get some inspiration from best friend Taylor Pendrith’s win last week.

Brian Harman +135

A tie for ninth and a tie for 18th in his last three starts here. Harman had a runner-up finish at the Players and most recently was tied for 12th at the RBC Heritage. He’s 13th in Strokes Gained: Total which is boosted by his great putting numbers.