After a week in Dallas where many of the best players on the PGA Tour were resting up before the PGA Championship, the focus turns to Quail Hollow for the final tune-up before the season’s second major.

The Wells Fargo Championship debuted in 2003 and has always attracted a strong field, yet in 2022, the event was elevated to signature status. This tournament now features a purse of $20 million dollars and a small field of just 69 players who are guaranteed four rounds. Wyndham Clark will return to defend his title, and he will be joined by the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, a three-time winner at Quail Hollow.

Notably absent from the field this week is Ludvig Aberg, who withdrew on Monday morning with a knee injury, and Scottie Scheffler, who is awaiting the birth of his first child. Both Scheffler and Aberg will be missing their first signature event of the season, which certainly creates the possibility for a more unheralded player to break through. Let’s dive into the slate.

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$10,000 range Play: Wyndham Clark, $10,500:

Wyndham Clark won this tournament going away last year at 19-under par, and since then, he has actually become a better golfer. Since his Wells Fargo victory last year, Clark has won the U.S. Open, another Signature Event, and recorded three other signature top-fives, including a runner-up at the Players Championship. Clark possesses the ideal profile for Quail Hollow, as he is one of the longest drivers in this field and excellent long-iron player who can catch fire on the greens.

Fade: Xander Schauffele, $11,500:

Chris Graythen

Xander Schauffele remains one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour, but I cannot justify the price tag this week. The California native is a full $1000 more expensive than Wyndham Clark, who is the defending champion, and has finished top-five in five Signature Events in the last year, with two wins and major. Schauffele is always a solid bet to finish top-10, but I’m not sure I can make an argument for his high end upside when more proven contenders are priced so generously.

For our other bets and our selections for the worst value options for the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, make sure you watch our weekly “Odds Drop” video:

$9,000 range Play: Sahith Theegala, $9,100:

Jared C. Tilton

A Signature Event win feels like the natural next progression in Sahith Theegala’s career trajectory. Theegala has proven his meddle against the best players the PGA Tour, with five top-10s and two runner-ups already at Signature events. His ball-striking has dramatically improved this season, and Theegala now ranks top-10 in strokes gained off the tee and proximity 200 yards plus this year. Quail Hollow is the perfect venue for Theegala to pick up his second career victory.

Fade: Collin Morikawa, $9,300:

Collin Morikawa has been playing some better golf of late, with back-to-back individual stroke play top-10s at the Masters and RBC Heritage, but he still lacks consistency with his greatest weapon. Morikawa lost three strokes on approach at the Heritage, and he has now lost on approach in four out of his last five starts. Morikawa also missed the cut at Quail Hollow last year, losing almost five strokes putting.

More from Golf Digest Read The Line Wells Fargo Championship odds 2024: Our red-hot PGA pro is betting on this rising star $8,000 range Play: Tony Finau, $8,000:

Andrew Redington

Tony Finau has quietly put together an incredibly strong ball-striking season, and his best performances of the year have come at courses such as Torrey Pines and Memorial Park. This should not come as a surprise, as Finau is one of the best drivers of the ball in this field and an excellent long iron player. Quail Hollow is similarly a driver-heavy, long iron intensive golf course and another ideal spot for Finau to thrive.

Fade: Russell Henley, $8,300:

Russell Henley certainly has his golf courses, but Quail Hollow has not been one out of them. In six appearances at the George Cobb design, Henley has yet to notch a top-15 finish. While he is coming off a solid performance at the Heritage, his approach play has been all over the place this season, and his lack of success at Quail Hollow may have something to do with the fact that he is a much stronger short iron player than a long iron player.

Private Quail Hollow Club Charlotte, NC 4.2 103 Panelists

• Second 100 Greatest
• Best In State

Few golf course projects had more national attention in recent years than Quail Hollow, mainly because its front nine was redesigned just a year before it hosted the 2017 PGA Championship, won by Justin Thomas. The par-4 first and par-3 second holes were completely torn up, replaced by a new long dogleg-right par-4 opening hole. Several acres of pines to the left of the fifth tee were removed to make room for a new par-3 fourth. (With its knobby green fronted by three traps, it proved to be the most frustrating hole for pros in the 2017 PGA.) More pines were removed to the left of the par-4 11th, replaced by bunkers, and even more trees chopped down on a hill left of the par-4 18th to make room for money-making hospitality boxes. There’s no question that this latest remodeling, rushed though it was, improved the course. The course was also rerouted for the 2022 Presidents Cup. Explore our full review $7,000 range Play: Will Zalatoris, $7,900:

Andrew Redington

Will Zalatoris always seems to raise his baseline on longer golf courses and more difficult scoring conditions. While Wyndham Clark elevated over the field last year and shot a whopping 19-under par, Quail Hollow is still a challenging test that should be right up Zalatoris’ alley. It should not come as a surprise that his best performances this season have come at Torrey Pines, Riviera, Bay Hill, and Augusta National. These are all driver heavy golf courses that place a heavy emphasis on long iron play, and I expect Zalatoris to continue his strong play on this style of golf course.

Fade: Jason Day, $7,800:

While Jason Day is a former champion at Valhalla, he is just not the same player right now that we have seen excel here in the past. The former PGA Championship winner has been one of the worst iron players in this field this season, and he has now lost over a stroke on approach in five of his last six starts. Unless Day has a magical week on the greens, there is little pathway for him to find success at this golf course with such substandard iron play.

Flier: Billy Horschel, $7,200:

After a disappointing 2023, Billy Horschel found himself back in the winner’s circle at the Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship. Corales is not the type of golf course I typically would expect Horschel to succeed at, but he quietly boasts a strong track record on long iron intensive golf courses, that also includes a win at Muirfield Village. Horschel has also raised his baseline on Bermuda-grass greens as well, and this is far too cheap of price tag for a player with winning upside.

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$6,000 range Play: Kurt Kitayama, $6,800:

Andrew Redington

Kurt Kitayama has already won a Signature Event on a long, driver heavy Bermuda-grass course, and I expect him to show up in this type of event once again. The former Arnold Palmer Invitational winner possesses a very similar skill-set to Wyndham Clark, and both always seem to succeed on the same style of golf courses. Coming off a 33rd-place finish where he gained over a stroke in both ball-striking categories, Kitayama is my favorite value play in the entire field.

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Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also a data analyst and writer for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com