Golf betting tips: Final-round preview and best bets for the Wells Fargo Championship
Wyndham Clark is the man to catch as he seeks a first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo Championship. Get our verdict on Sunday's final round.
Golf betting tips: Wells Fargo Championship
3pt win Xander Schauffele at 13/8 (Unibet)
2pt two-ball double: Max Homa to beat Michael Kim & Sungjae Im to beat Brendon Todd at 13/8 (bet365)
Wyndham Clark and XANDER SCHAUFFELE went low on Saturday at the Quail Hollow Club to give the chasers an awful lot to do on the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship.
Clark carded a 63, his low round of the season, to total 16-under 197 after 54 holes as he seeks to win a first PGA Tour title (he lost a play-off to Brian Gay in the 2020 Bermuda Championship). Schauffele had a late birdie-eagle-birdie burst from the 14th to shoot 64 and he sits two behind the leader.
There’s a gap of three back to Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton on 11-under, with Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood and Sungjae Im on 10-under.
The chasers may or may not be aware that Quail Hollow has seen a few pre-final round leaders suffer woe on Sunday. Sergio Garcia led by six in 2005, was caught and lost in extra holes. Zach Johnson and Billy Mayfair were both two clear in 2009 and 2010, but ended the week outside the top 10. In 2013 Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson were tied at the top, but shot 76 and 73 to slip down the leaderboard.
Kevin Kisner and Rickie Fowler in 2016 and 2017 (the former when the course hosted the PGA Championship) took 74 in the final round to lose top spot. And last time the course hosted (2021) Keith Mitchell was two clear but a 72 left him a couple back.
Clark’s maiden status means he’ll be under pressure not to add to this list of back-pedallers. His only experience of a solo 54-hole lead was the 2019 Honda Classic when a 72 turned a one shot advantage into a four shot deficit. But he was tied first in last month’s pairs event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans before he and his partner Beau Hossler got stuck with a final round 71. He’s also twice been third with 18 holes to play this season but both times didn’t break 70 to head the wrong way on Sunday.
He explained that he has been working on his mind game this season and he was entertaining explaining it. Turns out that he’s been reading a book called Energy Bus. “It sounds kind of lame,” he said. “But actually it’s a really good book.”
Of the difference between himself at the Honda and also in that play-off in Bermuda he said: “I wasn’t as good a player as I am now. I also think mentally I was a lot more impatient and fragile. I’m excited to see how I handle the pressure. Obviously it’s going to be tough, I’ve got one of the best players in the world right behind me and a bunch of other good players. I’m just really looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.” He’s widely available at evens.
Schauffele arrived at Quail Hollow with an improving record but only in the sense that he’s not done much. He missed the cut on debut in the 2017 PGA Championship, was T72nd in 2018 and T14th in 2021. He’d only gone sub-par once in his 10 rounds. But it was actually better than all that because he did win three points from four matches in the Presidents Cup.
“Do you like Quail Hollow?” he was asked on Thursday and answered: “I mean, you know, I can’t quite call it that yet, but it’s a nice piece of land they have here.” A rather brilliant bit of fluff. After his 64 he noted that the course is playing a little different to the past: “The rough isn’t as penalizing as it has been in the past when it was a little bit longer. The greens aren’t super firm.”
He’s a two-time winner when second with 18 holes to play – at the 2017 Tour Championship and 2018 HSBC Champions – and on another five occasions he stayed inside the top three. Indeed, then he has been tied second or better after 54 holes (17 instances) he has never ended the tournament worse than tied third. He hangs around. It suggests Clark will have to earn his win. Schauffele is 13/8 at Unibet and 6/4 generally which also appeals.
“This business is all about results,” said Scott after his third round. “That’s what I’m looking for tomorrow.” The 42-year-old is actually seeking a first win since early 2020 and he’s playing better on the course than he has for some time. He opened his account there with four top 25s, but has had just one (T17th in 2016, his only top 60) in his last six visits. He’s never gone sub-70 in the final round at Quail Hollow although the conditions give him a better shot at it today.
Much the same could be said of Hatton who missed the cut in the 2018 PGA Championship and, after a 67 to open in 2018, he never again broke par as he slipped to T42nd in his only other course start. Scott can be backed at 25/1, Hatton at 18/1. What the pair of them do have in their favour is a lack of recent form – eight of the last 10 winners arrived at Quail Hollow failing to make much impression on the first page of leaderboards.
Can English, Fleetwood and Im make a dent at the top? If Clark struggles they are four back of second. That makes the task appear less imposing. Schauffele is the pick though with that strong record of hanging around, forcing Clark to play well for the first win and the chasers to push on a tough track.
Add a small double in the two-balls. Former course winner MAX HOMA is up against Michael Kim who had broken 73 just once in six rounds at Quail Hollow before this week. And ultra-consistent SUNGJAE IM is up against Brendon Todd. Ahead of this week Todd had needed at least 75 blows in five of his last eight weekend rounds. The double pays 2.67.
Posted at 0945 BST on 07/05/23
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