It’s time to continue our PGA DFS series by checking out our Wells Fargo Championship DFS core plays, including a key observation on Rory McIlroy.
The TOUR swings back east to the Carolinas this week for the year’s sixth elevated event, the Wells Fargo Championship. Quail Hollow plays host to this event, as it has for the majority of the tournament’s existence. Measuring in at over 7,500 yards as a par 71, this is a championship level golf course through and through. Not surprisingly, longer hitters pepper the list of past winners of events played on this course due to its shear length. While distance off the tee will certainly be an advantage, it is not the be all end all skillset needed to win. Shorter hitters off the tee can succeed here through accuracy and exceptional long iron play.
For my core plays this week, I’ll be targeting players who are solid across the entire bag, who also have some history of success at Quail Hollow. One trick ponies will struggle on this layout, since it demands excellence in all facets of the game. I will still be giving an edge to the longer hitters, but only if the other parts of their game are in form.
Below are the players I’ll be building around as my core plays for Wells Fargo. If you’d like to build around these players or your own core plays, the lineup generator is the perfect PGA DFS tool. Right now, readers can try it out for a week for just $1 using promo code ‘BERRYMANLG‘.
2024 Wells Fargo Championship DFS Core PlaysÂ
Rory McIlroy – $11,800
It’s hard to look at Rory’s season to this point as anything other than a disappointment. Through eight starts, he has only one finish inside the top 18. To put that into perspective, Rory closed out the 2023 season with 10 consecutive finishes inside the top 10. It’s rare to see a player of his caliber struggle to crack the top 10 consistently. However, if there was ever a get right spot for him, it’s at the course where he’s dominated over the course of his career.
In 11 career starts at Quail Hollow, he has 8 finishes inside the top 10 including two wins. It makes perfect sense too, this course is tailor made for his game. Long off the tee, exceptional on approach, and above average on and around the greens. That’s the recipe for success at Quail Hollow.
Even through his struggles, over the last 24 rounds he still ranks 1st in strokes gained off the tee, and inside the top 11 in both birdie or better percentage and bogey avoidance in this field. Without Scottie Scheffler in the field, Rory McIlroy is primed to add another high finish to his career track record at Wells Fargo, and build some momentum ahead of the year’s second major next week.
Justin Thomas – $8,500
2024 has been a wild year for Justin Thomas. Through nine starts he has five finishes inside the top 12, 3 missed cuts, and a 64th place finish. On a week to week basis, it’s been tough to know what version of J.T. will be showing up. What has remained consistent however, and what gives me optimism for this week, is his approach game which appears to be returning to the elite levels we’ve seen from him in the past.
Over the last 24 rounds, he ranks 6th in this field in strokes gained on approach. When you combine his recent approach numbers with his length off the tee and track record of success on this course (his first major victory came at Quail Hollow in 2017), you have one of my favorite plays of the week.
Tony Finau – $8,000
At just $8,000 on DraftKings, Finau presents as one of the best value plays on the board this week. As a longer hitter with a great approach game and solid around the green play, he fits the mold I’m looking for to attack this lengthy layout. His game has been trending very nicely of late, with four finishes inside the top 20 over his last seven starts.
Over the last 24 rounds, he ranks 23rd in strokes gained off the tee, 17th around the green, and 7th on approach amongst this star-studded field. He’s priced as the 20th most expensive option, but ranks 13th in our projections on our top golfers tool. That sort of gap is just too good to pass up on.
GPP Flier: Austin Eckroat – $6,600
With an ownership projection in the single digits, I think Eckroat is going overlooked this week. He’s been very impressive this season, including his break through win at PGA National in early March. Over the last 24 rounds he ranks top 20 in this stacked field in the following categories:
Off the tee, approach, birdie or better percentage, and fairways gained. While he isn’t the longest hitter on TOUR, averaging right around 300 yards, he’s very buttoned up across the other facets of his game that will set him up nicely to compete this week. He does tend to struggle at times with his putter. If he can find a way to be around field average on the greens I like his chances of finishing inside the top 20, serving as a great differentiator in GPP’s.
These are a few of the key players who will make up my player pool for the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship DFS lineups (not just including Rory McIlroy). I’ll favor them significantly when I build lineups using the PGA Sims. In addition, don’t forget to take advantage of the odds boosts sportsbooks are offering.
