X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - Wells Fargo Championship

Hello PGA DFS family! The Valspar Championship turned into a two-horse race with Sam Burns eventually outdueling Keegan Bradley down the stretch. Burns is a young player with true superstar potential and many inside the PGA DFS industry knew a win was coming soon. It will be interesting to see if his first PGA Tour victory springboards him to bigger and better accomplishments.

The Valspar kicked off what is a very serious stretch of golf on the PGA Tour. With the PGA Championship looming just two weeks away, many of the world's best players will head to Quail Hollow this week for their final tune-up ahead of the year's second major championship. This is gonna be a fun week, let's dig in!

Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!

 

Wells Fargo Championship Overview

With the state of Florida now in the rearview, we head to North Carolina for one of the best events on the PGA Tour schedule, the Wells Fargo Championship. This tournament is annually held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte and returns to action after being canceled last year due to COVID-19. It's a long and tough layout, but one that is almost universally praised as one of the top courses in the country.

In addition to being a prestigious event on a word-class golf course, we also have the secondary narrative of the PGA Championship looming just two weeks away. This will be the final tune-up for many of the world's best golfers and we can expect this Quail Hollow layout to present them with a stiff challenge.

As mentioned, this is the last chance for many of the world's best players to sharpen their games prior to the PGA Championship, with many electing not to tee it up the week before a major. The strength of this week's Wells Fargo field reflects that, as it is absolutely stacked! 2019 champion, Max Homa, will attempt to defend his title against a wealth of talent that includes Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Xander Schauffele. Honestly, the list goes on and on, with this undoubtedly being the strongest field we've seen since the Masters. I'm pumped!

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. And be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!

 

The Course: Quail Hollow Club

Par 71 - 7,521 Yards, Greens: Bermuda, Designed By: George Cobb

Originally designed by George Cobb in 1961, Quail Hollow has always presented players with the daunting closing stretch dubbed the "Green Mile", but a Tom Fazio upgrade prior to hosting the 2017 PGA Championship put the North Carolina layout in the conversation for one of the tougher tests on the Tour schedule.

The first thing that jumps out is Quail Hollow's length. At almost 7,600 yards, a golfer's distance will play an important factor this week. We have an almost polar opposite situation to what we saw at Harbour Town a couple of weeks ago...where players were almost never forced to hit drivers off the tee.

At Quail Hollow, players will be using the big dog often, which makes me very interested in a player's prowess off the tee. Ball striking will be important, as it seemingly is every week. We must also consider scrambling ability and bogey avoidance on this tough layout.

It must be noted that the 2017 regular-season edition of this tournament was played at a different course, so when you're doing course-history research ignore '17, unless you want to look at the PGA Championship from that year.

For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!

 

Recent Champions

  • 2020: Canceled Due To COVID-19
  • 2019: Max Homa (-15)
  • 2018: Jason Day (-12)
  • 2017: Justin Thomas (-8) *2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow
  • 2016: James Hahn (-9)

 

The Horse

Justin Thomas

Notable Course History: T21 (2018), Win ('17) *PGA Championship, T7 ('15)
DraftKings Price: $11,300 FanDuel Price: $12,300

Justin Thomas is something of a no-brainer this week due to his course history and his current form. JT captured the 2017 PGA Championship that was held on this Quail Hollow layout with a T21 and a T7 also on his Wells Fargo resume since 2015.

He's roundly considered one of the top players in the world - some would say the best - and it's tough to argue with that assessment. After kicking off 2021 with a couple of off-the-course issues, Thomas has moved things into gear as of late, highlighted by a spectacular win at THE PLAYERS just over a month ago. It's not a surprise to find that JT is statistically elite...over the last 36 rounds he grades out first in this Wells Fargo field in SG: Approach and third in SG: T2G.

That tee-to-green excellence has often-times been derailed by JT's struggles with the putter. His performance in last week's Valspar Championship is a perfect example, as Thomas led the Valspar field in SG: T2G, OTT, & APP, but ranked just 67th in SG: Putting...making just three putts of over 10 feet. Basically, aside from a few stray weeks with the driver, we can expect Thomas' game to be there from tee to green on a weekly basis and have to hope for just a decent performance with the flatstick.

 

The Ponies

Webb Simpson

Notable Course History: T18 ('19), T21 ('18), T33 ('17) *PGA Championship, T2 ('15)
DraftKings Price: $10,200 FanDuel Price: $11,400

Since we’re talking course history, I suppose we should discuss the player that lives just a stone’s throw from Quail Hollow’s first tee...Webb Simpson. The Raleigh native and member of Quail Hollow Club has an intimate knowledge of this layout that is tough to put a price on (though DraftKings has tried by listing him at $10.2k this week).

Simpson’s familiarity with this golf course is certainly reflected in his results in the Wells Fargo - a T2 and a pair of top-25s since 2015 - which makes the veteran one of the top plays on the board this week. 

In addition to the course history, Webb has - of course - been in rock-solid form this year. He’s set to tee it up on the heels of a T12 at the Masters and a T9 at the RBC Heritage. Simpson has made the cut in six of his seven 2021 starts with three top-10 finishes. As always, he’s a player that you can roster confidently in all DFS formats.

Rory McIlroy

Notable Course History: T18 ('19), T6 ('18), T22 ('17) *PGA Championship, T4 ('16), Win ('15), Win ('10)
DraftKings Price: $10,000 FanDuel Price: $11,800

There are lots of elite players with elite course history in this week’s field, but Rory McIlroy stands head and shoulders above the rest. McIlroy has a long and storied history at Quail Hollow. It was the site of his first career PGA Tour victory in 2010, as a blistering final-round 62 announced his presence to American golf fans. Rory posted a subsequent victory at Quail Hollow in 2015 and boasts a massive SG: Total mark of +46.74 in this event, the highest in the field by a wide margin.

With the course history out of the way, we should probably dive into McIlroy’s current form. To say there are issues would be an understatement, as the superstar heads to the Wells Fargo off missed cuts in each of his last two starts at THE PLAYERS and the Masters, not to mention a horrible outing at the WGC-Match Play. He admitted to chasing distance off the tee during the offseason due to Bryson DeChambeau’s win at Winged Foot late last year and the swing tweaks appear to be wreaking havoc with his overall game. 

Rostering McIlroy this week is a bet that he’s found something with his game over the three weeks since his disappointing performance at the Masters and will be able to translate that to results in the friendly environment of this Quail Hollow layout.

 

Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS PGA subscription?

Like what you read today? You can show your support for Joe by using promo code NICE when purchasing a PGA Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium PGA articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!

 

Patrick Reed

Notable Course History: T28 ('19), 8th ('18), T2 ('17) *PGA Championship, T28 ('16)
DraftKings Price: $9,300 FanDuel Price: $10,900

Patrick Reed continues to be a statistical enigma and something of a mystery to the statheads inside the PGA DFS industry. I’m no different, as it’s so impossible to predict the 2018 Masters champion that I’ve basically adopted a mantra of: “Play Reed on tough golf courses.” over the past couple of years. Is it an oversimplification? Probably. But his track record on “difficult” layouts is pretty undeniable. 

That record is especially true on this Quail Hollow track. Reed has been a beast at the Carolina venue, with a SG: Total mark of +26.49 in the Wells Fargo Championship. That number doesn’t take into account a sterling runner-up finish in the 2017 PGA Championship held at Quail Hollow. 

Reed heads to this edition of the Wells Fargo fresh off a missed cut at Valspar last week. Surprisingly, his ball striking numbers were solid last week and it was a cold putter that sent him packing on Friday afternoon. We can expect the missed cut to ding his DFS ownership a bit this week, while also feeling confident that the bad outing with the flatstick was nothing more than an outlier for the player with one of the best short games in the world.

Joel Dahmen

Notable Course History: 2nd ('19), T16 ('18)
DraftKings Price: $7,600 FanDuel Price: $9,100

We talked about Patrick Reed’s statistical inconsistencies earlier in this week’s article and the same can be said of Joel Dahmen, a player that will rarely pop in stat models, but seems to consistently play well at Quail Hollow. The fan favorite has logged a runner-up finish and a T18 in his last two Wells Fargo starts.

Dahmen had suffered through a brutal stretch of golf in early 2021 - missing the cut in six of his first seven starts this year - before grabbing the first PGA Tour win of his career in the Corales Puntacana Championship to close out March. Outside of a start at the Valero Texas Open the following week, Dahmen has been inactive since the win at Corales. It leaves us guessing as to his current form, but his resume makes him an attractive GPP option in this spot. Another note about Dahmen, he has a Bubba Watson-esque quality, in that he seems to repeatedly play well on the same golf courses, with Quail Hollow being one of his “Happy Places”.

  Win More With RotoBaller

Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.

Our very own Joe Nicely took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team:

Between all the incredible Premium PGA DFS and Betting content and tools we put out each week, and our Premium Slack Community where we chat with our subscribers before lineups lock, RotoBaller PGA subscribers are armed with the tools, analysis, and advice to win more.

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks


More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Christopher Bell

Finished Second in an Otherwise Subpar Day for Toyota
Chris Buescher

Ran Decently at Kansas, but Teammates Outperformed Him
Josh Berry

Despite Qualifying Error and Speeding Penalty, Josh Berry Finished Sixth
Joey Logano

Despite Joey Logano's Complacency, Penske Cars Were Fast Enough to Get Him a Top Ten
Tyler Reddick

Once Again Inexplicably Mediocre at One of His Better Tracks
Brad Keselowski

Crashed Out at Kansas, but Showed First Hint of Speed
Jordan Lawlar

Set For Promotion To Majors
Zack Wheeler

Dominates Guardians In Fourth Win
Kyle Schwarber

Cracks Pair Of Dingers
Donovan Mitchell

Doubtful To Return To Game 4
Ronel Blanco

Strikes Out 11
Karl-Anthony Towns

Not On The Injury Report For Game 4
Sam Hauser

Questionable For Game 4
Stephen Curry

Remains Out On Monday, As Expected
Woody Marks

Inks Rookie Deal With Houston
New England Patriots

Isaiah Iton Heading To New England
Tyre Phillips

Signs With Commanders
Jaylon Smith

Raiders Agree To Terms With Jaylon Smith
Hunter Goodman

Nearly Hits For The Cycle
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Fire Bud Black
Jordan Martinook

Available For Game 4
Stuart Skinner

To Start Game 4 On Monday
Mark Stone

Not Ruled Out For Game 4
Sergei Bobrovsky

Looking To Regain Sharpness Sunday
Connor Hellebuyck

Hopes To End Road Woes On Sunday
Colin Blackwell

Enters Stars Lineup Sunday
Zach Eflin

Cleared To Start On Sunday
Kalel Mullings

Kevin Winston Jr. Recovering From Injuries
Trey Sermon

Steelers Sign Trey Sermon To One-Year Deal
Quincy Riley

Recovering From Surgery
Spencer Rattler

Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener Will Compete For Starting QB Job
RJ Harvey

Broncos Involving RJ Harvey In The Passing Game
Luther Burden III

Motivated After Draft Slide
Corey Seager

Not Past His Hamstring Injury
Stephen Kolek

Strikes Out Seven In Complete-Game Shutout
Kyle Larson

Could Embarrass The Field At Kansas
Tyler Reddick

Should Be Fast At Kansas
Denny Hamlin

Has Been Phenomenal At Kansas in Next Gen Car
Brett Baty

Hits A Pair Of Home Runs, Drives In Five In Loss
Ryan Blaney

Expect Ryan Blaney To Obtain Another Quality Kansas Finish
Chris Buescher

May Be One To Watch At Kansas
William Byron

Is Among The Top Favorites To Win At Kansas
NASCAR

Should DFS Players Roster Bubba Wallace At Kansas?
Christopher Bell

Qualifies Third For This Week's Kansas Race
Austin Cindric

May Be A Great And Sneaky DFS Pick For Kansas
Ryan Preece

Is Ryan Preece Worth Rostering For Kansas Lineups?
Josh Berry

Has Incredibly High DFS Upside For Sunday's Race At Kansas
Justin Haley

Scores New Career-Best Starting Position In Kansas Qualifying
Noah Gragson

Is Noah Gragson Worth Rostering For Kansas Lineups This week?
John Hunter Nemechek

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Kansas?
Corey Heim

Qualifies For His First Cup Race Of 2025 At Kansas
Jack Roslovic

Notches Two Points In Game 3 Win
Frederik Andersen

Produces 21-Save Shutout In Game 3 Victory
Evan Bouchard

Collects Two Assists In Losing Effort
Corey Perry

Nets Two Goals In Game 3 Loss
William Karlsson

Extends Point Streak To Three Games
Reilly Smith

Completes Multi-Goal Night With Buzzer-Beating Winner
Mark Stone

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Aaron Judge

Blasts Two More Homers
Shea Langeliers

Powers A's Past Yankees With Five RBI
Corey Seager

Tallies Three Extra-Base Hits, Two Homers In Return To Lineup
Jacob deGrom

Records 10 Strikeouts
Jose Altuve

Exits Early On Saturday
Oneil Cruz

Exits With Back Issue
Anthony Stolarz

Progressing But Not Close To Return
Miro Heiskanen

Ruled Out For Game 3 Against Jets
Mark Jankowski

Remains Out Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Misses Game 3 Against Golden Knights
Brayden McNabb

Out On Saturday
Brandon Saad

Unavailable For Game 3 Against Oilers
Pavel Dorofeyev

Set To Return Saturday
Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Signs Rookies Dylan Sampson, Carson Schwesinger
Blayne Taylor

Signs With Indianapolis
Jauan Jennings

Still Views Himself As The No. 1. Option In San Francisco
Deone Walker

Being Eased Into Rookie Minicamp
Tyler Shough

Now In Line To Start For Saints?
Derek Carr

Announces His Retirement
Nicolas Roy

Avoids Suspension
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Launches Grand Slam, Racks Up Five RBI On Friday
Michael Lorenzen

Dominates Red Sox In Pitcher's Duel
Shohei Ohtani

Smacks Three Extra-Base Hits
Ketel Marte

Homers Twice, Reaches Base Four Times
Jasson Domínguez

Jasson Dominguez Smashes Three Homers On Friday
San Francisco 49ers

49ers Waive Drake Jackson
Andre Dillard

49ers Sign Andre Dillard
Jaylon Smith

Trying Out With Raiders
Kelvin Banks

Jr. Signs Four-Year Rookie Deal
Jalon Walker

Signs Rookie Deal With Falcons
De'Andre Hunter

Ready To Play Friday
Evan Mobley

Returns Friday
Darius Garland

Officially Available Friday
Sam Hauser

Likely To Remain Out On Saturday
Belal Muhammad

Set For His First Title Defense
Jack Della Maddalena

Has A Chance To Become UFC Champion
Manon Fiorot

Looks To Become The New Champion
Valentina Shevchenko

Set For UFC 315 Co-Main Event
Aiemann Zahabi

Looks For His Sixth Win In A Row
José Aldo

Jose Aldo Set For Featherweight Bout
Natalia Silva

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Alexa Grasso

Returns At UFC 315
Kyle Prepolec

Set For UFC 315 Main-Card Opener
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Stephen Curry

Unsure When He Can Return From Injury
De'Andre Hunter

Iffy For Friday
Evan Mobley

May Miss Another Game
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 3
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Held In Check Wednesday
Chet Holmgren

Logs Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads Thunder To Blowout Win
Derrick White

Close To Another Double-Double In Game 2
Jaylen Brown

Struggles In Second Half Wednesday Night
Josh Hart

Leads All Scorers With 23 Points In Game 2 Against Celtics
Mikal Bridges

Makes Late Impact Again
Karl-Anthony Towns

Turns It Around In Game 2
Jalen Brunson

Leads The Knicks To Another Win
Will Zalatoris

Looking To Find Consistency Heading Into Philadelphia
Justin Rose

In Solid Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Russell Henley

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At Truist Championship
Brian Harman

In Great Form Heading Into Philadelphia
Corey Conners

Red-Hot Heading Into Truist Championship
Daniel Berger

In Great Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Sahith Theegala

Struggles Continue Ahead Of Truist Championship
Xander Schauffele

Eyeing Strong Finish At Truist Championship
Collin Morikawa

Poised To Rebound At The Truist Championship
Tony Finau

Trying To Find Form In Philadelphia
Justin Thomas

Looking To Keep Winning Ways Going Art Truist Championship
Maverick McNealy

In Great Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Michael Kim

Looking To Recapture Elite Form In Philadelphia
Rory McIlroy

The Headlining Favorite At Truist Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Eyeing First Victory At Truist Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Looking To Stay Hot In Philadelphia
Andrew Novak

Looking To Keep Hot Stretch Of Play Going In Philadelphia
Shane Lowry

Still Having An Amazing Season Ahead Of Truist Championship
Stephan Jaeger

Trying For Top-10 Result In Philadelphia
Aaron Rai

Heads To Philadelphia Playing Well
Lucas Glover

Hot And Cold Heading To Truist Championship
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF