The PGA Tour returns stateside following its second annual stop at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, where Tony Finau avenged his loss to Jon Rahm last season with a three-stroke victory over the Spaniard, finishing at -24-under-par for his first outright win of the season. Vidanta was a birdie fest, but this week’s newly designated event, the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, will be a much more arduous test.
Quail Hollow Club is the course that will host the field of 156 players this weekend, returning here after the event was moved to TPC Potomac in 2022 due to the President’s Cup. Its location in Charlotte, North Carolina, promises to deliver good weather, which is a huge factor in a course that ranks as tough as Quail Hollow. We’ve only seen two winners during the previous three events, with Max Homa winning at Avenel Farm in 2022 and at Quail Hollow in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic but returned here in 2021, where Rory McIlroy logged his third outright win of his career at this course, finishing at -10-under-par.
DFS is always more fun when we get a designated event, attracting the sport’s best competitors for maximum lineup production. Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm won’t be in attendance. Still, virtually every other star golfer will be at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, including McIlroy, who hasn’t been on a course since missing the cut at The Masters with a final scorecard of +5. Other notable names include Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, and Jordan Spieth.
After analyzing Quail Hollow Club’s course difficulty and the players in attendance, I’ve identified six of my favorite prospects to invest in on DraftKings and FanDuel ahead of Thursday’s opening round tee times. Let’s find out why each golfer deserves to be prioritized in DFS lineups as they prepare to tee off at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship.
Before we get into our Wells Fargo Championship DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Wells Fargo Championship selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Xander Schauffele ($10,700)
Xander Schauffele logged a T14 finish at Quail Hollow in 2021, so he’s comfortable playing on this difficult course, especially with his current form. The 29-year-old Californian has gone T19, T10, and fourth in his previous three solo stroke play events, delivering 15-19 birdies during each of these outings. It helps that Schauffele is ranked seventh in total strokes gained, including fourth approaching the green and ninth tee-to-green, combined with a confident putter. He’s a blue-chip prospect worth investing in despite the high salary on DraftKings.
Jordan Spieth ($9,600)
While we haven’t seen Jordan Spieth compete in the Wells Fargo Championship in several years, he dominated the President’s Cup at this course last season. Combine that performance with his inability to close out Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage sudden-death playoff during his last event played. We can expect an explosive performance from Spieth at Quail Hollow Club this weekend. Spieth is the definition of consistent, logging four T5 finishes in his past five events played. Don’t hesitate to pounce on Spieth’s value and get him locked into lineups.
Tommy Fleetwood ($8,000)
The last time we saw Tommy Fleetwood at Quail Hollow during this event, he logged a T14 finish alongside Schauffele. The 32-year-old Englishman has had a variety of finishes this season, with only two T10s through 10 events, but he’s among the best iron players on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood is ranked 10th in total strokes gained, including third around the green and 14th tee-to-green, while efficiently scrambling to either save par or deliver a par breaker, averaging 4.03 birdies per round this season. At $8,000, Fleetwood is a rock-solid value to acquire, so get him into lineups.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Viktor Hovland ($10,600)
Viktor Hovland is a great investment amongst the cheaper blue-chip options this week. The Norwegian golfer logged a T3 finish here at Quail Hollow during the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, going -7-under-par across the final two rounds to surge up to a T3 finish alongside Keith Mitchell. Hovland has a few flaws in his game, and it’s just the consistency aspect that can burn us in DFS. He’s ranked seventh in strokes gained off-the-tee, fourth in total driving, and hits over 68 percent of greens in regulation, which makes Hovland a considerable asset that could win a few contests by inserting him into lineups this weekend.
Sahith Theegala ($9,800)
Sahith Theegala continues to improve each week on the PGA Tour. Since it’s only his second season, he missed out on Quail Hollow at this event back in 2021, but Theegala is built for this course. Plus, he’s a birdie machine, averaging 4.34 per round, ranked 14th on the PGA Tour. His metrics don’t pop as much as some other players that have been recommended, but Theegala has logged two consecutive T10 finishes, including a T5 at the RBC Heritage. A couple of weeks off to rest and practice should result in the 25-year-old Californian manufacturing another strong outing to collect his eighth T10 finish this season. Plug Theegala into FanDuel lineups at a relatively nice value.
Keith Mitchell ($9,600)
Surprisingly, Keith Mitchell has been consistently good at the Wells Fargo Championship throughout his recent appearances at the event. Mitchell logged a T3 finish at -8-under-par with Hovland at Quail Hollow during McIlroy’s win in 2021 while previously delivering a T8 finish during Max Homa’s outright win in 2019. Mitchell is ranked sixth in strokes gained off-the-tee, 30th tee-to-green, and first overall in total driving. Of course, a 4.1 birdie average also boosts his appeal in DFS, where birdies are king. At $9,600, we aren’t overpaying for Mitchell’s past success, so let’s lock him into FanDuel lineups with confidence.
