The PGA Tour is in North Carolina this week for the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, and we’re picking a rising star who is ready for a breakout victory as our long shot. Here’s our pick, the Wells Fargo Championship betting favorites and everything else you need to know for the week.
Wells Fargo odds: Long-shot bet
After a brief two-week hiatus, this week’s Wells Fargo Championship is once again a designated event, the ninth of the season so far. That means many big-name players will be teeing it up, except for the two biggest. World No. 1 Jon Rahm and No. 2 Scottie Scheffler are sitting this week out.
That’s good news for the rest of the field’s chances because Rahm and Scheffler have combined to win five of the first eight designated tournaments. It provides a great opportunity for long shots to fight for the enormous $3.6 million winner’s paycheck. And Sahith Theegala could be that player.
Theegala, who enters the week with +4000 odds-to-win, has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but he’s been contending for the better part of a year now. Theegala has seven top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up at the RSM Classic. At the RBC Heritage, the most recent designated event, Theegala earned a T5, just one week after finishing ninth at the Masters.
Theegala is ready for a breakout in a big way, and the Wells Fargo Championship would be a great place to do it. Should you bet $10 on him to win and he pulls it off, you’ll walk away with $400. For less risk or insurance, consider placing a bet on him to finish top 20 or top 10.
How last week’s long shot fared
At last week’s Mexico Open at Vidanta, we chose Gary Woodland as our long shot at +3300. Woodland narrowly made the cut but was sitting pretty after a stellar third-round 66.
But on Sunday the 2019 U.S. Open champ could only muster an even-par 71, dropping him to a T39 finish as betting favorites Jon Rahm and Tony Finau took second and first place, respectively.
PAST RESULTS
2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta: Gary Woodland (Odds: +3300; Finish: T39)
2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Denny McCarthy/Joel Dahmen (Odds: +4000; Finish: T11)
2023 RBC Heritage: Tom Kim (Odds: +3500; Finish: MC)
2023 Masters: Tommy Fleetwood (Odds: +6600; Finish: 33)
2023 Valspar Championship: David Lingmerth (Odds: +12500; Finish: T27)
2023 Players Championship: Corey Conners (Odds: +6600; Finish: MC)
2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: Billy Horschel (Odds: +10000; Finish: MC)
2023 Honda Classic: Sepp Straka (Odds: +5000; Finish: T5)
2023 Genesis Invitational: Adam Scott (Odds: +5500; Finish: 65)
2023 WM Phoenix Open: Rickie Fowler (Odds: +8000; Finish: T10)
2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Beau Hossler (Odds +8000; Finish: T11)
2023 Farmers Insurance Open: Rickie Fowler (Odds: +10000; Finish: T11)
2023 Sony Open in Hawaii: Kurt Kitayama (Odds: +5000; Finish: T73)
2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions: Ryan Brehm (Odds: +75000; Finish: T35)
Wells Fargo odds: The favorites
With Rahm and Scheffler not in the field, this week’s pre-tournament betting favorite is the next-best player in the OWGR, Rory McIlroy. McIlroy begins the week with +850 odds-to-win.
Coming in second behind Rory is World No. 4 Patrick Cantlay at +1200, followed by Xander Schauffele at +1400. Last week’s winner, Tony Finau, is looking at odds-to-win of +1600, tied with Jordan Spieth.
You can see the top 15 and ties in Wells Fargo Championship betting odds as of Monday morning below, or head over to BetMGM to see the full list of odds and bets for this week.
2023 Wells Fargo Championship betting odds (Top 10 and ties)
Rory McIlory (+850)
Patrick Cantlay (+1200)
Xander Schauffele (+1400)
Tony Finau (+1600)
Jordan Spieth (+1600)
Viktor Hovland (+2000)
Collin Morikawa (+2000)
Justin Thomas (+2200)
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)
Sungjae Im (+2200)
Max Homa (+2200)
Cameron Young (+2200)
Jason Day (+2500)
Sam Burns (+3300)
Rickie Fowler (+3300)
